St Peter's Church

St Peter’s Church stands in the centre of Derby, its ancient stone walls rising among the city’s modern streets. Built in the 11th century, it is the only medieval church left in the city centre. The tower holds a peal of eight bells, rung before Sunday services. Its Grade II* listed boundary walls were recognised in 1952. The building shows traces of every major English architectural period since the Normans. The church has witnessed centuries of Derby’s history. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was rebuilt in the 14th century under curate John de Crich. The tower was rebuilt in 1509, and the bells cast in 1636 still ring today. Oliver Cromwell took an Elizabethan chair from here in 1650; it was returned in 1960. The blind rope-maker Joan Waste was tried for heresy here in 1556 and died at Windmill Pit. Inside, visitors find Norman features at the east end and five-light windows from the 1300s. The 1902 clock by John Smith of Derby drives two six-foot dials on the tower. A Florence Nightingale stained-glass window, moved from the old infirmary, now glows in the north aisle. The church still hosts services, community meals and the Derby City Chaplaincy.