St Barnabas' Church, Derby

St Barnabas’ Church stands in the heart of Derby, a solid stone building put up in the late 19th century to serve a fast-growing parish. The nave and aisles rose quickly after the foundation stone was laid by George Curzon, Marquess of Kedleston, in October 1884. Arthur Coke-Hill designed the church and Walker and Slater built it, opening the doors the following October. The walls are faced with Coxbench stone outside and rough stucco within, while Bath and Handsworth stone dressings add detail. Roof tiles came from Ruabon in North Wales and heating was supplied from Belfast. The chancel was added in 1903–04 and dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell on 22 March 1904. Inside, an oak screen remembers Miss Mary Shaw, gifts of her brothers and sister. The pulpit and lectern were given by local families in memory of James Bates and the Redferns of Etwall. Jones and Willis of Birmingham carved the oak reredos, choir stalls and clergy vestry screens, while Rust of London laid the green and blue chancel floor tiles. Visitors step into a broad nave lined with tall arcades that lead to a raised chancel. The pipe organ, installed by Charles Lloyd of Nottingham, stands at the west end and was opened on Easter Day 1889. Light falls through clear glass windows onto the Bath stone dressings, while the green and blue floor tiles mark the chancel’s edge. The oak fittings and screens give the interior a warm, crafted feel, and the overall scale of the church still serves the parish it was built to hold.