Church of St Anne

St Anne’s Church stands in Derby as a Grade II* listed Anglican parish church. The red-brick building was designed by F. W. Hunt of London and completed in 1872. Its nave measures 95 feet long and 26 feet wide, with a roof rising 50 feet to the apex. Stone appears only in the arcade pillars and clerestory tracery. The contractor Robert Bridgart of Derby carried out the work, while Mears and Stainbank supplied a bell of nearly six hundredweight. After a period of closure from 2013, volunteer clergy resumed services every fortnight. The church belongs to the Anglo-Catholic tradition and rejects the ordination of women. It therefore receives oversight from the Bishop of Oswestry, currently Paul Thomas, under the patronage of The Society. Since reopening, Fr Giles Orton has served as priest alongside Father Bob Boyle and the former incumbent Fr Michael Brinkworth. The building once housed a Brindley & Foster organ installed in 1878 at a cost of £370. Organists have included Arthur Timms from 1899 to 1930 and Raymond Oxley from about 1970 until 2008. Inside, the red-brick walls and stone detailing frame a spacious nave. The original organ has been removed, but the space remains plain and dignified. The high clerestory windows admit daylight, while the arcade pillars support the roof. The building’s proportions and materials give it a calm, solid character. Outside, Derby’s urban setting surrounds the church, making it a quiet refuge within the city.