Derby Cathedral - The Exterior

A general view from Silk Mill Park

During my day trip to Derby, I had a good walk around the historic city centre and I caught glimpses of the tower of Derby Cathedral many times from afar but, when finally arriving at its west door after walking down St. Mary’s Gate, it soon became clear that the tower was the only part left of the original early C16 church. 

A general view from Cathedral Road

The very late Perpendicular Gothic tower, one of the biggest in England, is built in Ashover Grit extracted from the Duffield Bank quarry, in the village of Duffield, which is set on the River Derwent 7 km north of Derby. Here, there is another St. Alkmund’s church – one of only six dedicated to Alkmund, the C8 Northumbrian prince and Mercian martyr. 

A general view of the east end

Duffield could also be the source of the gritstone used for Alkmund’s sarcophagus at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, which was discovered at St. Alkmund’s in Derby – the mother church to the one in the village; however, stone has been extensively from the Millstone Grit that lies to the east of the River Derwent and from Coxbench, which supplied stone from the Rough Rock for many buildings in Derby. 

The west door with ironwork by Robert Bakewell

The bulk of the cathedral, built 1723-26, is by the famous Georgian architect, James Gibbs, with the Derbyshire gritstone ashlar being uniformly buff in colour and more typical of the Ashover Grit found further north at Darley Dale and Stanton-in-the-Peak. 

The west elevation of the tower

Starting a quick exploration of the cathedral at the west end, and looking up at the tower, there is much more decoration than usually seen on late Perpendicular Gothic churches – with various friezes, canopies and the parapet being very ornate. 

The west door of the south aisle

The west end of the south aisle, in contrast, is in the Palladian style with bold rustication to the doorway, prominent keystones and a pediment above, which were a trademark of Gibb’s most famous work. Above, the oculus has a similar rustication and this recurs in the tall round arched windows along the south aisle.

Swithland slate grave slabs

Alongside the south aisle, there are several inscribed Georgian grave slabs set into the sandstone paving, which are made of purple/grey slate. This is Swithland slate from Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire, which had a good reputation for roofing and monumental work and was widely used in the region before cheap Welsh slate replaced it. 

A general view from the south-east

Due to the presence of well-established trees, it wasn’t easy to get a good photo of the south elevation, but its details, which include flat pilasters and a balustrade, can be appreciated from the south-east end.

A general view of the east end

The east end of the cathedral was built 1967-72 to the designs of Sebastian Comper and, although the bold rustication was not repeated, the proportions of the windows and the pilasters are sympathetic with the Gibbs design. 

A view along the north aisle

Returning to the west front via the narrow passage that runs alongside the north aisle, I then discovered that the cathedral was hosting the Museum of the Moon.

A sign for the Museum of the Moon