Derby Cathedral - The Interior

The Museum of the Moon suspended from the nave ceiling

Entering the west door of Derby Cathedral, having briefly explored its exterior, the very tall tower arch forms the backdrop to the stairway to the Georgian gallery but, beyond this point, there is no exposed structural stonework to be seen in the church. 

The tower arch

Once inside the cathedral, the Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram, and its accompanying light show, so dominated the nave that I just took a few quick record photographs of the principal structural elements. Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface. 

The chancel screen by Robert Bakewell

Although the interior is very impressive, especially the wrought iron screen by Robert Bakewell, this Language of Stone Blog only refers to the masonry elements, which here is limited to the flooring and the wall monuments. 

Flooring in the north aisle

The general walkways around the cathedral are paved in a pale coloured polished stone, which I assume is Hopton Wood limestone, and in the sanctuary, there is a chequerboard pattern floor, composed of lightly veined Carrara marble and a black limestone that – given the patronage of Bess of Hardwick and subsequent members of the Cavendish family – is very probably Ashford Black marble. 

The monument to Sir William Wheeler

On the wall of the north aisle, there are notable C17 monuments to Sir William Wheeler and William Allestry that are made of alabaster, which has partly been painted, and another in the Neoclassical style to Thomas Chambers by Louis-François Roubiliac. 

The monument to William Allestry

In the Cavendish Area, on the opposite side of the cathedral, the monument to Lady Caroline Cavendish – built in white and black veined Italian marble – is another example of the trend of using imported decorative stones in the C18. 

The monument to Thomas Chambers

I would have spent more time photographing the innumerable fine architectural details, in various materials, that can be seen at Derby Cathedral but, on this occasion, my objective was to see the monument to Bess of Hardwick.

The monument to Lady Caroline Cavendish