Peregrine falcon and Derby Cathedral tower

Female peregrine falcon on Derby Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Derby, better known as Derby Cathedral, is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

church in the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, England. In 1927, it was promoted from parish church status to that of a cathedral, creating a seat for the

Bishop of Derby The Bishop of Derby is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Derby in the Province of Canterbury.''Crockford's Clerical Directory'', 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. . The diocese was formed from part of the Diocese o ...

, which new

Episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

was created in that year. The original church of All Saints was founded in the mid-10th century as a royal collegiate church, dedicated to All Saints. The main body of the church as it stands today is a Georgian rebuilding by

James Gibbs James Gibbs (23 December 1682 – 5 August 1754) was a Scottish architect. Born in Aberdeen, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England. He is an important figure whose work spanned the transition between English Ba ...

, completed in 1725. The tower dates from the 16thcentury, and a

retroquire In church architecture, a retroquire (also spelled retrochoir), or back-choir, is the space behind the high altar in a church or cathedral, which sometimes separates it from the end chapel. It may contain seats for the church choir. An example o ...

was added in the 20thcentury.

History

All Saints' Church

The original church, dedicated to All Saints, was probably built in about 943 by the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

King

Edmund I Edmund I or Eadmund I (920/921 – 26 May 946) was King of the English from 27 October 939 until his death in 946. He was the elder son of King Edward the Elder and his third wife, Queen Eadgifu, and a grandson of King Alfred the Great. After ...

as a royal collegiate church, of which building no trace survives. Following the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

of 1066, and according to the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086, it belonged to the king, and was served by a college of seven priests. The Saxon building probably became structurally unstable, and was therefore demolished. A new building was constructed in the 14thcentury, which surviving drawings show was about the same size as the present building. In 1510–1532, the surviving tower was built in the

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...

style. On top of the tower are twelve large sculpted

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German, as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

animal figures, three per face, and the sculpted stone head of a

Green Man The Green Man, also known as a foliate head, is a motif in architecture and art, of a face made of, or completely surrounded by, foliage, which normally spreads out from the centre of the face. Apart from a purely decorative function, the Green ...

can be seen on each side of the main West Door at the base of the tower. The tower is built with Ashover Grit sandstone, sourced from nearby Duffield Bank quarry. in 1556, during the persecutions of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

s during the reign of Queen

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

(1553–1558),

Joan Waste Joan Waste or Wast (1534 – 1 August 1556) was a blind woman who was burned in Derby for refusing to renounce her Protestant faith.

was tried for heresy within the Church of All Saints, and was executed on the Burton Road in Derby. The fabric of the church appears to have deteriorated severely from about 1650, and was in a ruinous state in 1700. In February 1723 the vicar, Dr Michael Hutchinson, having decided that a new building was required, made the decision unilaterally to demolish the church, and employed a gang of workmen to accomplish the task overnight. Having accepted this ''

fait accompli Many words in the English vocabulary are of French language, French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman conquest of England, Norman ...

'' handed to them, the Mayor and Corporation of Derby commenced fundraising for the building of a new church by inviting subscriptions for the purpose, and made the first donation themselves. Dr Hutchinson expended much effort in fundraising, which exertion may have adversely affected his health. He made a significant personal financial contribution to the fund, and his efforts are recorded on a memorial tablet in the South Aisle. Having encountered numerous disputes, Hutchinson eventually resigned in 1728 and died about eighteen months later, leaving numerous outstanding debts. With the original 1530s tower retained, the rest of the church was rebuilt to a Neo-Classical design made in 1725 by the architect

. In his ''Book of Architecture'', Gibbs wrote as follows regarding All Saints' Church: "It is the more beautiful for having no galleries, which, as well as pews, clog up and spoil the insides of churches ... the plainness of this building makes it less expensive, and renders it more suitable to the old steeple". To offset the rather austere interior, Gibbs introduced a wrought iron

chancel screen In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, extending across the entire width of the church, manufactured by the local iron-smith and gate-maker Robert Bakewell, but not completed until five years after the new church was opened. The first sermon was preached in the new church on 25November 1725. By

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

on 1July 1927, All Saints' Church became a cathedral. The new building was later extended eastwards with the addition of a

designed by Sebastian Comper, constructed between 1967 and 1972. The cathedral was registered as a charity on 9April 2024, with the Registered Charity Number 1207768.

Monuments and furnishings

The cathedral's treasures include the 18th-century

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

manufactured by Robert Bakewell, for which he was paid £157.10.0d (150guineas); a monument with effigy of

Bess of Hardwick Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury ( Hardwick; 13 February 1608), known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, was a notable figure of Elizabethan English society. By a series of well-made marri ...

, of

Hardwick Hall Hardwick Hall is an architecturally significant Elizabethan architecture, Elizabethan-era country house in Derbyshire, England. A leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, the Renaissance architecture, Renaissance style home was bu ...

; and

monumental brass A monumental brass is a type of engraved church monument, sepulchral memorial once found through Western Europe, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional church monument, monuments and effigy, effigies carve ...

es of her descendants the

Cavendish family The Cavendish (or de Cavendish) family ( ; ) is a British noble family, of Anglo-Norman origins (though with an Anglo-Saxon name, originally from a place-name in Suffolk). They rose to their highest prominence as Duke of Devonshire and Duke of ...

(later the

Dukes of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...

), including brasses of

Henry Cavendish Henry Cavendish ( ; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable a ...

and of

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; ; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she wa ...

. The entrance gates, moved to the cathedral from StMary's Gate in 1957, were also made by Robert Bakewell. The gates were refurbished in 2012, and renamed the Queen ElizabethII Gates to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Notable 20th-century additions are stained-glass windows designed by

Ceri Richards Ceri Giraldus Richards (6 June 1903 – 9 November 1971) was a Welsh painter, print-maker and maker of reliefs. Biography Richards was born in 1903 in the village of Dunvant, near Swansea, the son of Thomas Coslett Richards and Sarah Ri ...

, and a bronze crucifix by Ronald Pope.

Clock and carillon

In 1927 a new clock was installed by

John Smith & Son John Smith & Son is a British academic bookseller based in Ringwood, Hampshire, England. Founded in 1751, it is the oldest bookselling company in the English-speaking world. It was based for many years at 57–61 St. Vincent Street in Glasgow, ...

, Derby clockmakers, replacing one reputed to have been made by George Ashmore in 1738, but by then so worn as to be beyond its useful life. Until March 1976 this timekeeper and associated parts had been mechanically driven by heavy weights that had to be wound manually, some of them daily. This work had been undertaken by John Smith's for many years, but rising costs caused the authorities to install an automatic winding mechanism to both the clock and the

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

, which sounds the bells. Derby Cathedral's clock has two dials, one facing West along StMary's Gate, and one facing South down Irongate. Both are of stone and are 8feet in diameter. They were restored and gilded in 1964, then again in the early 21stcentury. The 1964 restoration proved beyond doubt that the long metal tubes driven through the tower walls to operate the clock mechanism were actually gun barrels (cavalry carbines) dating from the 1745 'uprising' of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The carillon is the mechanical instrument that drives the tunes played upon the cathedral's bells each day. It was installed by John Smith of Derby in 1931 to replace a machine of similar design, dating from the 17thcentury and subsequently enhanced towards the end of the 17thcentury by

George Sorocold George Sorocold ( – c. 1738) was an English civil engineer notable for pioneering work on water supplies and hydraulic power systems around Great Britain. Biography Sorocold was born in Lancashire in 1666, the son of James Sorocold and El ...

, a Derby millwright. The current machine plays a tune three times a day, and the seven tunes it plays are changed automatically each day. It is known that the tunes of the original machine were varied over the years, first by

John Whitehurst John Whitehurst FRS (10 April 1713 – 18 February 1788), born in Cheshire, England, was a clockmaker and scientist, and made significant early contributions to geology. He was an influential member of the Lunar Society. Life and work Whi ...

at various times between 1745 and 1762, and then by John Smith in 1873. There is documentary evidence to show that John Whitehurst was paid £3.3.0d (3guineas) for winding and care of the clock and carillon, although he is known to have paid from this sum the amount of £1.11.6d (1½gns.) to a MrFrost, who did the actual daily winding of the carillon. On 3July 1976, one of the less well-known carillon tunes was replaced with the melody of "

The Derby Ram "The Derby Ram" or "As I was Going to Derby" is a traditional tall tale English folk song ( Roudbr>126 that tells the story of a ram of gargantuan proportions and the difficulties involved in butchering, tanning, and otherwise processing its ca ...

", a regimental march associated with the

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

, so that it would become a permanent reminder of the Regiment's association with the town and county of Derby. The tunes are currently played at 9am, 12noon and 6pm as follows: *Sunday —

Thaxted Thaxted is a town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of north-west Essex, England. The town is in the valley of the River Chelmer, not far from its source in the nearby village of Debden, and is 97 metres (318 feet) above sea level (w ...

*Monday — Truro *Tuesday — The Shady Bowers *Wednesday — All Saints *Thursday — Lass of Paittie's Mill *Friday — The Highland Laddie *Saturday — The Derby Ram They can be listened to live on a local webcam feed. (The previous carillon played at 3, 6, 9, and 12 both night and day.)

Tower and bells

Derby Cathedral has the oldest

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

of ten bells in the world. Most of them have been there since 1678, when the number of bells was increased from six to ten. The largest bell weighs 19cwt (965kg), its note is D-flat and it is over 500 years old — older than the tower itself. It is believed that it came from

Dale Abbey Dale Abbey is a village and civil parish in the borough of Borough of Erewash, Erewash in Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England, 6 miles north east of Derby. The population of the civil parish on the 2011 census was 1,351. Formerly known as ...

in Erewash in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The youngest bell, no.3, is dated 1693, so all the bells are over 300 years old. Bell no.8 was in Ashbourne parish church until 1815. A

in the tower uses the same bells to provide a tune at 9am, 12noon and 6pm. The bells used to hang in a wooden frame; when the church became a cathedral in 1927, the bells were retuned and rehung at a lower level in a new metal frame. On 28October 1732, a Frenchman called Gillinoe 'flew' down on a rope from the top of All Saints' steeple. He did this on a number of occasions, landing variously at StMichael's church and at the bottom of StMary's Gate. On one occasion an ass was sent down the rope, but it broke under the weight and a number of onlookers were injured. On 25July 1940, a wartime

barrage balloon A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision with hostile aircraft, making the atta ...

broke loose from its moorings during a heavy storm and, as it floated past, its chain caught round one of the pinnacles on the tower and demolished the top half of the pinnacle. In late 2005, it was discovered that a pair of

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...

s had taken up residence on the cathedral tower. In 2006 a nesting platform was installed, and they nested there in April of that year. Webcams were installed in 2007, 2008 and 2013 to enable the birds to be seen at close range without being disturbed by human contact. The same pair successfully reared chicks every year up to and including 2016. However, on 27March 2017 it became clear that a new male had taken over the nesting platform and ousted his predecessor who, by that time, was at least 14years old. It is not known whether the first male died of old age, or was chased away or killed by the new one after a fight. The female accepted the new male and together they produced, somewhat later than in previous years, four eggs, three of which successfully hatched into one male and two female chicks. In 2009, more than 150 members of the Derby Mountain Rescue Team abseiled down the tower for charity. Further sponsored abseils have taken place every year since, and in 2012 this included the Assistant Curate, Andy Trenier, and the Dean of Derby Cathedral, Dr John Davies.

Cathedral Centre

The Derby Cathedral Centre is opposite the west doors on Irongate. It was opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. It once included a café, a bookshop and an exhibition space, featuring work by local artists, but since March 2020 the shop and café have remained closed. The Cathedral Centre also houses the cathedral offices and meeting rooms. In 2017, the Cathedral Café won the annual Derby Food and Drinks Award for Best Customer Service.

Burials

John Lombe John Lombe (1693 in Norwich – 20 November 1722 in Derby) was a silk spinner in the 18th century Derby, England. Biography Lombe was born in Norwich in approximately 1693, the son of a worsted weaver. He was a younger half-brother of Tho ...

William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough (1704 – 11 March 1793) was a British politician and public servant. He was an Irish people, Irish and English people, English peerage, peer and member of the House of Lords (styled Hon. William Ponsonb ...

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (8 May 1720 – 2 October 1764), styled Lord Cavendish before 1729, and Marquess of Hartington between 1729 and 1755, was a British Whig statesman and nobleman who was briefly nominal Prime Minister of ...

Charlotte Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington Charlotte Elizabeth Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, 6th Baron Clifford, Baroness Clifford (born Lady Charlotte Boyle; 27 October 1731 – 8 December 1754) was the daughter of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and Lady Dorothy Boyle, C ...

Cathedral clergy

Dean and Residentiary Canons

As of February 2025: *

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

—

Peter Robinson Peter Robinson may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Robinson (sideshow artist) (1873–1947), American actor and sideshow performer, known for his appearance in film ''Freaks'' (1932) * J. Peter Robinson (born 1945), British musician and film score ...

(since 20July 2020 installation) * Canon for Worship and Music — vacancy * Canon for Community Outreach and Social Justice — vacancy

Other clergy

* Cathedral Chaplain — Adam Dickens (since 3March 2014; Chaplain to the

University of Derby The University of Derby, formerly known as Derby College, is a public university in the city of Derby, England. It traces its history back to the establishment of the Derby Diocesan Institution for the training of schoolmistresses in 1851. It ...

) * Associate Priest — Michael Futers * Associate Priest — Dwayne Engh

Music

Organs and organists

Organ

In 1939, an organ was installed by

John Compton Sir John George Melvin Compton, (29 April 1925 – 7 September 2007) was a Saint Lucian politician who became the first prime minister upon independence in February 1979. Having led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, Compton ser ...

of London, although it did not gain its impressive case (designed by Sebastian Comper) until 1963. It is played from a four-manual console in the Consistory Court area of the cathedral, and was overhauled in 1992. In 1973, an additional instrument was installed in the new retroquire (east end) by Cousans of Lincoln.

Organists

Between April 2013 and December 2014, Canon Peter Gould undertook a musical pilgrimage of 270 churches, in which he raised £7,478.78 over 39tour days, performing to a collective audience of over 3,500 people. During the tour, three church organs were found to be in a poor state. On 4January 2015, Canon Peter Gould resigned as Director of Music and was succeeded by Hugh Morris, who was previously director of music at

Christchurch Priory Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset (formerly in Hampshire). It is one of the longest parish churches in the country and is as large as many of the Church o ...

. The current Director of Music, Alexander Binns, started on 1 May 2019. Binns was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in April 2024. Edward Turner has been a member of staff at Derby Cathedral since 1September 2017, and is currently Assistant Director of Music.

Events

Luke Jerram's

Museum of the Moon ''Museum of the Moon'' is a 2016 inflatable installation artwork by Luke Jerram. It is a spherical model of the Moon, with a diameter of . Several copies tour the world for temporary exhibitions, often accompanied by music. There are also ...

visited Derby Cathedral between October and November, 2023. In 2022 and 2023 the Cathedral hosted and promoted

mindfulness Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through exercises, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one's own mind and bodily sensations in the present moment. The term ''mindfulness'' derives from the Pali ...

events, some related to the Museum of the Moon, led by

BBC Radio Derby BBC Radio Derby is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Derbyshire and East Staffordshire. It broadcasts on frequency modulation, FM, AM broadcasting, AM, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from s ...

presenter Pam Sidhu. In 2025, she was reported as being a recruiter for a messianic

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

, Educo, that used mindfulness to lure vulnerable people.

Education

In 2017, Derby Cathedral announced plans to partner with the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for child protection, child services, education in England, educati ...

and local authorities to open Derby's first

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

secondary school under the name

Derby Cathedral School Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area on the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original county town. As a unitary authority, Derby is administratively independent from Derbyshire Coun ...

. The school opened in 2018 and has maintained close ties to Derby Cathedral since.

Notes

References

External links

Official siteFlickr images tagged Derby CathedralDerby Cathedral Peregrine ProjectLive webcam feed with audio from Derby Cathedral tower
{{Authority control Anglican cathedrals in England Churches in Derby Carillons James Gibbs buildings Grade I listed buildings in Derby Grade I listed cathedrals Tourist attractions in Derby

English Gothic architecture in Derbyshire Diocese of Derby Neoclassical church buildings in England 18th-century church buildings in England