St Helen's House, Derby

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St Helen's House in its days as Derby School, with the Old Derbeians' war memorial

St Helen's House', King Street, Derby, England, is a Grade I listed building.

1 Construction
2 Strutt family
3 Educational uses
4 Planned conversion
5 References

[edit] Construction

The house was built about 1726 by the English architect Joseph Pickford for John Gisbourne, an alderman of Yoxall Lodge, Staffordshire, in the Palladian style, and originally stood in eighty acres of parkland [1]. Although the interior has been altered, the facade remains intact. It has been described by the Georgian Group, of London, as "one of the finest and largest eighteenth century townhouses to survive in any provincial city".

[edit] Strutt family

During the 19th century, the house was the home of the Strutt family, including Edward Strutt, 1st Baron Belper. In 1840 it was the birthplace of Henry Strutt, 2nd Baron Belper. The first Lord Belper sold the house to the governors of Derby School in 1863.

[edit] Educational uses

Between 1863 and 1966 (apart from four years during the Second World War), the house was occupied by Derby School. After the school was moved to Littleover in 1967, the house remained in public ownership, as the home of the Joseph Wright School of Art and from 1972 as an Adult Education centre. Due to the deterioration of the fabric, these uses were also moved and the building became vacant.

[edit] Planned conversion

In November 2006, St Helen's House was sold by Derby City Council to Richard Blunt, a developer with a good reputation as a restorer of threatened historic buildings. Blunt proposes to convert the building into a fifty-room hotel, allowing access to the general public through organised tours.