Site record MDR11300 - 18th century and earlier Guildhall (site of), Market Place, Derby

William Woolley, in his History of Derby of 1713, describes the then Guildhall, situated towards the centre of the Market Place, as 'where the Corporation meets, under which is the town Gaol, but it is at the present a very tattered, ill-contrived, ill-favoured building'. William Hutton in his 1791 History of Derby says that 'it seemed to have stood for more than 200 years; the roof was tiled, in the form of a large old-fashioned span; it had two stories; the lower was the town prison … ; the upper was a large room for Corporation use, to which the company ascended by a flight of wooden stairs projecting into the market-place, covered also with a roof of tiles.' The building had not been used for municipal purposes since 1610, when the Moot Hall (SMR 32511) was erected on the east side of Irongate. By the early 18th century neither the old Guildhall nor the later Moot Hall were adequate for municipal needs, and a new Guildhall, designed by Richard Jackson, was erected in 1731-2 on the site of the old Guildhall. The building was of brick and stone over a basement, of two storeys, with the loftier, upper one containing the main chamber and courtrooms. The building faced north and was of seven by three bays, with a central three bay pediment supported by Doric pilasters. There are three surviving illustrations of the building, which differ in detail. The building lasted until 1828, when the Guildhall was relocated a little to the south (SMR 32512) thus creating a clear area within the Market Place. (1)