Listed Building record MDR4548 - St Helen's House, King Street, Derby

St Helen's House, King Street, Derby, built c1766. 'St Helen's House has an excellent stone-faced Palladian mid-18th century front of seven bays, with a three-bay centre that has an attached giant Ionic portico above a rusticated ground floor and crowned by a pediment. In the hall there is a staircase with a fine wrought iron handrail.' (1) 'St Helen's House, King Street. House of c1726, built by the Gisbourne family (reputedly designed by Joseph Pickford). Very fine house once owned by William Strutt. Classical façade in ashlar based on Italian palace frontage with central engaged portico with pediment and 4 Ionic columns, dentilled cornice and large urns terminating each corner. Rusticated basement with semi-circular arches, alternating triangular and segmental pediments over first floor windows. Side and rear elevations in brick with ashlar pilasters at each corner.' (2) 'St Helen's House, a magnificent Palladian mansion, was built in 1766-1767 by Joseph Pickford for the powerful Derby Alderman John Gisbourne. It had a stable block built round a courtyard slightly to the north. St Helen's House was a 'true' town house, built for occasional use and for entertaining. When it became a permanent residence from 1801, for William Strutt, it required a certain amount of alteration. This included a new kitchen wing and servants' hall, with staff accommodation above, to the east side of the house. The house passed to William's son Edward in 1830 although from the late 1840s he had his main residence elsewhere. In 1861 he loaned the house to Derby (Grammar) School, and in 1862 the house was purchased outright, although Edward Strutt retained what was left of the parkland. The school erected a substantial extension, accompanied by other alterations to the existing building. Further additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th century. The school moved out in 1966, following which the building had various uses and began to deteriorate, with any kind of maintenance ceasing in 1981. In 1995 the house was added to English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Register.' (3) 'Built 1766-1767 for John Gisborne, alderman and the Duke of Devonshire's 'fixer' in the town. Based on the Neo-Classical Lansdowne House in London, by Robert Adam. William Strutt, son of cotton pioneer Jedediah, lived here for 30 years, and his refurbishment included some magnificent ceilings, especially the saloon, the hall and staircase, updated heating, a large lower wing and a flushing lavatory on the lines of one by John Whitehurst at Clumber Park. Derby School moved here in 1863, and at this time the chapel, gymnasium and Big School Block to the north of the house were built.' (4) In December 2003 Birmingham Archaeology undertook a desk-based and historic building assessment of land in the St Helen's area of Derby city centre. (5) 'St Helen's House was built in 1766-1767 with extensive parkland lying to the north, now mainly built over. It was home from 1803 of William Strutt, chairman of Derby Improvement Commissioners 1788-1829, and eldest son of cotton pioneer Jedidiah Strutt. It was used by Derby Grammar School from 1863 to 1972.' (6) 'A building survey carried out in 2013 indicated that the orginal house of the 1760s, which was built for John Gisbourne, MP for Derby, and designed by James Pickford, was built to a double pile design with 4 large reception rooms on the ground floor accessed via an imposing entrance hall openning on to a grand flight stairs. This form was mirrored on the first floor. Athough the house was mainly of brick, the west front boasted an impressive Palladian stone façade, overlooking an oval approach area. The service wing seems to have lain to the southeast of the house, and a stables on King Street. The house which stood on the northern edge of town, facing on the road from Keddleston and Belper, and boasted very extensive grounds between the road and the river. It is believed that, towards the end of the 18th century, a modest sized extension was aded to the southeastern corner of the house. This may have coincided with Thomas Gisbourne interiting the house from his father. The service wing seems to have been remodelled at a similar time, when Kings Street and what was then Bridge Gate were widened. At the turn of the 19th century a further extension, mirroring the earlier extension, and probably linked to it, was added to the northeast. This may be linked to William Strutt becoming the owner in 1801. Many of the 18th century and early 19th century interior decortative features still survive in the main rooms behind the principal façade and in the entrance hall and main stairwell. In 1830 Edward Strutt inherited the house from his father, William. Edward spent little time in Derby. He began to sell-off the parkland peicemeal, and, from 1848, let the house to tenants. In 1860 Edward offered to sell the house to Derby School, which had outgrown its building in St Peter's churchyard, The governors could not afford the asking price of £3,300, so took on the lease. The pupils moved to St Helen's House for the academic year that began in autumn 1861. The governors purchased the house in 1863, for a signifiactly lower sum than Strutt's original asking price. The coverversion of be house to a school must have entailed alterations to the interior of St Helen's House. However, the main change made by governors in the early years of the use of the site as a school was the construction of the Pearson Building. This was a large three storey stone building in the classical style, to the north of the original house. The ground floor was taken-up by several classrooms. The first floor was occupied by a large hall. Further classrooms occupied the upper floor. The Pearson Building was completed in 1863. Over the decades of the late 19th century and early 20th century various buildings were added to the site: A brick-built chapel, in a gothic style, to the northwest of the Pearson Buiding, a headmaster's house, also in the gothic style, to the northeast of the Pearson Building, a brick-built chemistry laboritry, to the north of the Pearson Building, and a host of timber classrooms.' (10) -