St Alkmund's Church, Derby

History

The church was built in 1846 by the architect Henry Isaac Stevens at a cost of £7,700 on the site of several earlier churches stretching back to the 9th century all named after Saint Alkmund. It was constructed in ashlar stone in a gothic style. Inside the church was an architectural triumph, with high pillars and stone arches. The aisle and nave were wide and the church featured a chancel. The steeple was supported by flying buttresses.

The foundation stone was laid on 6 May 1844 and the completed church was opened on 15 September 1846 by the Bishop of Lichfield.

Construction of the church caused controversy among the Roman Catholic citizens of Derby. The 216-foot (66 m) spire was built directly in the line of sight of the Catholic St Mary's Church and, for many years, the Anglican church was referred to as "The Church of the Holy Spite". Derby painter Joseph Wright was re-buried in St Alkmund's churchyard upon completion of the building in 1846.

The church was surrounded by many two- and three-storey townhouses that lined the square and churchyard. Other buildings of interest included The Lamb Inn, opened in 1835, which featured its own brewery; a gabled sweet shop dating from the 17th century sited on the corner of the square and Bridgegate; and several shops dating to medieval times, located at the Queen Street entrance to the yard. The area was described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as 'A revival of 18th century unmatched, a quiet oasis.'

During the mid-1950s it was discovered that the load-bearing wood in the steeple was warping and rotting. This led to the steeple being 'capped' and the top 20 feet was removed for restoration work to be done. This was done due to structural weaknesses being found in the stonework and woodwork in the steeple itself. Plans were laid down to replace the top of the steeple, but was never completed. Along with the top of the spire, several of the gothic detailing pieces on the roof were also removed, but no reasons for this were ever given.

Organ

The previous church had an organ by Alexander Buckingham which was installed in 1825, but this was too small for the new church, so was sold by the churchwardens. A new organ was erected by private subscription at a cost of £250 (equivalent to £22,700 in 2015) and built by Forster and Andrews. It was opened on 4 November 1858. This organ was found to be inadequate, and in July 1888 it was replaced by a new instrument costing £1,200 (equivalent to £120,600 in 2015) constructed by Thomas Chambers Lewis. On 22 March 1889 the famous french organist, Alexandre Guilmant gave a recital. The organ had some modifications by John H Adkins in 1908, 1910 and 1938. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Demolition

In 1963, Derby County Borough Council announced plans to improve traffic flow in the borough of Derby. Part of this scheme was to build a road that would carve through the site of the church and the churchyard, which met with strong criticism from many Derbeians.

However, the site was issued with a compulsory purchase order and demolition began in 1968. During the works, the site of the original church was uncovered, along with a stone sarcophagus believed to be St Alkmund's and several other artefacts. These are now on display in Derby Museum and Art Gallery, together with remnants of a 4-metre (13 ft) tall stone cross, carved on four sides with birds and animals. Today, the former church site is taken over by Derby's inner ring road, and little trace of the church is to be found. A plaque was erected to mark the history of the church and building.

A modernistic church of the same name was built on Kedleston Road in the early 1970s to replace the original building.