St Helen's House

St Helen's House is a Grade I listed building situated in King Street, Derby, England. It has been used in the past as a private residence and as an educational establishment. Currently disused, it is planned to reopen the building as a hotel.

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 [http://www.derbycity.com/ghosts/ghost-10.html] . 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".

trutt 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.

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.

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.

References

* [http://www.derbyphotos.co.uk/areas_city/st_peters_street.htm A brief history of Derby School]
* [http://www.georgiangroup.org.uk/docs/cases/index.php?id=3:15:207:0 St Helen's House at the Georgian Group]
* [http://www.peakdistrictview.com/?page=place&placeid=1300 St Helen's House at peakdistrictview.com]
* [http://www.derbygripe.co.uk/sthelens.htm St Helen's House at Derbygripe.co.uk]
* [http://beehive.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=8141&PageID=46284 thisisderbyshire.co.uk]
* [http://www.derbycity.com/ghosts/ghost-10.html Ghosts of St Helen's House]
* [http://www.thepeerage.com/p1794.htm Henry Strutt, 2nd Baron Belper, at thepeerage.com] ----