History

We know that there has been a church on the site of the present building since at least before the Norman Conquest, as such a church was recorded in the Domesday Book. However, the oldest part of the church which still survives is the tower, which was built between 1601-08 in the Gothic-survival style. The Classical chancel dates from about 1699, and constitutes the main section of the church cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust (the adjacent ‘Victorian’ church being currently in private hands). The final major series of alterations to leave their mark upon the CCT section of the church were those carried out by Sir Arthur Blomfield in the 1890s. These have subsequently blessed St Werburgh’s with a fine chancel screen and pulpit in wrought-iron.                                                                                                                                                                                                               St Werburgh’s closed as a church in 1984, whereupon the Victorian section of the building proceeded to become a shopping arcade in 1989-90, followed somewhat later by a Chinese restaurant. The chancel, however, was taken into the care of the CCT in 1989, wherein it has remained ever since. Our role in this story is simply to ensure that the church’s grace may be appreciated by people for many generations to come.                                                                                                                                                                          Sources:                                                                                                                                     Drackley, J., St Werburgh’s Church, Derby (The Churches Conservation Trust).                     Listing at Historic England: http://www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1287685

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