Construction begins in 1509 on Derby’s Cathedral…
1532 CE
Construction begins in 1509 on Derby’s Cathedral of All Saints, which will later be famous for its Perpendicular Gothic-style tower.
The original church was probably founded by King Edmund I in about 943 as a royal collegiate church; however, no traces of its structure survive.
According to the Domesday assessors, it belonged to the King, and was served by a college of seven priests.
The current cathedral dates from the fourteenth century, although it appears to be based on an earlier medieval building, which drawings show was about the same size as the present church.
It may be that it became structurally unstable and was pulled down.
The two hundred and twelve -foot (sixty-five meter) tower dates from 1510 to 1532 and is built in the popular Perpendicular Gothic style of the time.
Twelve large carved grotesque animal figures top the tower, three per face, while the carved heads of two green men adorn either side of the main West Door.
The sandstone used in the tower's construction is Ashover Grit, sourced from nearby Duffield Bank quarry.