24 & 24A, IRON GATE

Details

893/0/10084 IRON GATE
13-FEB-03 24 &24A

GV II

Workshop with road frontage building, now offices and stores. Late C18 with C19 and late C20 alterations. Built as premises for the business founded by John Whitehurst, clock maker. Red and brown brick, generally laid to stretcher bond with irregular headers, later brickwork in light brown brick, pitched roofs with slate coverings.
PLAN: Narrow frontage range to Irongate, with workshop range extending westwards along narrow plot.
EXTERIOR: A tall narrow range of 3 storeys and 6 bays; a straight joint between bays 1 and 2 far left indicating the link to the rear of the shop premises rebuilt in the C19, the north side facing a former yard area to adjacent properties and the south side parallel to an alley way. North side: ground floor a lean-to addition , the original exterior wall plastered and access left to stairs. First and second floors with a row of 8 cast-iron window frames set flush with the external wall face, arranged in pairs and separated by timber mullions. Each frame is comprised of 6x7 panes with a central top-hinged panel of 3x3 panes. To the far right on each floor a narrower window of 6x5 lights also with hinged panel, and with deep stone wedge lintels and sills. South side, to alley: with upper 13 courses of brickwork renewed; 2 C20 small-pane frames with concrete lintels to ground floor, no fenestration above; a wide chimney at eaves, at mid-point of the elevation. The walling continues as late C19 and C20 brickwork with 3 square windows to 2 storeys. West gable with inserted C20 window to ground floor and late C20 brick gate pier built with the corner; rebuilt brickwork suggests extensive remodelling.
INTERIOR: The workshop is now used for storage, with access from the gabled linking building. A plain open timber square newel stair at the east end links the floors. The upper floor has queen-post roof trusses, C20 partition wall, and a projecting brick chimney stack against the south wall, the fireplace now hidden by shelving. The western end bay is divided from the main workshop by a brick cross wall, with plank door on strap hinges and the inner window with rounded jambs. Cast-iron window frames retain much original glass; the third window from the east end has a pane inscribed 'W J Derby' in italic script.
2-storey linking block to the front range with late C17 staircase of 2 flights, having heavy turned balusters and acorn finials. Splat balusters to top flight.
Street frontage range of 2 bays and 4 storeys, early C19 brickwork laid to a decorative header bond with rubbed brick arches to the second floor windows. Ground floor with recessed late C20 shop front, with plate glass and a deep fascia board; first floor display windows with timber surrounds and name panel of 1912 inserted by A.E.Moult, gentleman's outfitter; second floor walling and fenestration appears to date to late C18 or early C19; third storey with paired glazed gables in Vernacular Revival style with timber finials. Additions and alterations to the top storey, upper part of the north wall and rear gables carried out in 1864 by Richard Keene, photographer.
HISTORY: the tenement formed part of the post-medieval property of the Meynell family, part of whose C17 town house survives now as no.22, Irongate (q.v.) The workshop was probably built for John Whitehurst's craftsmen, the business managed by his brothers, George and later William after John's death in 1788. John Whitehurst, the founder's nephew, continued the clock making business, and there is a reference to John Davies, scientific instrument maker, working here in 1826. The 1791 Plan of Derby shows a further two or more ranges, probably stabling or workshops, extending along the tenement behind nos. 22 and 24. The character of the frontage brickwork and the rear range suggests that the workshop was built behind the C17 house, with security a consideration as the public side was left without fenestration. The frontage was rebuilt as a separate 3-storey house after Iron Gate was widened in the early C19 and continued as a single property incorporating the rear range. In 1836 the premises were occupied by William Beeland and his family, woollen drapers, tailors, silk mercers, linen drapers, haberdashers, with a milliners and dress rooms. William Gillam, boot-maker and cordwainer [shoe maker] worked at no. 24 between 1842 and 1851. The upper floors and rear range were taken by Richard Keene, a photographer and bookseller with a printing business run from the workshop by the 1860's Later occupiers included architects and a solicitor [1874], a draper and horse breaker [1888). The National Provincial Bank occupied the building frontage in 1915 and 1922, and by 1925 A.E.Moult, drapers, were using the building.
Sources: Derby Local History library: Kelly's directories etc. James Darwin, Georgian Group; M.Craven, 1996, John Whitehurst of Derby, clockmaker and scientist 1713-1788; M.Craven, 1993, Richard Keene's Derby.

Legacy

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490081

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LBS

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