GUILDHALL
THE GUILDHALL
The Guildhall was built in 1730 on the site of the previous hall. In 1825, the Derby Improvement Act required it to be rebuilt and a new Guildhall was built three years later. It was designed by Matthew Habershon and constructed for £7,000 in a Grecian style, and housed the Court of Sessions.
On 21 October 1841, it burnt down, leaving only the outside walls. Henry Duesbury, a local man, was commissioned to design a replacement, which included a 103-foot high clock tower that rang out regular time checks every 15 minutes.
At one time the Guildhall was the home of the Council Chamber and police cells. Now the former Council Chamber with its elaborately plastered ceiling is occupied by a small
.theatre and concert hall. It holds several concerts, plays and recitals. On the ground floor, a regular programme of exhibitions takes place.
Along with the Assembly Rooms, it has hosted the CAMRA Real Ale Beer Festival. Derby is the Real Ale Capital of England since its foundation in 1971; CAMRA has been extremely successful in promoting quality, choice and value for money and preventing the takeover of small breweries.
No new ale breweries were set up in the UK for the 50 years before CAMRA was founded. There are now well over 1.000 new brewers producing real ale, forming part of a massive real ale revival. Beer Festivals are now also held at the Roundhouse. The Guildhall closed in early 2019 for repairs.