The ever exchanging uses of city landmark over 160 years
THE Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind and comedian Charlie Chaplin appeared there, corn was sold and many journalists cut their reporting teeth there.
In its 160-year-old history,the green-domed building on the corner of Albert Street and Albion Street has been many things.
Our stunning photographs show the original Corn Exchange, whose foundation stone was laid in 1860 by then mayor of Derby, Councillor William Cox, in different guises and playing different roles.
The building originally served a dual purpose. It was intended, primarily, to provide accommodation for the farmers, millers and merchants in the corn trade, replacing the open corn market that had been held for many years in the south-west corner of the Market Place.
But, since that purpose would be served in a few hours each week, on a Friday, the building was also intended to be used as a concert hall or theatre.
It officially opened on January 20, 1862, with a concert, the star attraction being the appearance of Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale.
The audience on this occasion was said to be larger than had ever before gathered in a public building in Derby.
The new building was regarded as the largest room in the Midland counties – except for Birmingham Town Hall – “with the most handsome interior in the county”.
Opera by the D’Oyly Carte and Carl Rosa companies was held at the Corn Exchange, and it had a successful career until the Grand Theatre was opened in Babington Lane in 1886.
After that, the better companies invariably used the much more up-to-date theatre.
The exchange also hosted two plays a night – a melodrama and a farce, with a musical interlude.
The fading fortunes of the Corn Exchange were revived by Thomas Allan Edwardes, who instituted twicenightly performances of the most melodramatic kind of plays and stunts at the newly named Theatre of Varieties, which started in 1897.
Some of the outstanding turns he put on were a cowboy hypnotist called Ahrensmeyer who, blindfolded, drove a four-in-hand through the streets of Derby, and was supposed to be able to hypnotise people over the telephone; Ella the lion-tamer, who was later decapitated when she put her head into the mouth of a lioness while performing her act on the continent; and a trapeze act called the Flying Dillons.
A girl was also shot from a cannon in one of the acts. Charlie Chaplin appeared, too, in the early 1900s. He was in a clog-dancers’ turn known as the Eight Lancashire Lads.
Dancing was advertised “twice nightly” but this was not really correct as the first session started at 3pm at a cost of 1s 6d and the second at 7.30pm costing 2s 6d.
Friday was a special night, where all those present had to pay five shillings and evening dress was compulsory. The dance hall closed at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 and, after the war ended, it became the Palais de Danse in 1919 when it was bought by a local syndicate.
Ten years later, the Palais De Danse gave way to the Derby Telegraph, which had moved from the Cornmarket, and into what was described as “one of the finest provincial newspaper offices in the kingdom”. The first edition of the Derby Daily Telegraph from Northcliffe House in Albert Street was produced there on Monday, September 23, 1929.
The paper remained there for 50 years until it moved to new premises in Meadow Road during 1980-81.
Since then the building has had a variety of occupants including a snooker club and an estate and letting agency.
Do you have any memories of the building? Let us know.