Former Derby School of Art. Photo: YouTube Andy Savage @Comedyhunter
Added to Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings List 2026
Grade II*, F.W. Waller, 1876 with additions 1899
The former Derby School of Art is one of the city’s most striking Victorian buildings, an ambitious and architecturally confident statement of the cultural importance then placed on art and design. Today, however, the building stands empty and uncertain, its future unresolved.
Described by Historic England as “a notable essay in Gothic style”, the building is constructed in distinctive pink granite from Matlock. It was designed as a purpose-built centre for art education at a time when such institutions were seen as essential to civic life and industrial success.
The school formed part of a national movement that followed the establishment of Government Schools of Design in 1837 and their expansion under the Department of Science and Art after the Great Exhibition of 1851. By the mid-19th century, art schools were being established across the country, particularly in industrial centres, where design skills were considered vital to manufacturing and economic growth. The Public Libraries Act of 1855 further supported their development, helping to embed art schools alongside libraries and museums as key civic institutions.
The Derby School of Art reflects this ambition. Its bold architecture and prominent position within the city underline the value placed on creativity, education and industry in the Victorian period.
Derby School of Art seen in the pages of The Builder, 9th June 1877
The building has had a varied recent history. After its original educational use, it became part of the University of Derby, before serving as the Metro Cinema from 1981 to 2006. Following a period of vacancy, it reopened in 2012 as a rehearsal space for Derby Theatre. In 2021 it was sold to New Vision University, based in Georgia (South Caucasus), with proposals to establish a medical school. However, the building appears never to have been brought back into active use.
As a result, this important Grade II* listed building now stands empty once again, with no clear timetable for its reuse. Its continued vacancy places it at risk of deterioration and represents a significant missed opportunity for the city.
Derby School of Art, facade. Photo: Youtube Andy Savage@Comedyhunter
The Victorian Society is calling for urgent clarity on the building’s future. As a prominent and adaptable structure with a strong civic identity, it has clear potential to serve a new purpose. What is needed now is a realistic and deliverable plan to bring it back into use before further decline sets in.
Griff Rhys Jones, Victorian Society President, said: “I am devastated to see this place in need of help. We all must be. The vision and foresight that created the Victorian legislation to put Art and Design as a national priority in 1855 is exemplified in this glorious building. What is the matter with us that we let it rot and remain unused? It was a functioning school and a good useful, working space. In the name of recycling, in the name of heritage and art and all that we see as the future somebody must step in and conserve this vital part of Derby’s Civic story, before the inevitable neglect and decay starts to make it more and more difficult to ‘save’. Its a proper cause and it needs local supporters and action. Lets get going.”
James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said: ‘‘As well as being a genuinely fantastic building, the Derby School of Art is a powerful reminder of the role art and design once played at the cultural life of Victorian Britain. Buildings like this were created to inspire and to serve their communities both architecturally and institutionally. It is vital that a sustainable new use is found so that it can continue to do so.”