Above left was the original site of the 1238 Dominican Friary. The current building dates from around 1730, in 1922 the top class Friary Hotel and Restaurant was established and more recently it has become a trendy bar, and is now a grade II listed building. Above right are the old premises of Cooper & Parry accountants which is now under refurbishment for a penthouse and apartments.

This elegant grade II listed building was once the site of the old Derby Gaol which was built in 1756, by the Corporation, with a donation of £400 from the Duke of Devonshire. In 1824 the Gaol was demolished and replaced with this fine elegant Georgian building we now see, the existing Gaol cells are still present in the basements of the building. These basements for a short period of time was home to Judge Jefferies  bar, the main building once housed Chadfield & Smith school of music, and later became Friar Gate Commercial Hotel and the Howard Hotel. The picture above right shows more fine Georgian houses these were occupied by many eminent surgeons and physicians.

This is Friary House School, which was originally a day school for girls and a preparatory for boys, it is still used as a school today, and is now the Friar Gate House School, the picture to the left is the annexe to the main school on the right

The picture to the right was once known as the "Pussery" because so many old maids lived there

Pickford House differs from the majority of grand stately homes, in that unlike most, it does not have a wealth of priceless furniture and works or art. Instead, visitors are able to gain an insight into everyday middle-class life during the 1830s. Pickford House is the epitome of a late Georgian professional man's residence. There is an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions as well as other displays, which deal with the history of the Friargate area and the importance of Joseph Pickford as a Midlands architect.

This was the Diocesan school built in 1841, around 1935 the then Principal Raymond C Swanson announced that the School was now to be known as the Vernon High School.

A inscription in a stone above the doorway reads "Erected by the Diocesan board of education aided by a benefaction of one thousand pounds from Thomas Cox esquire Anno Domini 1841"

The Headless Cross, also known as the Plague Stone or Vinegar Stone, because money was deposited in a trough of vinegar in the top of the stone in the belief that the vinegar would disinfect the coins and prevent the spread of the plague, this stone originally formed part of a medieval cross which stood at the upper end of Friargate. It was removed from the Arboretum park and replaced here near it's original site in June 1979

The building above left was built in the 1600's and was once a butchers shop, W H Farmer's,  and on the right next to his shop was the well established pork butchers of George Goodhall who still remain there today.

These three pictures show the rear elevations of the fine Georgian houses on Friar Gate, the picture above left is the rear of the old Derby Goal and opposite on the right is Pickford House

A fine Georgian House, complete with roof garden, the rear roof garden is much larger and very secluded, I was very fortunate to view this a number of years ago

This is the reform bill heads sculpture, by Timothy Clapcott, and was installed in 2000 as part of the Sustrans development of the National Cycle Network. Derby City Council and Sustrans contributed equally to the commission, to help give the route identity and help cyclists and pedestrians orientate themselves. The heads are crowded together, jostling and jeering, reminiscent of the 1821 Reform Bill riots

The Greyhound Inn was built in the 1600's and stands opposite Derby's second County Gaol, and when prisoners were sent to the gallows they were allowed one last drink and this would have been one of these establishments that they visited.

More fine houses near to Friar Gate bridge

This property sits on the junction of Friar Gate, Ford Street & Stafford Street, it is used by various medical Consultants and was once a dentistry.

Above left is a Cast iron, electrical transformer box by Walter McFarlane of Saracen Foundry, Glasgow; which was used for the electric trams

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