St Mary’s Gate contains fine Renaissance buildings. This area has traditionally been the legal quarter of the town and The Shire Hall, built in 1659 is a most outstanding building. It has a cobbled and enclosed courtyard in front called a cour d’honneur and is flanked by late Georgian buildings, one formerly being the King’s Arms Hotel (then a Police Station). The “arms”, proudly displayed at the entrance to St Mary’s Gate, are those of George III. 

The Kings Arms Hotel is shown above right, which is much changed since it was first built, here lawyers visiting Derby for the assize courts would stay along with County gentry and magistrates who did not have a residence in the town. The Hotel, subsequently used as a Police Station and now as the Offices for the Magistrates’ Court, forms the left hand side of the formal Courtyard.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries both sides of the street were built up with narrow burgage plots (Strips of land used as gardens or extra space for outbuildings, workshops, stables and occasionally additional cottages) 

The only building that is likely to remain from this period or soon after is No. 10, part of the offices of Pinders, Solicitors. By the 19th century some of these plots had been built over to form long narrow Courts whilst others had been combined to make the sites of substantial residences, so that the street became a mixture of Gentlemen’s and professional residences.

The Old County Offices, above left were built in 1895/6 at a cost of £26,000 for the Derbyshire County Council.

Across the road from the Old County Offices are the New County Offices, shown above right, built in 1911 at a cost of £30,000. Various extensions were carried out in the inter war years to provide the buildings at the rear and down to the corner of St Mary’s Gate and Bold Lane.

After the County Council members left St Mary’s Gate for their new Headquarters in Matlock in 1955, their premises were occupied by the South East Derbyshire Rural District Council, since then the Old County Council Offices with its late Victorian Council Chamber has been very much under-occupied, whilst the offices on the south side have continued to fulfil various local Government purposes.

Above is Probate House, which became the Court of Probate in 1857 when jurisdiction over Wills became vested in the ordinary Courts rather than the Ecclesiastical Courts; hence the Royal Arms over the front door. It remained the District Probate Registry until it was closed in 1928, after which it became an accountant’s office by R J Weston and Company (later Bates Weston), until it very recently reverted to being a lawyer’s office.

Opposite is the former town house of the Bateman family of Hartington, built in 1715 complete with a garden lying behind it, although now partially covered with tarmac, this is one of two remaining Georgian Town House gardens in the city. After the Batemans, Mr J B Simpson took over as a Solicitor and subsequently as District Probate Registrar. After him it was occupied by the Taylor family who constructed the attached office No. 35 for the legal practice and the eastern wing for domestic use when the Probate Court was set up in 1857.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries both sides of the street were built up with narrow burgage plots (Strips of land used as gardens or extra space for outbuildings, workshops, stables and occasionally additional cottages) running back, on the north side to Walker Lane, and on the south side the plots only ran back half way to meet the plots fronting onto Sadler Gate. The only building that is likely to remain from this period or soon after is No. 10, part of the offices of Pinders, Solicitors. By the 19th century some of these plots had been built over to form long narrow Courts whilst others had been combined to make the sites of substantial residences, so that the street became a mixture of Gentlemen’s and professional residences

This open area shown below right was formerly a residence belonging to the Osborne’s and then a member of the Evans family of Bankers and Millowners, it was opened as the General Baptist Chapel on the 18th May 1842. The entrance to its forecourt was graced by a pair of gates by Robert Bakewell; preserved during the last war at Barton Blount, they were installed as the west gates of the Cathedral in 1957.

Next to the site of the Chapel are the offices of Robotham and Company Solicitors. These offices were originally built by Evans as his Bank and subsequently became Crompton and Evans Bank until this moved in the early 20th century to the Iron Gate premises (now the Standing Order) on its merger with Parr’s Bank, the predecessor of the Westminster Bank, whilst Robotham and Company who were associated with the Crompton family took over the premises as their offices.

Pinders Solicitors on the left next to the property that's up for rent and a curious building hidden away at the back of an old courtyard

Grateful thanks to Mr Mallender, LL.B. Solicitor, sometime Chairman, Derbyshire Archaeological Society, Hon Lay Canon, Derby Cathedral, Member of Derby City Council Conservation Area Advisory Committee, for this wealth of information on St Mary's Gate