Market
Place - Assembly Rooms
(Written
by Wayne Anthony & Richard Felix)
As in other towns, the Assembly Rooms in Derby was a popular meeting place
in the 18th century, where young people danced and the elderly people
played cards whilst keeping a watchful eye on their offspring. The aim
of an assembly was to bring all sorts and classes of people together harmoniously,
but in Derby this was not to be, certainly not around 1714 as there had
evolved two very separate assemblies: one at the corner of the Market
Place and Full Street for the gentry of the county and one for the lesser
mortals of the town. This second assembly was situated at Moote Hall or
meeting place, part of which still exists, although now incorporated into
the modern facade of the Derbyshire Building Society on the corner of
the Market Place and Iron Gate.
A bizarre incident happened there on the night of 5 December 1745. People had come from far and wide to a reception held there for Prince Charles Edward Stuart, who had arrived in Derby on his way to take the English crown. The crush of people was so great that a table bearing the Royal Standard was overturned and the standard was broken. This was considered a bad omen by many of the prince's army and, although the decision was taken on military grounds alone, following that fateful reception the order was given for the retreat of the Highland army back north. There eventually followed, of course, the Battle of Culloden, the slaughter and transportation of hundreds of Scots, the burning of their homes, the killing of their cattle and eventually, the Highland Clearances.
A county assembly had been built in Derby in 1714, and an even larger building was erected on the Market Place in 1763. This was badly damaged by fire 200 years later and a much larger Assembly Rooms, opened in 1977, now occupies the old site on the Market Place, including the site of the Duke of Newcastle's house, where King Charles I stayed in 1637. The modern Assembly Rooms complex still provides entertainment for Derbyshire people as well as playing host to national exhibitions and sporting events.
According to many people, the present building is haunted. Mick Taylor, the house manager, was in the building at 3am one morning, standing in the concourse with his back to the Darwin Suite. Also present was another member of staff. Mr Taylor turned around - why, he did not know - and saw an elderly lady dressed in Victorian costume. She appeared to have no legs and seemed to be floating. He alerted his colleague, who also turned around, and both witnessed the figure gliding across the floor before disappearing.
On many other occasions, security guards have seen what appeared to be a ring of children dancing in the Darwin Suite and have often reported the eerie sounds of laughter when there is no one in the building.
The new Assembly Rooms were built between 1973 and 1977. As the footings and foundations were being installed a builder reported seeing what he believed, along with several work colleagues, to be the remains of an old Viking ship, and of course this is quite feasible as the site is close to the River Derwent. He reported the matter to his superiors but was told that because of a penalty clause in the contract, the work had to be finished on time and so hundreds of tons of concrete were poured over the remains of what might have proved to be one of Derby's most important links with the past.
