Melbourne House, built in 1863, for the self‑made paint and varnish manufacturer Alderman Robert Pegg, HP (1801-1867) is on the top of our list for endangered buildings in the City.
The house is one of Derby’s finest Victorian villas, and was designed by the renowned architect Thomas Chambers Hine. Designed in red brick with blue brick detailing and Keuper sandstone dressings, it features a turret with a witch’s‑hat roof, trefoil‑headed windows, Gothic arches, and Hine’s trademark stone quatrefoils. Inside, the craftsmanship continues with Jacobethan plasterwork and striking Chellaston alabaster on the staircase and chimneypieces.
After Pegg’s death, Melbourne House saw a succession of residents, including surgeons, physicians, and the notable Midland Railway engineer Richard Mountford Deeley. In 1894 it was bought by lacemaking magnate Alderman Thomas Fletcher, whose family lived there until after the First World War. By the 1930s it had become a boarding house, and in 1954 it passed to the newly formed NHS, who used it initially for a school of midwifery and then for nursing accommodation. In later years it served as the University of Nottingham School for Nursing and the headquarters for Central Derby PCT. In June 2022 it was sold at auction for over £650,000 to a "mystery buyer" and granted planning permission for change of use into residential dwellings. The "mystery buyer", unlike the NHS Trust, allowed security to lapse and the house attracted squatters.
In January 2024, the squatters attempted to light a fire in one of the rooms in the west wing, but the chimney was blocked through long disuse. The fire spread to the rafters of the roof, causing devastating damage and leaving the building exposed to the elements. A second fire broke out in August 2025, again by squatters, and the house is now derelict.
Our Chairman, Ashley Waterhouse visited the site after the second fire and said "It's a beautiful building unoccupied. There are plenty of buildings like this around Derby at risk and it's something that we should really look at by asking the council to potentially secure, not just listed buildings, but potentially historical buildings of interest."
The house may be derelict, but we believe it's far from beyond saving. Melbourne House is a rare survivor of Derby’s Victorian past, and it deserves a future as impressive as its history. Let’s hope restoration—not neglect—wins out.
For our members, a more detailed history of Melbourne House, written by Maxwell Craven, is available in our Spring 2024 newsletter. The newsletters can be viewed in our members only area or by clicking on the link here.
Add comment
Comments