Marble Hall, Derby
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52°53′53.8″N 1°27′37.3″W / 52.898278°N 1.460361°W
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The Marble Hall is an office block of the former Rolls-Royce Limited factory in Osmaston, Derby, in England. The factory was developed from 1907 to manufacture the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The Marble Hall was built in 1912 and was the site of important decisions made during Rolls-Royce's history as a car and aircraft engine manufacturer. The Marble Hall was significantly altered in 1938 adding a classical style entrance way clad in Portland stone and a porte-cochère from which customers could collect their finished cars. The factory closed in 2008, the Marble Hall came into the ownership of Derby City Council and from 2014 was refurbished to provide offices for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Marble Hall is a long structure, rectangular in plan, facing onto Nightingale Road, Osmaston, which runs north-east to south-west. It is a steel frame with red brick, terracotta and Portland stone features.[1] The main façade, more than 100 metres (330 ft) long, is 2-storeys in height and is formed of 38 bays.[1][2] The central nine bays were remodelled in 1938 to form a decorative entrance in classical style. It is now a 5-bay, 3-storey structure, flanked by two 2-bay, 2-storey portions. The central section is entirely clad in Portland stone, while the flanking portions have red brick at the first floor level, within a stone surround. A shallow balcony sits above the main entrance which has a recessed door with a Guilloché-moulded surround. The ground-floor stonework of the entrance has prominent channelled v-joints. At first- and second-storey levels the entrance features two central pilasters flanked by two wider pilasters, imitating buttresses. A stone parapet above the entrance bears the Rolls-Royce logo.[1]
The entrance structure has a flat roof. Elsewhere there are a series of 32 sloping roofs with rooflights on the north-east faces. Either side of the entrance structure two terracotta parapets carry signage reading "ROLLS-ROYCE LIMITED". Windows are generally mullioned with terracotta dressing, except for the entrance structure which has Portland Stone surrounds.[1]
At the third bay from the north-east end a single-storey porte-cochère extends towards the road from a secondary entrance. It is thought that this was used for customers collecting cars from the factory. The porte-cochère features three semi-circular arches, divided by stone columns, and a tiled hipped roof.[1]
The interior has false ceilings throughout. Although many features were lost in late 20th-century remodelling the original 1912 stairway survives at the north-east end and the board room and ante room from the 1930s retain their wood panelling. The entrance structure largely survives in its 1938 form.[1]
