At about 1pm on Friday 12th January 2024 this Grade II-listed Derby building caught fire, “Melbourne House” is situated at 96 Osmaston Road, Derby. This fire has devastated this lovely building. I have driven past this building most days for over 25 years now and admired its architecture so its a real shame this has happened.
This video is two days after the fire.
Such a shame. As it was disused at the time, I guess it was squatters.
It was sold at auction on May 26th 2023 for £654,000 with potential for the building to be turned into housing after planning permission was recently granted for a change of use into a residential dwelling but the identity of the buyer has not yet been disclosed by auctioneers which is a bit suspicious.
I was trying to see remnants of “grow” equipment through the burnt out roof but cant see anything so guess it could well be squatters.
There’s a lot of folk here in Derby, suspecting it’s an insurance job. Some say it will now be demolished and new housing built on the plot. A shame really as it is quite an unusual building. Years ago it was the school of midwifery for the local hospital. 
Im not in Derby but I thought the same. But only because over the last two years the number of listed and/or historic buildings being bought, planning applied for and then having mysterious fires has gone through the roof.
yes well we have seen that situation happen a few times now, its all very suspicious isnt it. I guess we will find out after the investigations into what caused the fire.
Was all that damage at the front of the house done by the fire? It strikes me that those were deliberate holes to make the building unusable. Unusable means no rates to be paid.
I would say no, that looks like its been done a while. The building has been empty for many years, all it takes is one tile to come lose then nature gets a hold them more come off. The fire was at the back of the building.
yes its a common trick to get around having to comply with building regs that comply with listed properties.
Well, the local rag have today reported the reason for this building catching fire. Initial investigations suggest it was homeless person/s lighting a fire in a fireplace which had the chimney flue blocked, so the fire / smoke had nowhere to go but into the roof space. 
yes read that, in my video you can see the chimneys are blocked off with paving slabs, must have filled up pretty quickly with smoke
Came past that building about 12/30 on friday said to my Daughter its a lovely old building
now its gone
All ( or at least most) of the brickwork is intact. New roof timbers, slate, lead substitute etc) is all it really needs. Knowing insurance companies though, they’ll probably list it as “uneconomical to repair) I really do fear that Melbourne House, could be lost forever to the dwindling list of listed buildings in Derby. 
yes it can be sorted but I bet its demolished