Buxton's rich history features Romans, royal prisoners and outlaws, alongside a more cultured world of music and literary festivals and the much loved ‘theatre in the hills', Buxton's famous Opera House.
The town became a place of pilgrimage for many hundreds of years, due mainly to the mineral springs, which supply millions of gallons of fresh mineral water daily. The Romans established the first spa here, giving it the name ‘Aquae Arnemetiae'; however the real growth in the town came during the Georgian period when the Duke of Devonshire decided to build his magnificent Crescent and Dome.
The waters were ideal for spa treatment, being naturally warm and leaving the spring at a temperature of 28ºC/82ºF, similar to swimming pool temperature. Though there are currently no treatments available using the spa water, plans to re-open the Crescent are well under way. You can actually still bathe in spa water in the local swimming pool, although chlorine is added to comply with health and safety rules.
The mineral water is bottled as the well-known Buxton Mineral Water and is available nationwide, but visitors to Buxton can fill their own bottles from the permanent flow at St Anne's Well in front of the Crescent. Luckily, due to filtration through the limestone, there is no sulphurous smell or nasty taste to the mineral water here, unlike many others in the country.
Buxton's magnificent architecture allows the visitor to stroll through different periods and there are many splendid examples of Georgian and Victorian buildings. The Old Hall Hotel is reputably the oldest in the country and in part dates back to the 1500s. Its most famous resident was Mary Queen of Scots, who came to Buxton to take the waters during her imprisonment at Chatsworth.
The Crescent, shortly to be renovated, stands as an excellent example of a late 1700s building, while the Cavendish Arcade next door, now home to a variety of independent shops, was a later addition to the Crescent to house the hot baths; each of the shops was originally a different treatment room.
The final set of building was the Frank Matcham theatre, The Opera House, an Edwardian building recently restored to its former glory. The theatre plays an important part in the town's activities in town – beyond its varied programme of events in the theatre there are many festivals throughout the year, covering opera, literature, puppets, rock, pop and Gilbert & Sullivan. The Festival Fringe in Buxton is the largest in England and many other venues join in during the festivals adding to the town's lively, fun-filled atmosphere.
Higher Buxton was the original town centre before the Crescent was built and has many old buildings around the Market Place, which still holds a traditional market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The Town Hall looks out over this area and has a strongly European appearance, testimony to the period of ‘The Grand Tour'. You'll also find the stump of the Market Cross, thought to have originally been a wayfarer cross with four directional arms. The Eagle Hotel pre-dates the Crescent and was one of the first coach stops on the Manchester to London route.
Just off the Market Place Buxton Museum and Art Gallery holds regular exhibitions of paintings, ceramics and photography. Alongside the temporary exhibitions and the permanent displays you can explore the ‘Wonders of the Peak' through many time zones, discovering the geology and archaeology of the area.
One of the town's most spectacular buildings is The Dome, formerly a hospital and now the University of Derby's Devonshire campus – amazingly, this vast space was built to house the Duke of Devonshire's horses. The slate dome is the largest unsupported dome in the UK, with a diameter of 174ft.
With an increase in tourism during Victorian times, the Pavilion Gardens complex was built to provide entertainment, with 23 acres of gardens and serpentine walkways as well as outdoor and indoor promenades. At one end, the Octagon was a favourite dance hall and is now host to many fairs and exhibitions throughout the year, and still holds afternoon tea dances. The main part of the building now houses a restaurant and Art Café, along with the Tourist Information Centre.
Further Information
Buxton Opera House | Pavilion Gardens | Buxton Museum & Art Gallery | University of Derby
