Visit Buxton Places

Welcome to Visit Buxton Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Buxton

  

Buxton Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Buxton

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Buxton history

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The town grew in importance in the late 18th century when it was developed by the Dukes of Devonshire. Victorians were drawn to the reputed healing properties of its waters. The origins of the town’s name are unclear.

Stone Age beginnings

First inhabitants of Buxton made their home at Lismore Fields some 6,000 years ago. Stone Age settlement, a Scheduled Monument, was rediscovered in 1984. Remains of Mesolithic timber roundhouse and Neolithic longhouses.

Roman settlement

The Romans developed a settlement known as Aquae Arnemetiae (“Baths of the goddess of the grove”) Coins found indicate that the Romans were in Buxton throughout their occupation of Britain.

Middle Ages

The name Buckestones was first recorded in the 12th century as part of the Peverel family’s estate. From 1153 the town was within the Duchy of Lancaster’s Crown estate. Monastic farms were set up in Fairfield in the 13th century and in the 14th.

Spa town boom

Built on the River Wye, Buxton became a spa town because of its geothermal spring. The spring waters are piped to St Ann’s Well, a shrine since medieval times at the foot of The Slopes. The well was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Peak by Hobbes.

20th century

Buxton held a base for British and Canadian troops in the First World War. Granville Military Hospital was set up at the Buxton Hydropathic Hotel. RAF Harpur Hill became an underground bomb-storage facility during World War II. It was also the base for the Peak District section of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service.

Buxton culture & places

Buxton Museum & Art Gallery offers year-round exhibitions. Cultural events include the annual Buxton Festival, festivals and performances held at the Buxton Opera House.

Buxton Festival

Buxton Festival is an opera and arts festival held in July at the Opera House and other venues. It includes literary events in the mornings, concerts and recitals in the afternoon. The Buxton Fringe is a warm-up for Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Fringe festival.

Other festivals

Buxton’s Well Dressing Festival has been running since 1840 to celebrate the provision of fresh water to the high point of the town’s marketplace. The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, a three-week theatre event from the end of July through most of August, was held in Buxton from 1994 to 2013. The Opera House offers a year-long programme of drama, concerts, comedy and other events.

Buxton economy & business

Quarrying

Buxton Lime Firms (BLF) was formed by 13 quarry owners in 1891. BLF became part of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in 1926. Buxton was the headquarters for I.C.I. Lime Division until the 1970s.

You can visit Buxton places with Walkfo Buxton to hear history at Buxton’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Buxton has 52 places to visit in our interactive Buxton map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Buxton, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Buxton places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Buxton & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 52 audio facts unique to Buxton places in an interactive Buxton map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Buxton Places Map
52 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Buxton historic spots	Buxton tourist destinations	Buxton plaques	Buxton geographic features
Walkfo Buxton tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Buxton

  

Best Buxton places to visit

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Buxton has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Buxton’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Buxton’s information audio spots:

Buxton Town Hall Buxton Town Hall was opened in 1889 on the Market Place in Buxton, Derbyshire. It lies in the town’s central Conservation Area overlooking The Slopes. It is a Grade-II listed building.

Old Hall Hotel The Old Hall Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The current building dates from the Restoration period, built around and incorporating an earlier fortified tower. It is believed to be the earliest known British building of cross-axial form.

St John The Baptist Church, Buxton St John The Baptist Church is a Grade II* listed parish church in Buxton, Derbyshire. The church was built in the 1930s and is located in the area of Buxton. It is now owned by the Church of England.

Cavendish Hospital Cavendish Hospital is a geriatric healthcare facility in Buxton, Derbyshire. The hospital is managed by Derbyhire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.

Poole’s Cavern Pooles Cavern is a two-million-year-old natural limestone cave on the edge of Buxton in the Peak District, in Derbyshire, England. The cave forms part of the Wye system, and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Buxton Pavilion Gardens Buxton Pavilion Gardens is a Victorian landscaped public park in the spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire. The River Wye flows through the gardens, which are a Grade II* listed public park of Special Historic Interest.

Harpur Hill Quarry Limestone was extracted there from 1835 to 1952 for lime burning at lime kilns to produce quicklime. The quarry was used by the Royal Air Force as a chemical weapons storage depot during the Second World War. The RAF depot closed in 1960 and the site is now vacant. A small part of the abandoned quarry has flooded to become a quarry lake.

Health and Safety Laboratory The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSE Laboratory or HSL Buxton) is a large 550-acre research site in rural High Peak, Derbyshire. It researches new methods in industrial safety.

Black Edge Black Edge is a summit, 507 metres (1,663 ft) high, on a sharp ridgeline above the village of Dove Holes in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District in Derbyshire.

Visit Buxton plaques