Testimonials
We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed your tours, loved all the history......your area is beautiful. Jane & Andy P, New England
Enjoyed our time with you thank you for making our holiday so special. JJ & PD. Scotland.
Thank you again for everything our vacation was great. We thought the little towns and the the stately houses were wonderful and the girls just loved the all the movie scenery we visited. Tom & Audrey B.
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BuxtonSource of the river Wye Buxton lies amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in the area and at around 1000 feet above sea level is the highest town in England.
Famous for its mineral spa water which flows at a constant 27.5° and is reputed to have healing powers.
The Romans arrived around AD 70 discovered the warm spring and founded the settlement of 'Aquae Arnemetiae' (Waters of the Goddess of The Grove). The water was important enough for the Romans to give the name 'Aquae' on only two towns in Britain, the other being Bath ‘Aquae Sulis’.
Popular since mediaeval time the town has some magnificent architecture, its grand Crescent, Opera House and the recently renovated Devonshire Royal Hospital (now part of Derby University).
Originally built as stables to accommodate 120 horses for the 5th Duke of Devonshire by John Carr 1785-90, the building was converted in 1859 by Henry Currey to form the Devonshire Royal Hospital with the domes and clock tower added 1880-1 by Robert Rippon Duke. The dome was once the largest unsupported dome in the world having a span of 154ft. This magnificent building cost a grand total of £16,470.3s.10d to complete.
By the 16th Century, Buxton was a place of pilgrimage as people visited to take the waters for their supposed healing powers.
Famous visitors include Mary, Queen of Scots, whilst she was a prisoner, who was allowed to visit the town on several occasions under the custodianship of the Shrewsbury's.
Developed during the 17th century as a spa town Buxton grew rapidly and the towns population grew. With Baths, Pump Rooms, Hotels, Churches, Pavilion Gardens the town became a popular and fashionable spa.
Buxton has been a market town for almost 200 years since the 6th Duke of Devonshire obtained a license. A market still takes place on Tuesday and Saturday.
By the 20th Century, electricity had arrived in Buxton and telephones provided a service for local hotels and businesses.
In 1901, a new theatre was commissioned.
The renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham designed the magnificent Buxton Opera House, which opened in 1903 and is still a popular venue today.
Opposite the Opera House is the Old Hall Hotel, the oldest building in town dating back to 1550. Mary Queen of Scots stayed here several times between 1573 and 1574.
Solomon's Temple sited 1440 ft above sea level, is a folly built 1834. A panaramic view is the reward for climbing the winding staircase.
Thought to be one of the oldest building in the town is St Anne's Church which demonstrates some of the charm and craftmanship of the area.
With a faded elegance all its own, grand architecture, Pump Rooms, Thermal Springs, Opera House, Pavilion Gardens, Cavendish Arcade, Crescent and its wealth of history Buxton is well worth a visit.
Nearby is Poole's Cavern. Extending 300 metres into the hillside it has formed naturally from the local limestone. Its chambers sheltered cave dwellers in the Bronze Age, was used by Romans and is reputed to have been the hiding place of robbers.
 
 
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How Interesting
One of England's most popular stately homes and one of its largest private houses is Chatsworth House the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Chatsworth is believed to have been the inspiration for Jane Austen's Pemberley, home of Mr Darcy, in the book Pride & Predjudice and Chatsworth has been used as a setting for the many adaptations of the novel.
The village of Edensor on the Chatsworth estate was razed to the ground then rebuilt out of site of the main house.
The Padley Martyrs, Nicholas Garlick and Robert Ludlam, were two catholic priests, captured in 1588, taken hanged, drawn and quartered. The ruins of Padley Hall still exist behind the tiny Padley Chapel.
Castleton has a shivering mountain and the Devils Arse.
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Famous Derbyshire People
Richard Arkwright perfected water powered spinning machines and installed them in his factory at Cromford. Building up a whole new community he provided cottages for his workers, a chapel, school and the Greyhound Hotel.
Initially he lived next to the mill at Rock House but as he prospered he went on to build Willersley Castle on a hill above Cromford. He died in 1792 aged only 60 and was buried at the church he built.
Kathleen, sister of John F Kennedy, is buried in the church of St Peter, Edensor. Kathleen known as ‘Kick’ married William Cavendish, Marques of Hartington in 1944. Only four months later William was killed whilst on active duty and in 1948 she was killed in a plane crash.
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