Buxton Dome Wins Peak District Award
25 October 2006
Pictured (L-R): Dot McGahan, Director of Friends of the Peak District; Professor David Davies, Dean of the University of Derby Buxton; Lord Hattersley, President, Friends of the Peak District; Professor John Coyne, Vice-Chancellor; John Youatt, Trustee, Friends of the Peak District; and Dianne Jeffrey, Pro Chancellor.
The Buxton Dome project has the distinction of receiving the first special award. You will hear of others in the future, but not often - because of their exceptional nature.
”Lord Hattersley, President of Friends of the Peak District
Friends of the Peak District presented a special award on Saturday October 21 to the University of Derby in recognition of the outstanding contribution made to the Peak District by the restoration of the former Devonshire Royal Hospital in Buxton and the positive impact it is having on life in North Derbyshire and the Peak District.
Friends of the Peak District special awards are made exclusively for projects which contribute to wider Peak District life and enhance public understanding and enjoyment of the area.
This landmark restoration project has created the University’s Devonshire Campus - a unique building of great architectural significance which features a spectacular octagonal Georgian stone building surmounted by a great Victorian dome. It is now a thriving centre for further and higher education and home to several important regional projects.
Making the award, Lord Hattersley, President of Friends of the Peak District, said: “The Buxton Dome project has the distinction of receiving the first special award. You will hear of others in the future, but not often - because of their exceptional nature.”
Lord Hattersley said the award had been made in made in recognition of the two ways in which the restored Devonshire site had benefited the Peak District: the restoration itself and its contribution to the area’s economy and community.
Praising the renovation he said: “The former Devonshire Royal Hospital has been an icon on the Buxton skyline for over 200 years,” he added. “Although a Grade II* listed building it was on English Heritage’s ‘at risk’ register before the University purchased it.”
The University’s Estates Team, Hall Grey Architects, contractors GF Tomlinson Building Ltd and project partners carried out the restoration work to an “exceptional” standard, with great respect to the original design by John Carr and Robert Rippon-Duke.
Generous support came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Learning and Skills Council, Higher Education Funding Council for England, EMDA, High Peak Borough Council and the people of Buxton, as well as donations from numerous private supporters.
“Not only have they restored a beautiful historic building but they have created a functional and very gracious space for use by the University of Derby in Buxton,” said Lord Hattersley.
The award’s judges described the conversion as “inspired and brilliantly executed”. They described the scale of the work as “immense”, the attention to detail as “admirable”, and the historic integrity “unimpeachable”.
The second reason for the award was the huge and enduring economic and social boost the Friends of the Peak District expect the project to provide for Buxton and the wider Peak District. Buxton has become, fully, a ‘university town’ with all the benefits this brings.
The Devonshire’s students add energy and verve to the life of the town, and in several ways the activities nurtured at the Campus are contributing to an upturn in the area’s fortunes.
Already it is acting as a catalyst for economic regeneration, reducing seasonal fluctuations in the economy, stimulating residential and business investment and putting an estimated £25m into the local economy.
Lord Hattersley, accompanied by Director of Friends of the Peak District Dot McGahan and Trustee John Youatt, presented a framed certificate to the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Coyne, and Pro Chancellor Dianne Jeffrey.
Accepting the special award, Professor Coyne said: “I am delighted that the twin achievements of giving new life to this great building and the hard work of our staff in creating an excellent centre for learning in the Peak District are recognised in this award.
“Today sees the first ever Graduation Ceremony take place in the magnificent setting of the Devonshire Campus. It marks many hard-won achievements by individual students and celebrates the arrival of a flourishing and industrious academic community.
“It is most appropriate that Friends of the Peak District, which cares for the whole countryside and the life of rural communities, should acknowledge the local contribution this University makes. Our activities aim to sustain and encourage educational attainment, economic development and cultural activity among the people of the Peak District and beyond.
“Our curriculum has been developed to reflect the needs of the Peak District and surrounding areas. The level of satisfaction reported by students in Tourism and Hospitality subjects is the highest in the UK, and the educational development of International Spa Management facilitated by our new training spa connects directly to the revival of this town.”
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For further information, contact Simon Butt, Press and PR Officer, on 07748 920023 or by emailing s.butt@derby.ac.uk.
