The past
Old image of a stall in the Dome.
Advertisment for the re-opening of the Dome as the Devonshire Hospital in 1881.
Buxton
Buxton was known as 'Aquae Arnermetiae' during Roman times, which translates as 'the waters of the Goddess of the Grove'. The market town was important to civilians at the time because of its central location and the warm mineral water bathing facilities it provided.
In 1975 coins were found near the site of the Roman bath, suggesting that the Romans inhabited Buxton for most of the time they occupied Britain.
Buxton was a popular spa during the Elizabethan era. During her time in England, Mary Queen of Scots visited the waters on numerous occasions. The present Old Hall Hotel was built over the bath in Buxton by the Earl of Shrewsbury to provide accommodation.
Between 1780 and 1784 The Crescent was constructed to provide hotels, lodging houses and an assembly room. It was commissioned to York architect, John Carr, by the fifth Duke of Devonshire who felt that Buxton could rival Bath as a spa resort.
From 1850 Buxton began to grow from a village, to a busy and fashionable spa. People came to take the wide range of treatments on offer at the natural and thermal baths. Much of the Victorian and Edwardian town can still be seen today.
More information can be found out about Buxton in the book, Buxton: A Pictorial History, by Mike Langham and Colin Wells (1993).
Founded in 1893, the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery in Terrace Road, has a display of Roman artefacts found in Buxton. There are several original watercolours of Buxton scenes on display, one of these is a view of The Crescent with the Buxton Campus visible in the background, before the Dome was constructed.
Many more old images of Buxton can be found by using the search tab on www.picturethepast.org.uk.
Find out more information about Buxton.
The Devonshire Dome
The spectacular Buxton Campus, also known as the Devonshire Dome, has a fascinating history:
- In 1779 the fifth Duke of Devonshire comissioned a great stables to serve the magnificent Crescent.
- In 1859 the Buxton Bath Charity persuaded the sixth Duke of Devonshire to allow part of the building to be converted to a charity hospital for the use of the 'sick poor'.
- By 1879 the Bath Charity chairman convinced the Duke to allow the whole building to be used as a hospital.
- In 1881 the Dome was completed and the Duke officially opened the Devonshire Hospital.
- In 1934 King George V gave permission for it to be renamed the Devonshire Royal Hospital in recognition for the services it provided to recovering troops.
- The hospital was a centre of excellence for hydrotherapy, providing treatment for rheumatic and associated disease up until its closure in 2000.
The events that have taken place under the Dome have, and continue to influence the lives of many people.
Listen to the penultimate Devonshire Hospital broadcast, presented by Kevin Allsop in 2000:
Acknowledgements
The information for this section of the website was developed by a student, Fay Fallows, who would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this product:
- Kevin Allsop (Local resident and former hospital radio DJ)
- Adrian Brown (Local resident)
- David Golding (Visit Buxton)
- Les Steeples (Buxton Museum)
- Christine Sweetmore (University of Derby)
- Nick Tomlinson (Picture the Past)
- Peter Wiltshier (University of Derby)
