The Buxton Crescent
The Buxton Crescent is an iconic, Grade I-listed, Georgian building; one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the country, and one of the first purpose-built hotels in the country.
It was built by the fifth Duke of Devonshire in the 1780s as a centrepiece to establish Buxton as a fashionable Georgian spa town. Designed by John Carr of York, it originally housed two hotels and private lodging houses. Following various uses throughout the 20th Century, it closed in 1992.
Essential repair works were carried out in the mid-1990s after which the ‘Buxton Crescent and Thermal Spa project’ was launched by owners High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council. In 2003, they partnered with the Trevor Osborne Property Group and CP Holdings Ltd (who own Danubius/Ensana Hotel and Spa Group – Europe’s largest hotel and spa operator).
The renovation was completed during the summer of 2020 with the hotel and spa opening, under Covid-19 restrictions, in October 2020.
The Restoration Project
The £50m renovation development project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), High Peak Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, English Heritage, D2N2 LEP and developer Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa Co Ltd.
The contractors to carry out the restoration were Vinci. They started on site in April 2016 following work carried out on the Pump Room.
HLF awarded a further £11.3m towards the major project to secure the long-term future of the building. The extra money was essential to unlock the plans following various unforeseen cost increases and delays.
The restored building is now an 80-bedroom, 5-star hotel incorporating the neighbouring Natural Mineral Baths with a state-of-the-art, thermal, natural mineral water wellness spa, six boutique shops and a restaurant.
Visitors can also experience the heritage of the building through the interactive heritage experience located within the building itself. Tickets can be purchased from the Buxton Visitor Centre in the Grade II-listed Pump Room opposite. Public access days to some of the other rooms in the hotel, such as the wonderful Assembly Rooms, will be part of an annual programme of events organised by the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust.
Watch the Trust’s 5 minute video, created in November 2017, featuring their patron, the Duke of Devonshire, to find out details about the Crescent restoration project.
Official photographer for the Crescent Project, Rachel Baker, took the “before” images, some of which you can see below.
For more information…
Further information on the redevelopment can be found on the Trust’s website: www.buxtoncrescentexperience.com/
If you would like any more information, please get in touch with the team at Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust: hello@buxtoncrescenttrust.org
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