Listed Building record MDR361 - Old Hall Hotel, The Crescent, Buxton
Type and Period (1)
- SPA HOTEL (Elizabethan to Stuart - 1572 AD to 1670 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
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Full Description
The Old Hall Hotel is of 1670 with late 18th century additions behind. It has a five-bay front with slightly projecting angle bays, thick quoins, a semi-circular porch on Tuscan columns and a window above it with a characteristic semi-circular pediment. (1)
The north wing is late 19th century, one and two storeys high, and has a slate roof. (2)
Behind the early 18th century south front of the Old Hall Hotel are to be found the substantial remains of the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury's New Hall, built in 1572-3 and previously believed to have been demolished in 1670. The building is a stone structure, almost square in plan and of four storeys in height - a description that closely matches a contemporary account of the Hall. The New Hall appears to have been built in order to provide lodgings for persons of rank visiting Buxton to bathe in the thermal bath adjoining the Hall and to take the waters at the nearby St Ann's Well (SMR 2836). The first guest of importance to have occupied the building was Mary Queen of Scots, whose first visit to Buxton was delayed until its completion in 1573. Writing in the 1670s, Charles Cotton describes the Hall as having deteriorated into a ruinous state and goes on to assert that the Duke of Devonshire had recently rebuilt 'what Art could not repair'. However, all the indications are that the rebuild was by no means as complete as has been supposed. In fact, a considerable amount of the original fabric appears to have survived behind the 18th and 19th century additions and alterations. (4, 5)
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SDR12891 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1979. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. 2nd ed., revised. pp 114-115.
- <2> SDR13968 Bibliographic reference: SMR: DOE: Listed Buildings..
- <3> SDR14757 Index: NDAT. NDAT: 3262.. 3262.
- <4> SDR19248 Unpublished document: Thornes, R (RCHME). 1989. The Old Hall Hotel, The Crescent, Buxton, RCHME Historic Building Report.
- <5> SDR19247 Article in serial: Thornes, R & Leach, J. 1991. 'Buxton Old Hall: The Earl of Shrewsbury's Tower House rediscovered', Archaeological Journal. Vol. 148, pp 256-268.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 05 73 (47m by 36m) Centre |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | BUXTON, HIGH PEAK, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR1768
- EDR3757
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Record last edited
Jan 18 2024 1:10PM