The spa town of Buxton is the largest within the Peak District, a place whose history can now be positively traced all the way back to the late Mesolithic period. This area was discovered by archaeologists working on the former Lismore fields site behind Lismore Road, which is just beyond the Pavilion Gardens and Burlington Road.

The Romans also came to Buxton and although nothing remains of their settlement, the Museum holds a number of relics dating from this period.

Long after the Romans departed our shores, Buxton was visited by Mary Queen of Scots. She was held here as a prisoner, and it was during this time that she sought the recuperative powers of the local mineral waters.

While in custody, she stayed at the former Old Hall which later burnt to the ground and was rebuilt twice before the present structure, a hotel stands on the site.

Buxton’s crowning glory must surely be its Crescent, designed by John Carr of York, it stands opposite the Slopes, a terraced park laid out by Sir Jeffry Wyattville in the early nineteenth century.

The Crescent was built for the Dukes of Devonshire from funds gained through his ownership of the Copper Mines at Ecton in Staffordshire.

It was during the Victorian period that Buxton’s popularity grew. It became fashionable to take the waters, with warm mineral waters offering the chance to cure all ills.

Further, these visitors could also take the water from the nearby Chalybeate springs. Today it is planned to bring back the splendour of the Crescent, once again offering town apartments, a hotel and the use of a spa.

Buxton also has its own Wells Dressing, with four wells being creatively dressed during the second week in July. At this time, the town has its annual carnival, a magnificent and colourful extravaganza to be enjoyed by all.

The landscape surrounding Buxton is stunningly beautiful and can be enjoyed by visiting many of its key vantage points. To the south of the town there is the Grin Country Park and at its height, Solomon’s Temple, a circular structure affording views through three-hundred and sixty degrees.

To the north is the equally breath-taking views from the top of Corbar Woods and the cross, where once again it affords views in all directions.

Buxton is a town that offers a great deal and more to all of its visitors, splendid parks and gardens, a large shopping area with an indoor precinct, not forgetting the older part of Buxton on the Market place.

Further more, there are many places of entertainment, with none more popular than can be found at the Edwardian Opera House near the Pavilion Gardens. Buxton is the jewel in the crown that is the Peak District of Derbyshire.