The Crescent, Buxton Derbyshire, Northern England
Built on the River Wye, and overlooked by Axe Edge Moor, Buxton has a long history as a spa town due to its geothermal spring which rises at a constant temperature of 28 °C. Built in 1780 the Crescent was a revolutionary new type of building and the forerunner of the hotel as we know it today – an idea brought to Britain from the continent to serve the ever-increasing numbers ‘taking the waters’ at Buxton Spa.’The Crescent comprised two hotels, St Ann’s and The Great Hotel. In addition, there were originally seven lodging houses, including a town house for the Duke of Devonshire himself, but soon the hotels were to expand towards the centre of the Crescent progressively absorbing these individual the ground floor shops were ranged beneath the arcade and included a draper, druggist, perfumer, hair and wig dresser, a post office and a lending library. In the basement food was prepared for guests, but more often brought in from a variety of taverns and chop houses across Assembly Rooms, part of the ‘Great Hotel’ at the eastern end of the Crescent were the hub of 18th Century social life, where visitors danced, met friends and played cards. Residents of the Crescent would visit each other ‘at home’ drink tea, and catch up on the gossip about new arrivals at the Crescent was the brainchild of the 5th Duke of Devonshire and designed by John Carr, his architect, appointed for the ‘improvement of Buxton’. It is without doubt one of the finest buildings of its kind anywhere in the world and is, as the Duke intended, a fitting rival to the crescents of Bath.
Size: 5100px × 3393px
Location: Buxton Derbyshire, Northern England, UK
Photo credit: © Paul White Aerial views / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: aerial, air, attraction, british, brtiain, buxton, crescent, derbyshire, destination, engand, historic, north, northern, spa, tourist, town, uk, view, visitor
