This is the third instalment of A History of Buxton in Objects, the museum team’s tour through the town’s past using objects from its collection. You can also read part one and part two.
21. Treatments Available
This sign from the Municipal Physical Treatment Centre lists hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and chiropody. Footballers also visited Buxton’s thermal baths: Everton’s Peter Farrell wrote in 1956 that his team and Leicester City players had used them.
22. Bear Skull
The museum records that two boys named Millett and Hobson found this bear skull in Thirst House Cave, Deepdale, in 1889. Local antiquarians Robert Millett and Micah Salt also explored the cave. The museum estimates the skull is about 70,000 years old and suggests the bear may have suffered from a tooth abscess.
23. Vet’s Tools
The rich grass of the White Peak has allowed people to farm around Buxton for generations. The vet was a regular visitor with animal welfare responsibilities as well as daily healthcare, arriving with an array of very serious-looking equipment.
24. Lady’s Shoes
These shoes were sold by Harris & Son at 16 Spring Gardens, Buxton. The museum’s collection account dates them to around the 1930s.
25. Painting of Fairfield Racecourse
Horse racing was held on Fairfield Common in the 19th century, on land now used by Buxton and High Peak Golf Club. The 1830 meeting included the Duke of Devonshire’s Gold Cup.
26. Heacock’s Pistol
Philip Heacock was an agent for the Devonshire estate in Buxton from 1801 to 1851, according to Historic England’s entry for his tomb. The sixth Duke inherited the title in 1811, during Heacock’s service. The museum records this pistol among his possessions.
In Buxton Under the Dukes of Devonshire, R. Grundy Heape portrayed Heacock as protective of Buxton and influential over the town’s affairs. The museum’s account draws on that description.
27. Conductor’s Baton
The Pavilion opened in 1871, and the first bandmaster of its house orchestra was Julian Adams. The museum records that this baton belonged to Frank Roberts Dodman, who worked with Buxton Operatic Society in the early 20th century. He may have led the orchestra at the Opera House, designed by Frank Matcham and completed in 1903.
28. Postcards from the Micrarium
These images from the museum’s postcard collection show the Micrarium, an attraction devoted to the microscopic world. The Pump Room, now the visitor centre, housed microscopes that revealed specimens unseen to the naked eye. The Micrarium opened in 1981; sources give different closing years, including 1994, 1995 and 1996. Read more about the history of the Micrarium. The museum installed a microscope in 2013, moved it into the refurbished Wonders of the Peak gallery in 2017 and replaced it in 2020.
29. Selim Bright set
This Ashford Black Marble brooch and pair of earrings are mounted in gold and kept in a box bearing the Buxton name of S. Bright & Co. The museum dates the set to around 1850–1865 and says the Buxton business was associated with jewellers and cutlers in Sheffield.
30. Buxton Coin Hoard
Last but by no means least is the superstar of Buxton objects, the coin hoard. In 1975, workmen excavating the Natural Baths in Buxton discovered Roman coins and jewellery near the spring. The Derbyshire Historic Environment Record dates the coins from the first century to around AD 400 and suggests they were offerings at the spring.
Visiting Buxton Museum and Art Gallery
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery is open in a temporary home next to Buxton Library on Kents Bank Road. Admission is free. Check the museum’s current visitor information for opening times and ask about the objects on display.
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