The Grade II listed Pump Room, now Buxton Visitor Centre, has a varied and interesting history, serving the town in a variety of ways over the years. The building was initially used for a place to ‘take the waters’ in Buxton’s hey-day as a spa town when hydrotherapy spa treatments were the height of fashion with health conscious Victorians.
A History of Buxton Micrarium – Buxton’s long forgotten visitor attraction
By the 1970s the Pump Room was used as an information centre. It was later redeveloped as Buxton Micrarium, which opened in 1981 and invited the public to explore microscopic organisms and geological specimens.
How it all began
The Micrarium was devoted to exploring the natural world under a microscope. Researcher Viviane Quirke describes it as a pioneering use of microscopes in a dedicated museum. It was the dream of Dr Stephen Carter, who had been a senior research scientist with ICI Pharmaceuticals.
The microscope given to him on his seventh birthday almost certainly determined the course of the rest of his life. Having qualified in medicine, he worked in Ghana and carried out a clinical trial into the effectiveness of a new antimalarial drug.
This led to an interest in pharmaceutical research and his subsequent career at ICI. Carter’s interest in the microscopic world grew over the years having been fascinated as a young boy by what his microscope revealed. His wife Janet said he had always wanted to share the thrill of seeing minute animals, normally invisible to the naked eye.
A vision becoming a reality
Retirement at 50 years old gave Carter the chance to realise his ambition and his entire family became involved in creating his vision. Carter designed the projection microscopes, and his wife Janet and their three daughters helped him build 50 of them in the family’s home workshop.
Buxton Micrarium opens becoming an award-winning attraction
The Micrarium became a destination for school parties and appeared on television. Historian Viviane Quirke records recognition from the British Tourist Authority and a Museum of the Year award in her research into the Carter family and the Micrarium.
Among the 350 or so exhibits, there were around 30 different live specimens taken from ponds locally. Every morning before opening to visitors, staff would spend around 45 minutes checking on them, topping up water supply and replacing if necessary. Upon entering the attraction, visitors were greeted by pools of light – the projected images of microscopic specimens, many of them living organisms.
The remote-controlled microscopes let visitors adjust their view and see information about the specimens. The instruments produced sharp images and a wide field of view; Carter and his family made the microscopes themselves.
A hands-on science centre
Estimates for the late 1980s put visitor numbers at roughly 35,000–40,000 a year. A contemporary guide listed admission at £1.50 for adults and 80p for children.
Closure of Buxton Micrarium
Sadly, Dr Carter died suddenly in 1987. Janet continued to run the exhibition and retired in 1995, according to researcher Viviane Quirke. A visitor account dates the closure to 1995, while council records give other years. Earlier Explore Buxton reporting estimated more than 250,000 visits.
For anyone who remembers its dim interior and fascinating windows into a microscopic world, this image will be a welcome reminder of a time when Buxton had a tourist attraction that was truly remarkable.
Pump Room sees new lease of life
In the years following the closure of the Micrarium, the Pump Room was occasionally used by the High Peak Artists group for art fairs. The group went on to have a permanent exhibition, Gallery in the Gardens, in the Pavilion Gardens. The Pump Room became home to Buxton Visitor Centre in 2019.
If you remember visiting Buxton Micrarium, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch through our contact page or Facebook page.
With huge thanks to Dr Patrick Harkin, MBChB, BSc(Hons), FHEA from Leeds Institute of Medical Education for kindly sending to us the paper ‘The Development of the Micrarium’, written by Janet Carter in May 1988. We used the paper for reference for this article. Patrick happen to find it in his desk at work when he was clearing it in readiness for retirement!
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