Buxton Museum & Art Gallery – latest updates
Progress is being made on moving Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) into its own dedicated temporary building, next to Buxton Library on Kents Bank Road.
New ‘mini’ Buxton Museum to open this spring after funding boost
This follows a funding success, with £77,000 from Arts Council England paving the way for its temporary home; thanks to two successful bids to Arts Council England, the museum’s future looks brighter. It was awarded £72,000 from the Museum Renewal Fund and a further £5,000 from the Museum Development Midlands/Arts Council England On Display! Collections Grant Scheme.
New Gift Shop and displays
The new space is being fitted with an upgraded alarm system, lighting and decoration to make it suitable for a small museum and art gallery, complete with a gift shop and activity room. The museum team are considering potential exhibitions, events and ways BMAG can support the local community, and are getting very excited about operating a visitor-facing service again. Admission will remain free.
The new mini BMAG will be open in Spring 2026. Suggestions about what you would like to see included in the new service are always welcome. You can email:Â [email protected]Â or tel:Â 01629 533540 or leave a comment on their social media platforms.
The Derbyshire County Council-run museum and art gallery closed its Terrace Road site in 2023 following structural concerns with the building. Since then, staff have worked tirelessly to continue the service from Buxton Library on Kents Bank Road after completing the enormous task of relocating from their long-time home.
An interim offer has been running ever since at Buxton Library – featuring events, displays, travelling pop-ups, and a continuing online presence – keeping the museum’s collections and creativity alive for local residents and visitors alike.
When did Buxton Museum move from its previous location and why?
Peak Buildings, former home of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery for 96 years, owned by Derbyshire County Council was sold at auction on 30th January 2025 with SDL Auctioneers and sold for £435,000. The property was listed on rightmove in November 2024.
The museum closed to the public in June 2023 as a precautionary measure as parts of the building were potentially identified as being unsafe. Although initially it was a temporary closure, a decision to permanently relocate the museum from Peak Buildings was announced in May 2024.
Derbyshire County Council has previously confirmed its determination to re-open Buxton Museum & Art Gallery in a new, central location as a cornerstone of the town’s regeneration – and is also committed to relocating Buxton Library into the town centre as part of a bold vision to support a vibrant, culture-led future for Buxton.
Buxton Museum & Art Gallery is widely recognised as a treasured local, regional and national asset, with collections that include archaeology, geology, social history and fine art with an extensive collection of over 100,000 objects from the area.
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, Buxton Library, Kents Bank Road, Buxton, SK17 9HW
T: 01629 533540
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