Archive: this article describes The Eagle’s closure at the end of 2022.
The Eagle pub in Buxton closed on 31 December 2022 after Hydes Brewery announced it was selling the property.
Speaking on Facebook in November, manager Fiona said, “It is with a heavy heart that I must announce Hydes Brewery have decided to sell the Eagle”.
Last trading day – Going out with a bang New Years Eve party
“To celebrate my long association with the pub and taking a golden handshake from the business, please join me in our Going out with a bang – Drink Fiona dry New Year’s Eve and last trading event”
“All stock must go! So let’s make it a night to remember, friends old and new are all welcome, we look forward to seeing you and thank you very much for your custom and support over the years”.
The original article advertised a final New Year’s Eve event for 31 December 2022.
What’s the history behind one of Buxton’s oldest pubs?
The Grade II listed Eagle building was built in 1760 on the site of an earlier inn, known as the Eagle and Child, and later became a coaching inn.
For those who don’t know, coaching inns were the lifeblood of 17th and 18th century travel in Britain and a vital part of transport infrastructure across Europe until the development of the railways. They provided a resting point for people and horses; the inn served the needs of travellers, for food, ale and rest. The attached stables cared for horses. They were used by private travellers in their coaches, the public riding stagecoaches between one town and another, and (in England at least) the mail coach. The Queens Head Hotel in Higher Buxton is another historic inn.
According to Discover Buxton’s history, the inn was known as the Eagle by the 1820s and local magistrates held court there during the 1840s. After the coaching trade declined, part of the building became a lodging house. In the early 1900s it was briefly called the Devonshire Hotel before reverting to the Eagle.
An early photograph shows the hotel’s dining room.
A local history by Discover Buxton says John Craven was fatally shot outside the Eagle in December 1975, and that Brian Hughes admitted the shooting to police. It dates the shooting to Boxing Day; the original version of this article gave the following day.
The Eagle has seen many changes over time with a colourful history. The Hollywood bar was once called the Dutch’s Bar and in the late 80s and early 90s was packed every weekend and often served as the prequel to ‘bagging it’, or rather, going to the Gaslight nightclub just a few doors away. Those who frequented the scene around this time may recall walking through the Tap Room bar (which took you through to the Lounge bar) and hearing raspberry’s being blown (every time you walked through); a random memory of this legendary pub but one that some will remember…lol.
The author recalls the tap room as traditional and the Lounge bar as a busy Sunday-night spot in the 1980s and 1990s.
The pub’s 2022 closure was the end of a long chapter in the building’s history.
The original article credited historical photographs to Derbyshire County Council: Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
Source: Buxton Museum and Art Gallery & ‘Buxton Pubs’ by Julian Cohen.
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