If you asked someone familiar with Buxton what makes the place so unique they might answer “the water” or “the weather” or perhaps “the architecture”. All of these answers ring true but if you scratch beneath the surface, you will find features that even most of the locals don’t know about. Join Explore Buxton on an alternative tour of quirky things to do in Buxton…

Weird Buxton, Secret Buxton, Paranormal Buxton, Quirky things to do in Buxton – welcome to our eccentric town

Devonshire Dome: Things That Go Bump in the Dome

The impressive Devonshire Dome is visible from many points around Buxton, and the interior is just as striking. Built as stables for the Duke of Devonshire in the late eighteenth century, it later became a hospital and is now part of the University of Derby. Stories of hauntings add to its mystique. Student-run Harpurs Bistro opens during term time and requires a reservation.

Pavilion Gardens: Centre of the World for Lawn Tennis (almost)

In the late 1800s, fashionable visitors came to Buxton for the water and for sport. Lawn tennis took off here, with tournaments in the Pavilion Gardens for both men and women. Buxton Museum records regular tournaments from 1884, including the All-England Ladies’ Doubles championships. The tournament at Wimbledon also began in the late nineteenth century.

Lismore: The Oldest Buxtonians

Buxton is often associated with the Romans, but people lived here long before them. Excavations at Lismore Fields uncovered evidence of an early Neolithic settlement, including worked flint and pottery. A bowl found there is described by Buxton Museum as one of the oldest pots found in the UK. The museum has a temporary home; check what is on display before visiting.

The Old Hall: Prison of Mary Queen of Scots

The Old Hall is reputed to be one of England’s oldest hotels, with parts of its building dating to 1573. Mary Queen of Scots stayed here while in the custody of Queen Elizabeth I. Between 1573 and 1584, she made several visits to Buxton to take the waters, under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury.

A Latin farewell couplet has long been attributed to Mary and is said to have been inscribed on a window at the Old Hall. One English translation reads:

Buxton, whose fame thy milk-warm waters tell

Whom I, perhaps, no more shall see, farewell

Mary was executed for treason in 1587. Local ghost stories say she still visits the Old Hall, her headless figure wandering its corridors and rooms.

Worshipping Water: St. Anne’s Well

The water fountain next to the Pump Room provides Buxton’s thermal water to sample or collect. It is decorated in July as part of the town’s well dressing festival. The festival began in 1840 to thank the Duke of Devonshire for bringing water to a pump in the Market Place. Buxton Museum dates the first decoration of St Ann’s Well to 1864. Today volunteers make colourful pictures from petals and other natural materials pressed into clay.

A Well Dressing Queen is also chosen. The wider custom’s origins are uncertain: links to much older offerings to water have been suggested, but Buxton’s documented celebration began with the Victorian pump.

The Actor and the Poisonous Plant: St. Anne’s Church

Tucked away off the High Street, St Anne’s is one of Buxton’s oldest surviving buildings. The porch bears the date 1625, although parts of the church may be older. The churchyard is the resting place of the comedian John Kane, who died in 1799. According to Historic England, he is reputed to have mistaken aconite, a poisonous plant, for a type of radish. He could not have performed at the present Buxton Opera House: it opened in 1903.

Also worthy of mention is adjacent public house The Swan, whose Tartan Room is a marvel in itself and next to that is Scriveners second-hand bookshop, featured in The Guardian’s 2009 selection of second-hand bookshops.

Poole’s Cavern’s Victorian Museum

Poole’s Cavern has attracted visitors for centuries. In 1853 the Duke of Devonshire opened it as an official show cave. Custodian Frank Redfern improved access and helped develop the attraction.

Redfern excavated the cave, where finds included animal and human remains and Romano-British objects. Gas lighting was installed in 1859. The Victorian attraction also had a museum, a monkey house and music from brass bands. Today the cavern has its own exhibition and offers guided and self-guided visits; see the visitor information for details.

Solomon’s Temple: Buxton’s own Indiana Jones

Local archaeologist Micah Salt excavated several sites, including the prehistoric burial mound at Grin Low. The present Solomon’s Temple was built in 1896 to replace an earlier tower associated with local farmer Solomon Mycock. Its viewpoint looks over Buxton and the surrounding hills.

Harpur Hill: Buxton’s Area 51

Looking south from Solomon’s Temple, you can see the landscape around Harpur Hill and the former quarry. The Health and Safety Executive’s Science and Research Centre occupies a 550-acre Buxton site where scientists and engineers carry out research and testing to improve health and safety.

Its unusual testing facilities have inspired comparisons with “Area 51”. The research centre is a working site, so enjoy the view from public paths.

A Path Less Trodden: The Old Road to Macclesfield

The old road towards Macclesfield climbs out of Buxton over the moors. It is rough and stony in places and offers fine views. The Cat & Fiddle, on the road between Buxton and Macclesfield, is now home to the Forest Distillery. Plan a route using current public rights of way: a former permissive route through Chest Hollow had lost permission by 2024, so check a current map before setting off.

The hills around the old road also have a coal-mining history, including the remains of coke ovens near Burbage. Stay on public rights of way and well clear of old mine workings.

Domain of the Downright Strange: The Goyt Valley

The Goyt Valley was once home to a community, a gunpowder mill, a paint mill and the Cromford and High Peak Railway. The railway through the valley closed in 1892 and the gunpowder mill ceased production in 1920. Fernilee and Errwood reservoirs later changed the landscape, although remains of some buildings can still be seen.

The ruins of Victorian Errwood Hall are still visible among the rhododendrons. Buxton Museum records that Stockport Corporation demolished the hall and other estate buildings in 1934, citing concern about pollution as it prepared to build Fernilee Reservoir. The Grimshawe family’s burial ground lies on the hillside above.

The valley has also inspired stories of ghostly figures and mysterious lights.

The Hobgoblin’s Lair: Deep Dale

Deep Dale near Chelmorton has a cave known as Thirst House, or Hob Thirst’s Cave, associated in local folklore with a hobgoblin. Late nineteenth-century excavations found Romano-British artefacts and burials outside the entrance. The Derbyshire Historic Environment Record describes two separate Roman-period skeletons found below the cave, rather than Neolithic remains from its depths.

We don’t recommend going into the depths of the cave nor visiting Deep Dale nor anywhere remote in the Peak District by yourself, or without telling anyone, and always wear sensible gear. Quirky quests can be super fun but please stay safe!