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Theatre
Buxton Opera House
Theatre in The Square with 902 seats, home to the Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival.
A mini guide to
Buxton & the Northern Peak
A Georgian spa town with an opera house, a show cave and the Goyt Valley on its doorstep
Photos
1 / 8Welcome to the area
A Georgian spa town with an opera house, a show cave and the Goyt Valley on its doorstep
Buxton is a spa town on the western side of the Peak District, in Derbyshire, with a Georgian crescent, the Pavilion Gardens and the Buxton Opera House, a 902-seat theatre. Poole's Cavern and the Grin Low woods are on the southern edge of town, and the moors of Axe Edge rise to the south-west. The town is a base for walkers, with a railway station and buses into the National Park.
North of Buxton the guide reaches Chapel-en-le-Frith, a market town nicknamed the Capital of the Peak, and Whaley Bridge on the River Goyt. The Goyt Valley has two reservoirs and the ruins of Errwood Hall, and Three Shires Head is the point where Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire meet. Manchester has its own guide and is reached by train from Buxton.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Georgian crescent
Buxton Crescent
Grade I listed crescent designed by John Carr of York and built for the 5th Duke of Devonshire between 1780 and 1789.
Park
Pavilion Gardens
Victorian landscaped public park on the River Wye, listed Grade II*, with a boating lake and a miniature train.
Show cave
Poole's Cavern
Natural limestone cave on the edge of Buxton, a Site of Special Scientific Interest; the same site covers Buxton Country Park.
Folly
Solomon's Temple
Victorian tower on the summit of Grin Low above Buxton, also known as Grinlow Tower.
Historic building
The Devonshire Dome
Grade II* listed former stable block with a dome 44.2 metres across, now part of the University of Derby.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Buxton & the Northern Peak and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Poole's Cavern and Grin Low
Poole's Cavern's own site covers the cave, Buxton Country Park and Solomon's Temple, so the cave visit and the walk up Grin Low can be combined.
2
The Pavilion Gardens
The Gardens' website lists a boating lake and a miniature train, and the River Wye runs through the park.
3
The Goyt Valley
Errwood Hall is a ruin in the Upper Goyt Valley, and the valley holds two reservoirs, Errwood and Fernilee, close to the Cheshire boundary.
4
Pick a spa treat
Buxton Crescent is now a hotel and spa, and the Palace Hotel advertises a spa; check each website before you book.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
Everything for Buxton & the Northern Peak
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Buxton & the Northern Peak (area photo): Eugene Birchall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Buxton Opera House: Dave Pape, Public domain, source
- Buxton Crescent: Eugene Birchall, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pavilion Gardens: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Poole's Cavern: Dave Pape, Public domain, source
- Solomon's Temple: Stevekraken, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- The Devonshire Dome: Mick Lobb, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Errwood Hall: Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Errwood Reservoir: Jonathan Kington, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chee Dale: Dave.Dunford, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Three Shires Head: Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Combs Reservoir: Dave Dunford, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Chapel-en-le-Frith: Gerald England, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Whaley Bridge: Dave.Dunford, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Axe Edge Moor: Dave Dunford, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Castleton, Hope Valley & Edale: Peter Barr, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bakewell, Haddon & Monsal: Kmtextor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Matlock Bath, Matlock & the Derwent Valley: Janine Forbes., CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dovedale, Ashbourne & the White Peak South: Paul Albertella from Manchester, UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hathersage, Longshaw & Eyam: Neil Theasby, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring the Peak District