The Pavilion Gardens | |
---|---|
formerly Serpentine Walks | |
Location | Buxton, Derbyshire |
Coordinates | 53°15′N1°56′W / 53.250°N 1.933°W |
Area | 14 hectares (35 acres) |
Elevation | 300m |
Created | 1871 |
Designer | Edward Milner |
Designation | Grade II* Listed Park |
Buxton Pavilion Gardens is a Victorian landscaped public park in the spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire. The River Wye flows through the gardens, which are a Grade II* listed public park of Special Historic Interest. [1]
The 9.5-hectare (23-acre) site of the Pavilion Gardens lies in the valley of the River Wye. Two tributaries of the river run through the park along landscaped courses. The northern branch spills over cascades and under footbridges whilst the southern branch connects three man-made lakes, the last of which has a fountain. The listed park covers a longer stretch of the River Wye valley, covering 14 hectares (35 acres) in total including the adjoining Serpentine park and Branksome Woods. [1] [2]
In 2004 a major restoration of the Pavilion Gardens was completed with a contribution of £3.3m from Heritage Lottery funding. New facilities included a Victorian-style bandstand (used for summer band concerts and weddings), play areas, an outdoor gym and a children's miniature railway ride. The pavilion café, ice cream parlour, visitor shop and art gallery are housed in the main pavilion building. The Buxton Cinema is located in the adjoining Pavilion Arts Centre. Next to the pavilion buildings is an indoor public swimming pool and fitness centre overlooking the gardens and a public car park (the entrance is on Burlington Road). [2] [3] [4]
The river, lakes, trees and plants are a haven for birds including native ducks, Muscovy ducks, mandarin ducks, tufted ducks, Canada geese, moorhens, coots, goosanders, wrens, nuthatches, finches, tits and herons. The river provides habitat for brown trout, water voles and crayfish.
In 2015, author Bill Bryson declared: [5]
"The Pavilion Gardens ... must be the most delightful town park in the country."
On the south east boundary of the Pavilion Gardens is the Broadwalk promenade which was constructed as Cavendish Terrace in 1857. [3]
The park was designed by Edward Milner for the Buxton Improvements Company, following the arrival of the railway to Buxton in 1863. It was opened in August 1871 on a 12-acre site (on the land of the Hall Gardens, given by the 7th Duke of Devonshire) and in 1876 was extended to its present 23 acres of gardens and lakes. There was originally an admission charge to enter the gardens via a ticket office with turnstiles. Milner's design was a development of the 1830s landscape design of the Serpentine Walks (along the River Wye) by Joseph Paxton for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, on what was previously the private gardens of Buxton Old Hall. The three original rustic bridges were removed in Milner's design, with the introduction of ornate iron footbridges, the main one known as the Milner Bridge. [1] [6]
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra took a tour of the Pavilion Gardens when they visited Buxton in January 1905. During World War I Royal Engineers soldiers based in Buxton used the Pavilion Garden lakes for training exercises to build pontoon bridges. In 1927 responsibility for the Pavilion Gardens was transferred from the Buxton Gardens Company to the Buxton Borough Council. [3] [7]
The old bandstand platform is all that is left of an ancient Celtic temple. It was described in 1755 as having an octagonal base and a faint inscription appearing as 'Aeona'. It was concluded that the temple was dedicated to either Epona (goddess of horses) or more appropriately Apona (goddess of healing waters). When Edward Milner remodelled the Pavilion Gardens in 1871 the 2,000-year-old temple was demolished and only the base now remains. [8] [ better source needed ]
A series of Grade II listed Victorian buildings overlook the Gardens from its northern boundary with a wide promenade in front. The main Pavilion and Conservatory are cast-iron and glass structures from 1870, designed by Milner in the style of London's Crystal Palace. The two-storey central hall of the Pavilion (which now houses the café) was rebuilt in 1983 after a fire. The Conservatory was originally used as a small concert hall with a stage and organ. In 1982 it was remodelled as a greenhouse conservatory with tropical plants and a fish pond. [1] [6] [9]
The Pavilion was extended with the construction in 1875 of the Octagon Concert Hall (by Robert Rippon Duke). With capacity for 800 people, the hall has been used over the years for musical concerts, tea dances, conferences, trade shows, antique fairs and farmers' markets. The Beatles played in the Octagon Concert Hall on two occasions in 1963. [10] The Octagon reopened in 2018 after a three-year £3m refurbishment. [11]
At the north east corner of the Pavilion Gardens is the Buxton Opera House (designed by Frank Matcham). Built in 1903, it is the town's principal theatrical venue with 900 seats. The Opera House was primarily used as a cinema from 1932 until its closure in 1976. The Edwardian theatre reopened for stage productions following its restoration in 1979. Since its full renovation in 2001, the theatre has developed a busy programme of events covering drama, musical concerts, comedy, dance, opera and pantomime. It is also hosts the annual Buxton Festival. [6] [12]
Within the main pavilion complex, the Pavilion Arts Centre on St John's Road has a theatre with 360 seats and it has been the home of the Buxton Cinema since 2017. The building was designed by William Bryden and was built as the Entertainment Stage theatre in 1889. It replaced an earlier theatre in the old hall stables, facing the Old Hall Hotel at the foot of Hall Bank. In 1833 the world-famous violinist Niccolo Paganini performed there but the theatre was demolished in 1854. After the opening of the Buxton Opera House, the Entertainment Stage was converted to show silent movies and was renamed as the Hippodrome. In 1932 it reverted to being used as a performance theatre called The Playhouse. It was subsequently known as the Paxton Suite from 1979 to 2010. [12]
A large Oriental Tea Kiosk was built in 1899 (designed by William Bryden). It was used in the 1960s as an amusement arcade but it was demolished in 1977. [6]
The indoor swimming pool and gym complex next to the Octagon was completed in 1972 and opened by Princess Anne. [13]
The Pavilion Gardens originally provided leisure facilities for tennis, croquet, boating on the largest lake and roller skating, as well as curling and ice skating in winter (on an ice rink where the car park is now). Tennis tournaments were played in the Pavilion Gardens from 1884 until the 1950s, including the All-England Ladies Doubles Championship and with a covered stand for spectators. [6] [9]
In 2019 boating was reintroduced on the main lake. [2]
The Pavilion Gardens is the starting point for the Dane Valley Way footpath, [14] and the Peak District Boundary Walk also runs through the gardens. [15]
Other historical landscaped parks in Buxton are Ashwood Park and The Slopes (formerly The Terrace). [16]
The Peak District is an upland area in England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and includes the Dark Peak, moorland dominated by gritstone, and the White Peak, a limestone area with valleys and gorges. The Dark Peak forms an arc on the north, east and west sides; the White Peak covers central and southern tracts. The Peak District was the first of the national parks of England and Wales in 1951. The historic Peak District extends beyond the National Park, which excludes major towns, quarries and industrial areas. Nearby Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield send millions of visitors. Inhabited from the Mesolithic era, it shows evidence of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Settled by the Romans and Anglo-Saxons, it remained largely agricultural; mining arose in the Middle Ages. Richard Arkwright built cotton mills in the Industrial Revolution. As mining declined, quarrying grew. Tourism came with the railways, spurred by the landscape, spa towns and Castleton's show caves.
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level. It lies close to Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. In 1974, the municipal borough merged with other nearby boroughs, including Glossop, to form the local government district and borough of High Peak.
The River Wye is a limestone river in the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. It is 22 miles long, and is one of the major tributaries of the River Derwent, which flows into the River Trent, and ultimately into the Humber and the North Sea.
Longwood Gardens is a botanical garden that consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States in the Brandywine Creek Valley. It is one of the premier horticultural display gardens in the United States and is open to visitors year-round to enjoy native and exotic plants and horticulture, events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as educational lectures, courses, and workshops.
Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musicals and other entertainments year-round. Hosting live performances until 1927, the theatre then was used mostly as a cinema until 1976. In 1979, it was refurbished and reopened as a venue for live performance.
Robert Rippon Duke was an English architect and surveyor who designed various prominent Victorian buildings in Buxton, Derbyshire.
The Buxton International Festival is an annual summer festival of opera, music and a literary series, held in Buxton, Derbyshire, England since its beginnings in July 1979. The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the Covid-19 crisis. The 2024 Buxton International Festival will run 4-21 July.
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, operated by Blackpool Entertainment Company Limited on behalf of Blackpool Council, which purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010.
The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London and closed in 1968. The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and opened in 1981. It starts at the Topley Pike junction in Wye Dale, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Buxton, and runs to Coombs Viaduct, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of Bakewell. It follows the valley of the River Wye. The trail passes through Blackwell Mill, Chee Dale, Millers Dale, Cressbrook, Monsal Dale, Great Longstone, Hassop and Bakewell. The trail has numerous landmarks including Headstone Viaduct, Cressbrook Mill, Litton Mill and Hassop railway station, and passes through six tunnels.
Fairfield is a district of Buxton in the High Peak of Derbyshire. The historic medieval village of Fairfield was centred around a village green.
Edward Milner was an English landscape architect.
Formerly called the People's Park, Wolverhampton's West Park was opened on 6 June 1881.
Thompson Park is a formal Edwardian park in Burnley, Lancashire. It was opened to the public in 1930.
The Dane Valley Way is a long-distance footpath through Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It runs from the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton to the end of the River Dane, where it enters the River Weaver in Northwich.
The Square is a Grade-II*-listed building in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It lies in the town's central Conservation Area immediately between The Crescent, the Old Hall Hotel, the Pavilion Gardens and the Buxton Opera House.
The Wye Valley is the limestone valley of the River Wye in the White Peak of Derbyshire, England. The source of the River Wye is west of Buxton on Axe Edge Moor. One main channel runs underground through Poole's Cavern. The river flows though Buxton Pavilion Gardens and then along a culvert under the town centre. After leaving the flat area of central Buxton, the Wye Valley becomes distinct as a gorge running east for 10 miles (16 km) before the valley broadens at Ashford-in-the Water.
Corbar Hill is a sandstone hill at the south end of Combs Moss, overlooking Buxton in Derbyshire, in the Peak District. The summit is 437 metres (1,434 ft) above sea level.
The Pavilion Arts Centre was opened in 1889 as the new Entertainment Stage theatre on St John's Road in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is part of the Pavilion Gardens complex of buildings in the town's central Conservation Area. It has a main 360-seat theatre, and since 2017 it has been the home of Buxton Cinema.
Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. The town contains 93 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, seven are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. That the town was a source of natural water springs has been known at least since Roman times, and during the medieval period, St Ann's Well was a shrine and a place of pilgrimage. Buxton developed into a spa town during the 18th and 19th centuries, largely under the influence of the Dukes of Devonshire. The water was considered to have curative powers, and this led to the building of bath houses and later a hospital. Later, leisure facilities grew, and were served by the Pavilion Gardens, and the building of a conservatory, a theatre, a concert hall, and an opera house.