Some people call it the Bath-of-the-North. Tucked on the edge of the Peak District, Buxton is a historic spa town famous for its beautiful Georgian buildings. Domes, columns, crescents and arcades - its architecture alone is enough to draw thousands of tourists every year. But it was its geothermal spring that first attracted the Romans to Buxton, who settled here to make the most of the water's healing properties. And during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Buxton became one of the most popular spa resorts in the country: even Erasmus Darwin gave the town his recommendation!
This design shows one of the many architectural wonders of Buxton, the Crescent - shown here on a summer's day, its gritstone façade awash with warm sunlight. Built in the 1780s, the Crescent was designed by John Carr of York, the leading northern architect of his time. This was the social centre of 18th century Buxton - anyone who was anyone could be found here in the Assembly Rooms or strutting up and down the arcade. They say that the Crescent was Carr's favourite among his own works, and it's not difficult to see why. It may have been modelled on the Royal Crescent at Bath, but the Royal Institution of Architects called the Buxton Crescent 'more richly decorated and altogether more complex.' If it's good enough for them, well, it's good enough for a tea towel!
