Historic Churches in Buxton

A detail of the roofline at the church of St. Mary the Virgin

Although the spas in Buxton were popular in the Elizabethan period and frequented by Mary, Queen of Scots, when under the charge of the 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and Bess of Hardwick, there are no mediaeval buildings in the town but, during my investigation of its Georgian and Victorian architecture, I encountered a few churches that are worth seeing.

A general view of St. Anne's church

St. Anne's church, set in the part of the town around the market square is considered to be the oldest building in Buxton, with the church – dated to 1625 – incorporating an earlier building. On the exterior, its walls are rough cast rendered and apart from the flagstone roof, window jambs and gritstone blocks to the doorway, there is little masonry to be seen, with only the gable bellcote forming any kind of elaboration.

General views of the interior of St. Anne's church

I had expected it to be closed but, when I arrived, I discovered that it is one of the places on a formal heritage tour of Buxton and, although it is the structural timbers and the various furniture and fittings – including Stations of the Cross, wall monuments and decoration in the William Morris style - which are of principal interest, it also has a Saxon font of unknown origin.

The Saxon font at St. Anne's church

Located on the periphery of the old town centre, it is the church of St. Mary the Virgin that I most wanted to see. Although locked as expected, it is the rooflines in the style of the  Arts and Crafts Movement that makes it worth the effort to get their. Built in 1915 to the design of P. Currey and C. C. Thompson – the former being the son of Henry Currey, the designer of the Royal Devonshire Hospital and the Palace Hotel – the eyebrow dormer windows are exceptional. 

Eyebrow dormer windows at the church of St. Mary the Virgin

Although English Heritage have described the roof as being constructed of Westmorland slate, to my eye they lack its distinctive green colour and, when looking at a distance, the colours of the stone slates blend with those of the walls, which comprise Millstone Grit built in a roughly coursed and squared rubble style, and it is probable that they were quarried from flaggy beds that are found in this rock formation.

A general view of the church of St. Mary the Virgin

The church of St. John the Baptist was not on my list of historic buildings to visit on my day out to Buxton but, as an example of Georgian church architecture, dated 1802-1811, its plain Tuscan style is noteworthy and contrasts in design to the churches already seen.; however, with it being locked, I wasn't able to explore its interior and with other places still to visit, I stopped only to take a few photographs.

A general view of the church of St. John the Baptist