In Buxton, on the start of a history trail

The Market Place Buxton in 1900

Now there is no easy way to get to Buxton from Manchester.

Of course you can take the train and get some pretty spectacular views starting with the viaduct that runs into Stockport station and then on the line out beyond Disley.

On the other hand if you decide to go by road it is the A6 which for great stretches from Stockport out to Hazel Grove is an unending line of ribbon development of shops, more shops, the occasional pub or hotel and more shops.

Try doing it on Friday evening in the rush hour is to experience a long crawl with nothing much to look at and little hope that the traffic flow will pick up much before Disley.

But Buxton is the reward.

There you can wander the town taking in the Opera House, the Crescent and St Ann’s Well, the Pump Room, Palace Hotel, Pavilion Gardens, and the Railway Station.

I have to say that even in summer the place is a tad cold for me but the attractions of the late 18th and 19th century buildings always make up for that.

The King's Head, © 2014 Peter Topping

So I am minded to explore Buxton for the blog, not of course for any recognition from the tourist board or local traders but because the place has history, and according to Peter 29 pubs which I think he is planning to paint.

This I suspect is a direct result of a weekend he spent there with Linda and a night in the King’s Head in the Market Place.

I think this will be a pub to research but for the time being I shall leave you with Peter’s painting and the OS map of Derbyshire for 1900 showing the place next to the Town Hall and close to the Urinal with the Gardens, Pavilion and Crescent just a short walk away.

All of which are still there with the exception of the urinal which long ago will have been the victim of some council budget cuts or a rationalization of public conveniences’.

Well that and more stories of Buxton to come at a later date.

Map; Market Place, and the Gardens from the OS map of Derbyshire,1900, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/

Painting; The King’s Head Buxton, © 2014 Peter Topping, 
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