| Summary : The Crescent was built for the 5th Duke of Devonshire to designs by John Carr between 1780 and 1789 as the centrepiece of the Duke's efforts to enhance the attractions of Buxton as a spa town. As originally built the Crescent combined, under a single roof, two hotels (one incorporating the Assembly Rooms) and six lodging houses, and consisted for the most part of three-storeys, basement and attics. The building faces south-east and consists of a semi-circle on plan, with flanking rectangular wings of different sizes. It has facings of ashlar on the principal elevations and squared coursed rubble to the rear, and has a roof which is hipped at the wings and laid with Westmorland slate. The principal evlevations have a rusticated groud floor which is for the most part arcaded and incorporates a covered piazza, while the upper storeys on the same elevations are articulated by giant Doric pilasters. The east and west windgs formed the Great Hotel (incorporating the Assembly Rooms) and St Ann's Hotel respectively. Between these there were six lodging houses, formerly with shops occupying the ground-floor front rooms. Between 1804 and 1806 a third hotel, the Centre Hotel, was established in the fourth lodging house from the west and two adjacent houses. It closed c1830, much of the accommodation being distributed among the other hotels. The Great Hotel was converted into three boarding houses in the 1840s, reopening as the Crescent Hotel before 1878. In 1935 it became the Buxton Clinic, specializing in the treatment of rheumatic conditions. In the 1940s it became a geriatric annexe of the Devonshire Royal Hospital, closing in 1966. Following extensive restoration in 1970-73, it was reopened as a public library and council offices, but closed c1990. St Ann's Hotel remained in use throughout,closing in the late 1980s by which time it constituted a little over half of the Crescent. In the 1990 the Crescent underwent extensive restoration. |