Devonshire Royal Hospital

Details

BUXTON

SK0573NE DEVONSHIRE ROAD 616-1/3/32 (South West side) 21/12/70 Devonshire Royal Hospital

II*

Stables to the Crescent, now hospital. 1785-90, by John Carr, for the 5th Duke of Devonshire, converted 1859, by Henry Currey, domes and clock tower added 1880-81 by Robert Ripon Duke, C20 alterations and additions. Ashlar gritstone with ashlar dressings, slate roof and copper domes. PLAN: Square with canted corners and circular courtyard. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys with 11 windows to each front and 3 windows to each corner front. Plinth, ground floor impost band, dentilated eaves cornice. East, entrance front, has slightly projecting 3 window centre with broad pediment. Central round headed doorway with double doors and fanlight, flanked by single round headed windows, with above three 9-pane square windows, flanking 4 window wings have round headed glazing bar window set in plain outer arches, with four 9-pane windows above. Chamfered corners each have large central round headed windows flanked by small windows all in plain round headed arches. All fronts identical, except for south front which has projecting 3 bay centre with single bay returns. Pedimented front has a former entrance in raised moulded surround with inscription to frieze recording the munificent charity of Wm Spencer, 6th Duke of Devonshire in allowing the building to be converted in 1858. The urn surmounting the pediment is believed to be by Tom Wentworth of Doncaster and originally crowned the Well House (demolished) of 1782 by J Carr. East front topped by square clock tower with 2 round headed louvred bell openings to each face of first stage flanked by pairs of Tuscan Doric pilasters. Above clock to each face flanked by pilasters topped by pediments. Above a square ribbed lead dome with iron weather vane. Over each chamfered corner a square wooden lantern with 3 blank panels to each face, the central one topped by a pediment, and above an octagonal copper dome with finial. Central slated dome has circular lantern topped with small copper cupola. North front largely obscured by later alterations and additions. INTERIOR: central circular hall 180 feet in diameter with a fine Tuscan Doric colonnade of 48 columns, each 28 feet high, supporting an entablature with frieze bearing the inscription: ONE HALF OF THIS BUILDING WAS GIVEN TO THE USE OF THE POOR BY WILLIAM SPENCER CAVENDISH SIXTH DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE IN THE YEAR 1859 AND CONVEYED TO TRUSTEES AS THE DEVONSHIRE HOSPITAL TOGETHER WITH THE PLEASURE GROUNDS BY WILLIAM CAVENDISH 7TH DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE IN THE YEAR 1868. THE REMAINDER OF THE BUILDING WAS OBTAINED IN THE YEAR 1878 AND THE WHOLE WAS INTERNALLY RECONSTRUCTED BY THE GOVERNORS OF THE COTTON DISTRICTS CONVALESCENT FUND IN THE YEAR 1881. This colonnade was originally designed as an indoor all-weather ride. Hospital wards and rooms radiate off. Open central area with some ornate ironwork railing: the ribbed dome above was at one time the largest unsupported dome in the world with a span of 154 ft. The original stables cost »16,470.3.10, and were built to accommodate 120 horses. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Derbyshire: Harmondsworth: 1953-1986: 114; Hall I: Georgian Buxton: Chapel-en le Frith: 1984-: 26).

Listing NGR: SK0565173672

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

462983

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Derbyshire, (1953), 114
Hall, I, Georgian Buxton, (1984), 26

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.