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Old Hall Flat - Buxton

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Romantic attic bolthole

Anyone after romance and history, mixed with some of the most beautiful countryside in England, couldn’t hope for somewhere better than this cute self-catering apartment in the heart of beautiful Buxton. Sitting on top of the famous Old Hall Hotel – thought to be the oldest hotel in England – it is romantic attic living at its best.

The apartment is part of a building that has more history crammed into its smallest wardrobe than most hotels write about in their brochures. Built in 1573 at the request of Elizabeth I, the New Hall, as it was known then, was required to keep Mary Queen of Scots under house arrest. The Hall’s most famous inhabitant quickly made it the trendy place to be, with countless dignitaries turning up to eat huge banquets with Mary and dance the night away. Of course, Mary was pretty much always destined for the chop, but scratched a farewell poem to Buxton with her ring on one of the Hall’s bedroom windows before died.

Since then, the Elizabethan part of the building has been hidden behind a Georgian façade, as the well-to-do flocked to Buxton to wallow in its famous spa waters and Old Hall Hotel became the most fashionable place to stay in town.

Of course, with all this history, the rumours of ghosts at Old Hall are plentiful, but don’t let that put you off staying here. Old Hall Flat is as welcoming as they come, with two bedrooms, a sitting room and a small kitchen, all accessed from a steep, winding staircase from the first floor of the hotel. The décor is simple, yet cosy, and the views from the attic windows of the famous Buxton Opera House across the square are great. You could almost be in Paris.

Where is it?

The spa town of Buxton was one of the great British destinations in its day. The Georgian aristocracy would swarm to this corner of the Peak District, which was first enjoyed by the Romans, who built three bath houses here and named the town “Aquae Arnemetiae” which translates as “The Waters of the Goddess of the Spring”. Today, it’s a bustling cosmopolitan hub amidst the beauty of the Peak District, but Buxton’s beautiful Georgian architecture remains and thriving art scene and it makes for a great place to spend a weekend.

Possibly Buxton’s most famous building is its huge Opera House (www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk Tel: 0845 127 2190), situated right opposite Old Hall Hotel. As one of Britain’s leading provincial theatre, the gorgeous auditorium offers around 450 performances a year – opera, theatre, comedy, music and dance are all part of the yearly schedules. The Opera House also has a healthy and well-regarded fringe culture, with smaller performances taking place in venues all over the town. One of the best is The Pauper’s Pit Theatre, a dark, intimate space in the basement of Old Hall Hotel. Theatre lovers will adore Buxton, not least during the month of August, when the town becomes home to a huge, international Gilbert & Sullivan festival. Log on to the Festival site (www.gs-festival.co.uk) for details of this year’s event. Alternatively Buxton’s famous Opera Festival takes place in July (www.buxtonfestival.co.uk), but book ahead as music lovers would kill their pet hamsters for a ticket.

The town’s spa heritage has not been lost, not least because you can still drink Buxton’s famous spring water at St Anne’s Well at the foot of The Crescent. If you fancy some spa pampering 21st century style, the Buxton campus of the University of Derby, has opened its own luxury spa as a training facility for its spa management students. The stylish Devonshire Spa (www.devonshire-spa.co.uk Tel: 01332 594408) offers a wide range of treatments at a great price, and you’ll be helping keep Buxton’s tradition of spa excellence alive in the process.

If the man-made sweeping shopping arcades, Royal Crescent, Pavilion Gardens and breathtaking Devonshire Dome (bigger than St Paul’s, dontcha know?) still fail to inspire, there are plenty of natural alternatives to marvel at. The two-million-years-old Poole’s Cavern in Buxton Country Park (www.poolescavern.co.uk Tel: 01298 26978) is one of the geological highlights in the Peak District, with miles of underground caves, trails and pools to discover. And, of course, there is the breathtaking expanse that is the Peak District to explore. Just a few minutes’ drive from Buxton and you’ll be right in the thick of it – great walks, fantastic pubs and some amazing scenery. For the best things to see and places to eat in the area, read The Weekenders Guide to the Peak District.

Where can I eat?

For all its sophisticated splendour and opera excitement, Buxton is not the fine dining mecca you might expect. Small, cosy restaurants are definitely the order of the day if you want to eat in town. Solomon’s Bistro (www.solomonsbistro.co.uk Tel: 01298 72555) is a stylish bistro with a fresh and vibrant menu. British dishes made with local and seasonal ingredients are given a modern touch, and vegetarians get a pleasing look-in too. Otherwise, for an intimate meal in more a traditional setting, you could try The Columbine (Tel: 01298 78752), a popular little bistro two minutes’ walk from the Opera House. Skillfully-cooked Brit favourites, great puddings and a good value wine list make for a laid-back and relaxed night out.

Of course, if you’re keen to utilize the ‘catering’ part of self-catering, you might want to rustle up something in your little attic kitchen. Eschew Buxton for beautiful Bakewell, a twenty minute drive away, where you can find a whole range of deli’s, cheese shops and other foodie favourites. One of the best is Appleby & Nuthall (Tel: 01629 812699), an old-fashioned, Aladdin’s Cave of a deli. Bakewell also hosts an enormous farmers’ market on the last Saturday of every month.

For more places to eat in the Peak District, read The Weekenders Guide to the Peak District.

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Sitting on top of Buxton's famous Old Hall Hotel – thought to be the oldest hotel in England – this is romantic attic living at its best. And right in the heart of the Peak District.