Press Release to Buxton Advetiser

Over 40 members and guests of BCA attended the talk on Old Fairfield

Members of Buxton Civic Association were treated to a fascinating talk on “Old Fairfield” by Chris Simpson, at Poole’s Cavern visitor centre. It is largely forgotten that Fairfield was originally a town in its own right, with a town council and a town hall that can still be seen on Waterswallows Road. The 1831 Census returns recorded a population of 482 which was equal in size to Buxton.

The talk was illustrated with some wonderful original photographs and postcards. Particularly poignant were the pictures of the territorials on exercise on Hindlow in 1910. During the 1914-18 Great War, as well as being a centre for training which included trench building, Canadian troops were stationed at Buxton and underwent training and military exercises in the area. The 1914 -18 war was in part responsible for the decline in the hotel trade, and the major employer for the town became the quarries.
Chris went onto talk about two iconic houses, Pictor Hall which still stands, and the seat of Samuel Swan Brittain, Orient Lodge. Orient lodge has now been demolished but in its day was probably the largest house in the immediate locality. Samuel Brittain whose fortune was made in quarries, lost it all when his investment in a large consignment of tea was sunk in a shipping accident in the 1850’s. The house fell into decline and eventually was taken over by the Binghams before being demolished.

Fairfield was also famous for the quality of its horse breeding, being particularly well known for the quality of its hunters. There was a race course on the common with a Grandstand and an annual programme of horse racing which it was hoped would rival Cheltenham. The races were attended by people from as far afield as Ireland. A painting by Harry Kingsley entitled Fairfield Race course Derbyshire 1825 showing the course and the Grandstand can be seen in the Buxton Museum. It was decided to put an end to the racing after a mass riot and fight broke out in 1830. The race course was abandoned and the grandstand pulled down, and the wooden beams reused to form part of the Methodist Church on the market.

It may seen along way off but by the time Christmas and the New Year is over Civic Day will only be 5 months away.

Civic Day is a national celebration of civic pride. Its a chance for communities across the country to express their pride in the place in which they live. The first civic day was organised in 2011 by Civic Voice, it will be held again in 2015 and, it has the potential to become one of England’s most popular voluntary cultural events. The event is a unique opportunity to stimulate new interest and generate a renewed sense of civic pride for communities across the country.

Although the coordinating work is done by Civic Voice, what really makes this event happen is the fantastic effort of thousands of volunteers. Its the guided tours , the exhibitions, street parties and the competitions that help the visitors understand the area they live in just a little bit more.

BCA is planning to hold an event or a series of events to mark the day. If anyone has any suggestions drop us an email at communications@buxtoncivicassociation.org.uk.

Alyson Philips did a fantastic job in organising a member’s social evening at such short notice after the Chapel en le Frith Civic Society had to cancel our trip to them, last Thursday. As well as the chance to enjoy Alyson’s baking, Members were given a sneak preview of the panoramic photographs from Solomon’s temple that Lyn Noble has been preparing. It is hoped that these will go on sale at the visitor's centre in the near future. There were some interesting discussions about the future of the market amongst other things. A big thank you to all those members who supported the event. We are looking forward to the next one already.

Below is the text of a press release received today from Nestles public affairs consultants concerning the appointment of a new developer for its former bottling plant site in Station Road, Buxton.

Once the developers have their proposals ready, a special meeting will be arranged with the developers and members of the Buxton Civic Association.

PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, 26 August 2014


NEW DEVELOPER APPOINTED FOR NESTLE WATERS’ BUXTON SITE

Nestle Waters has selected a new partner, Cheshire-based developer Consolidated Property Group (CPG), to develop its former bottling site in Station Road, Buxton.
Based in Alderley Edge, CPG has gone back to the drawing board with the site and held extensive discussions with adjoining landowners Network Rail, DB Schenker and Peak Rail, as well as pre-application discussions with High Peak Borough Council. CPG is proposing a mixed-use scheme including restaurants, small shops and an 80 bed budget hotel alongside a single storey foodstore - smaller than that previously proposed. The new plans will also include improved car parking and access for rail users and better pedestrian integration with the adjoining rail station and the town centre.
CPG’s spokesperson, Dan Bramwell, said: “We are proposing a high quality mixed-use scheme that will integrate with Buxton’s core retail area and complement the town’s existing architecture. The site offers a good opportunity to create better linkage across the area, especially with the rail station, whilst also introducing a range of complementary non-retail uses in the town centre. The scheme will create approximately 345 jobs and a further 50 during construction in a capital investment in Buxton of over £35 million.”
“There is no named operator for the foodstore but one of the key design principles is that we have reduced the size of the foodstore from any previous proposals and have included some smaller shop and restaurant units. There is a need to ensure that any scheme is not only realistically deliverable but is also financially viable and a foodstore is a key ingredient for the latter.”
 

A formal consultation programme will begin in the near future with a public consultation display in September, the details of which will be announced early next month. It is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted by the end of September.
ENDS

The Buxton Civic Association will hold its AGM on 23rd June at 7.30 pm at the Poole’s Cavern Visitor Centre.

In addition to the formal business, Dai Larner, Executive Director of High Peak Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council will speak to members of the Civic Association on "The process of producing the local plan."

Full details of the AGM will be sent to members in due course.

Some photographs from the afternoon.

The rain held off just long enough to enable thirty members Buxton Civic Association to undertake a guided talk and walk in Grin woods to learn how to recognise the different trees that grow there.
Under the very able guidance of Angela Wills and Mike Monaghan, the afternoon started off with a talk about the history of the woods explaining that they were planted in the late eighteenth century to hide the scars from the limestone extraction and lime burning that had gone on on Grinlow for many years.
Initially planted with Beech, there were now some 21 species of trees that could be found in the woods, and Mike and Angela provided examples of the leaves, bark and fruit of many of them to help with their identification.
During a break in the weather Angela and Mike then led a guided walk through the woods and members were able to see how many of the trees they could identify.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative afternoon and everyone is looking forward to the next guided walk on 20th July which will be about the wild flowers of the glades in Grin woods.

Setting up the BCA stand at the 2014 Buxton Spring Fair

Sunshine and plenty of people made for a busy and successful Spring Fair. The BCA stand was situated as last year at the top of the Slopes, and like last year saw a steady stream of people coming along to find out more about what we do, enter the guess the bird competition and to look at the rocks and fossils that we had brought along.

The rocks and fossils proved a big success especially with the youngsters.

The draw for the guess the bird competition will be made on Friday 9th May and the first correct entry drawn will win a years family membership to the Civic Association. The winner will be notified by e-mail.

We joined BCA because we loved to be involved in our local community. We like walking and discovering what's new in our town and woodlands. We love the dramatic change of season and use the surrounding area as our inspiration for creative projects.

We would like to see live events and workshops in the woodlands over the next few years, with music, food and celebration being the theme. Interested to know how you would use the woodlands and Cafe @ The cavern for your next event?