A little bit of history
This ancient hotel has many tales to tell
This is indeed, a very special place
with its own special feeling.
Daniel Defoe writing in 1727
Over the years, many of the Old Hall’s interesting and famous guests have said similar things about ‘the special feeling’ that the hotel gives them. This is not all that surprising, as when uncovering the hotel’s long and rich history, an eminent archivist and historian concluded that the Old Hall Hotel in Buxton, could possibly be the oldest hotel in England.
We thought it would add a little interest to your stay, to learn more about the Hotel, and what has happened on this very site for the last three thousand years, or, even more! The present building dates back to 1573. The New Hall as it was once known was built by the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury; the Countess being the redoubtable ‘Bess of Hardwick’ who built Hardwick Hall and Chatsworth.
The children from her first marriage to Sir William Cavendish created the line of the Dukes of Devonshire whose generations have lived at Chatsworth House until the present day. It was with Bess’s third husband, George Talbot, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury that they built the New Hall in Buxton, on the foundations of an earlier Inn or hostelry known as the Auld Hall.
The New Hall was built with the sanction of Queen Elizabeth 1st, to provide accommodation for Mary Queen of Scots who was under house arrest in the keeper-ship of the Shrewsbury’s.
To make a booking, or for more information, please contact reception on 01298 22841
