Friends of Buxton Station to the rescue as Buxton Crescent Model comes full circle!

A museum-quality scale model of The Buxton Crescent has made a return to Buxton after being damaged by a drunken vandal.  Measuring in at an impressive 1.5m by 1.0m, the 1:150 scale model was offered to Piccadilly by the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust (BCHT) , working in partnership with the Friends of Buxton Station (FoBS) .

The model was originally commissioned by the Trevor Osborne Property Group and CP Holdings Ltd, developers for the project to renovate The Crescent into the spa and hotel complex, with shops and a visitor centre.

The developers donated it to us at the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust, who in partnership with the Friends of Buxton Station, offered it to Piccadilly Station to highlight the rich heritage of Buxton. 

Up until recently, it sat on the main concourse of Manchester’s Piccadilly Station (the UK’s third busiest station), advertising the town’s best assets to 50,000 or more daily rail users.  After FoBS arranged the necessary repairs, station management were not content with placing it back in the public area, fearing repeat damage.

Dave Carlisle, FoBS Chairman explained: “We need to find a permanent home for this great model and want it to go to one of our twin towns with help from the Civic Twinning Committees.  Bad Nauheim in Germany is the most obvious choice as it is a spa town.  We are currently exploring ways to get the model overseas in this climate of covid-19 restrictions.”

Until it can be sent abroad, the model will be on display in the Buxton Visitor Centre, in the Pump Room, directly opposite the ‘full size’ version.  It will give visitors to (and locals of) Buxton the opportunity to study the Grade-I listed architecture of the internationally-important building in miniature.

Stephen Owen, the Interim Chief Executive of the Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust said: “I was sad to see the damage, but delighted to be able to offer the model a temporary home whilst other ideas are explored.  As soon as it arrived, it stimulated interest from our staff and visitors.”

Dave added: “We love our home town of Buxton and have come up with lots of different ways to help promote it to others, particularly to rail users.  Ideally, the model would be displayed at Bad Nauheim Railway Station where it will stimulate our twinning spa friends to visit us when they are able.”  

FoBS is a multi-award winning voluntary community group – they have attracted much praise from within the Community Rail movement for their innovative approach and have been recognised with National Community Rail Awards in 2016, 2018 and 2020.  They have been shortlisted for five more Awards in 2021.

Their volunteering is focused upon Buxton Station and its immediate environment, but also encompasses wider community work, such as promoting Buxton as a visitor destination and supporting its local small independent traders by similarly enhancing their profile to visitors.

You can follow the activities of the Friends of Buxton Station via their Facebook group www.facebook.com/friendsofbuxtonstation

To get in touch with them, or to find out about joining, email them on fobs.buxton@gmail.com