Solomon's Temple, Buxton
| Solomon's Temple | |
|
Derbyshire | |
|---|---|
 Solomon's Temple from the south | |
| Type: | Folly |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK05407174 |
| Location: | 53°14’34"N, 1°55’14"W |
| History | |
| Built 1896 | |
| By: | W. R. Bryden G. E. Garlick |
| Folly | |
| Information | |
Solomon's Temple, also known as Grinlow Tower, is a Victorian folly on the summit of Grin Low hill, near the spa town of Buxton in the Derbyshire Peak District. It is today a Grade II listed building.[1]
The project to build the tower was a civic one. On 23 February 1894, a meeting at Buxton Town Hall decided to rebuild a landmark tower that had been built by Solomon Mycock, of the Cheshire Cheese Hotel, in the early 19th century, and of which only a few stones remained. The Local Board vice-chairman had talked with the Seventh Duke of Devonshire's agent and decided that the reconstruction was feasible if the townspeople would donate sufficient money. Sketches were submitted by architects W. R. Bryden and G. E. Garlick. By that May, the plans were confirmed by the Duke of Devonshire, and it was well known that the site was of prehistoric importance. In June 1894, the Duke of Devonshire subscribed £25 towards building the folly. Buxton had already subscribed £50. The foundation stone was laid by Colonel Sidebottom, M.P., on 31 May 1896, witnessed by a large crowd, and the tower was opened by Victor Cavendish (the future 9th Duke) in September 1896.[2] The tower was restored in 1988 by public subscription.[3][4]
The structure is twenty feet high, a two-storey tower built on top of a Bronze Age barrow, sitting on top of a ridge at a height of 1,440 feet above sea level.[5] From the open top of the tower there are good 360-degree views over the town and the surrounding countryside and parts of the Peak District.[4] The tower does not contain anything other than the staircase to the top.[1]
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Solomon's Temple, Buxton) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Heritage List 1259254: Grinlow Tower (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Langham, Mike (2001). Buxton: A Peoples’ History. Lancaster: Carnegie Publishing Ltd. p. 187. ISBN 1859360866.
- ↑ "Woodland Walks". Pooles Cavern. https://poolescavern.co.uk/woodland-walks/. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Solomon's Temple", Atlas Obscura
- ↑ "Solomon's Temple". Buxton online. Archived from the original on 24 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080224053918/http://www.buxtononline.net/Buxton-Online98/Buxton-Online-Derbyshire-Peak-District-Community98/solomon.htm. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
