Monday, August 01, 2016

Monday Miscellany

I just thought I'd show you the wonderful stained glass in the entrance to Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
  
Made during the Art Nouveau period by George Wragge and Co of Salford, Manchester they are in the entrance to what used to be a hotel when Buxton was in its heyday as a spa town.  The hotel, built in 1880, was known as the Peak Hydropathic hotel.  The building didn't last too long as a hotel.

It was used by the Red Cross during WW1 to care for wounded Canadian Soldiers.  The Buxton Free Library and Museum, which had been founded in 1893 and housed in the town hall,  moved into the building in 1928. 


I thought the designs were lovely and how wonderful it was they had been preserved. The museum assistant told me there was more stained glass upstairs which had been preserved behind wooden panels.  I wonder if it will ever see the light of day again?

24 comments:

  1. Beautiful glass-work. I am a fan of Art Noveau and appreciate the neatness and order of the stylised curves. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be the person with the job of removing the wooden panels to reveal what lay behind? x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would indeed, I'd like to be a 'fly on the wall' that day:)

      Delete
  2. Love stained glass. Those are beautiful examples. B x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I expect they are a universal design but so very pretty:)

      Delete
  3. Such beautiful windows, I love stained glass and that was stunning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it is the colours used and the way they catch the light from outside, they did catch the eye:)

      Delete
  4. Love the Arts and Crafts style of it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How beautiful, I'd love to see the hidden panels. Buxton itself is a great town isn't it. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We like Buxton, it always seems just a litle colder and damper there but so many lovely things to see and do there and so close to wonderful countryside:)

      Delete
  6. I spent a rainy early-fall afternoon in Buxton and wished I could have stayed longer. I remember visiting a rather large building in the city centre. It used to be some sort of bath, I think, and was serving as a bit of a botanical garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must have been in what is known as Pavillion Gardens, there is a hot house there full of lovely plants, cafe, art gallery shop and it backs onto the opera house and stands in the park. It is a lovely town:)

      Delete
  7. I've been visiting this museum since I was a child and recognised the place from the little image on the blogger homepage, before I'd even clicked on this post, but I've never even considered the details of it, it's always just there! I'd like to see some of the hidden panels now and it was interesting to learn a couple of things about the building.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think when we visit museums we look at the objects in cases and things on the walls and forget about the buiding that houses them. It is a lovely building in its own right isn't it? I bet you have happy childhood memories of visiting it. It seems in a bit a muddle upstairs at the moment until they have finished the new gallery, I think they said it would be spring next year. I wonder if any of the panels will be removed for the new exhibition?:)

      Delete
  8. Beautiful stained glass and such lovely designs. Would so love to see what is behind the hidden panels - do hope they are revealed one day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope so too, I expect if they were done by the same company they will be similar designs but it would be great to see them:)

      Delete
  9. The stained glass is lovely and the Museum is interesting too. My three Brigantes friends and I paid it a visit last year and enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a lovely museum. I'm looking forward to the new gallery that is under construction where the story of the Peak used to be. The bear that was in there looks very odd sitting in the art gallery area:)

      Delete
  10. The stained glass windows are lovely - I hope we all get to see what is behind the wooden panels, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are refurbishing a gallery upstairs so maybe some of the glass may be exposed for it perhaps?:)

      Delete
  11. It looks wonderful. Somehow I never quite make it as far as Buxton. Must try harder!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Buxton is an interesting place with lots of fascinating old buildings and the caverns too perhaps you may get there one day or pass through on the way to somewhere else:)

      Delete
  12. Wonderful. Have visited Buxton several times and have great memories - but in pre-digital, pre-blogging, days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a fascinating place and I always enjoy visiting:)

      Delete