Mary Queen of Scots returns to Buxton after 450 years

Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner in Buxton 450 years ago and to mark the anniversary there will be a historical re-enactment, a portrait competition and a boules game in the town.

Discover Buxton is working with Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust to put on the event as part of the heritage Open Days Festival.

Netta Christie, director of Discover Buxton said: “Our Tudor heritage experience was one of the first we developed here at Discover Buxton Tours.”

Mary Queen of Scots will arrive at the Old Hall Hotel, 450 years after her first visit to the building which was to become her genteel prison during at least five visits between 1573 and 1584.

The free event will see acclaimed Mary Queen of Scots re-enactor Jane Collier in the role of the doomed monarch who came to take the spa waters while under guard because of the threat she posed to her cousin Queen Elizabeth I.

Mary will arrive by carriage via Water Street to the sound of bagpipes and greet those awaiting her arrival before entering the hotel.

The Heritage Open Days Festival is designed to create experiences which allow the public to see and understand historic buildings not normally open to the public, and all events are free.

Mary arrived with her captor, George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, to stay at the Talbot Tower, which still exists within the Old Hall complex.

The visit changed Buxton forever, says Netta, laying the foundations for its future as a tourist destination.

She said: “The coming of George Talbot and Mary to Buxton in 1570s-1580s galvanised the post-Roman beginnings of Buxton as a noted spa town.”

Other activities during the day include a Mary Queen of Scots heritage experience, an Elizabethan portrait challenge artwork display, a community tournament featuring Queen Mary’s childhood game of boules and, on September 11, a dramatic reading of letters and other writings pertaining to her visits to Buxton.

Some events require booking as spaces are limited. Entries for the portrait competition have to be submitted by September 8. For more details on this and all other events, go to the Discover Buxton website at discoverbuxton.co.uk

The event is just one of many in Buxton for Heritage Open Days. For the full list, see www.visitbuxton.co.uk/heritage-open-days-2023/