God-like welcome guaranteed at Buxton Station

The Friends of Buxton Station (FoBS) worked with the Buxton Roman Society (BRS) and Suzanne to create a stone-carved image of the goddess to greet folk as they arrive on Platform 2.

There were some difficulties to overcome, especially how to sit the sculpture safely on the wall, but once the details had been worked out, train operator, Northern were happy to give permission for the artwork to be installed.

Suzanne proudly unveiled the carving at a special ceremony attended by members of FoBS and BRS, adding: “As an artist working out of the Green Man Gallery, I’ve always support community arts.

"It has been a great pleasure to work on this public artwork – it was my first stone carving and, due to wrist problems, will be my last, so it is very special to me.”

Suzanne donated the artwork to the two community groups.

Brian Shepherd, Chairman of BRS said: “This is the only representation of Arnemetia in Buxton, so we are proud to have helped to make it happen.

Dave Carlisle, Chairman of FoBS added: “Suzanne has brilliantly mixed elements of stone and water in the carving, very Buxton! It is great to provide this welcome, let’s hope it is the start of town-wide celebrations of Arnemetia.”

The market town of Buxton is rare because of its Roman connections, usually associated with larger English larger urban places like York and Bath. Rarer still that those occupying the town worshipped “The Goddess of the Grove,” Arnemetia, a deity based upon Celtic reverence of the town’s apparently sacred healing waters, which still flow to this day and which are freely available at the St Ann’s Well on The Crescent.

Georgians and Victorians flocked to Buxton to “take the healing waters,” creating the spa resort widely known today. Business-minded industrialists helped them reach the relatively isolated location by running trains from Manchester and Derby. The trains and spa development were forever linked.

For Buxton to have its own Goddess, earning the title “Aquae Arnemetia,” a veneration only otherwise associated with Bath, Aquae Sulis, shows how important the curative waters were.

There are no known images or descriptions of Arnemetia and very little is recorded about her appearance, so Suzanne Pearson produced her own interpretation in carved stone.

As so few people know about Arnemetia, it was decided to place an interpretation panel alongside, to explain why her welcome was so rare and thereby, so special.