Hundreds have celebrated Buxton’s high street, thanks to the town’s creative organisations

Hundreds of people have taken part in free events put on by the Buxton Our Street Cultural Consortium.

The group was set up with the aim of making the High Street a more enjoyable place to be and has bought live performance, music, art, dance, puppetry, and general creativity to Spring Gardens. If you missed out on any of the fun, the group says there’s plenty more to come!

Highlights this year have included The Curing Chemists (aka Babbling Vagabonds Theatre Company) who held workshops in the cellars of the Buxton Crescent and introduced their ‘remedies’ of yesteryear. Unsuspecting members of the public were treated to potions for ailments including moustache shyness and stoat infestations! In February writing groups and school groups got involved in The Word on the Street, a programme run by local storyteller Creeping Toad (aka Gordon MacLellan). Old photographs were used as prompts to think about the space on the Hight street and poems and short stories were created.

The Lost Cats of Buxton took place in partnership with Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, inspired by the scimitar-toothed cats, cave lions and lynx that once roamed the hills of Buxton. Local schools, residents and artists did drawings, made puppets and masks and took part in a procession along the main shopping street in the town.

During Spring Fair, the Wye Dragon, an enormous puppet, made its way down the High Street with thanks to Two Left Hands and their samba band. Also in Spring, young musicians from Peak District Senior String and Wind Bands received mentoring from the Northern Chamber Orchestra and then delighted shoppers to live performances in a project by Buxton International Festival and Orchestras Live.

During the summer festival season, the Old Haunts walking tour app was launched as part of the Fringe Festival. The app is still available for free, download it via the QR code at the Pump Room.

In autumn, the fantastically fabulous women of Derbyshire were celebrated through song, music and Dance as part of the Resonate project, which saw live performances in the Pump Room. The project was run by Mat Hatters Music and REC Youth Drama.

The town’s 150 plus grotesques took centre stage at Gargoyle making sessions in the Green Man Gallery and with Buxton Civic Association, with thanks to Babbling Vagabonds and Creeping Toad. And young people were invited to free music making sessions with the BBC Young Folk Musician of the Year Ríoghnach Connolly. The sessions were run by The Buxton Our Street Youth Panel who worked with High Peak Community Arts.

Mark Hornsey from Babbling Vagabonds is involved with Buxton Our Street, he says “Buxton is an incredibly beautiful town and that inspires creativity. There are so many incredible organisations here, and it’s been brilliant to work with just a few of them to inject some fun and energy into Spring Gardens. We’ve only really scratched the surface of the town’s history and culture, but we need to give massive thanks to all the wonderful people who’ve taken part in the free events and the incredible organisations who’ve partnered with us.”

Coming up in 2024, there will be more free music workshops with the BBC Folk Singer of the Year. The final Gargoyle design and make workshops take place in the Greenman Gallery, and then there will be a grand finale with large-scale illuminations lighting up buildings in Harpur Hill, Fairfield, Burbage and on Spring Gardens from 21 to the 24 February.

Visit buxtonourstreet.co.uk for more information.

The Buxton ‘Our Street’ Cultural Programme, bringing art and events to Buxton’s Heritage Action Zone, is funded by Historic England and supported by High Peak Borough Council.