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Although the existence of a Church in Buxton is recorded in the Domesday book , the earliest dating we can give to the present building is some time in the 13th century - to which period the Sedilia and Piscina near the High Altar and the doorway to the North Porch belong. The presence of a north porch is probably explained as an entrance to the church from Buxton Manor (Burgh with Kineshall) which lay to the north east of the Church.
The present Nave Arcades, Chancel Arch and South Aisle would appear to date from the following century, as does the South Door Arch. The roofs used to be thatched.

The 15th century saw the rebuilding of the North Aisle by the then vicar, Sir John Picto, and the establishment of Chapels ( the Gild chapels) at the east end of both aisles, together with the erection of a Chancel Screen - later removed to its present position separating the choir from the (south) side chapel.

The 19th century saw major restoration under the auspices of the Rev Stracey-Clitheroe. In 1858 the Church was reseated for 350 persons. In 1875 the north porch was totally renewed and the South Porch extensively repaired . The Tower was also repaired in 1881-2, losing 30ft of height in the process, but gaining a clock and 'sound holes' (the small square open windows). This vicar also built the grand Levishaw rectory.
This century has seen the erection of the screen behind the Font (separating the bell ringing chamber from the Nave), the replacing of the old font Cover with a new one matching the screen behind, and the moving of the Chancel Screen to open up the view of the Altar.

St. Andrews - Memorials.

There are fragments of several 16th century brasses as well as several 17th century floor slabs and a number of wall memorials of the same and later periods. The 19th century Stained Glass Windows are also memorials.
There is a sad memorial to a child, Mary Anne Kent, near the altar - she died after vaccination and the problems of interfering with nature are highlighted.

On a lighter note there is the story about a Mr Bell, the Church Clerk who had to close the church for cleaning. He gave out a notice saying
"This hare Chaash will be shet nex Sunday and the Sunday arter that, for why? That's to be whitewased yaller."

St. Andrews - The Bells

Early in the 16th century there were 3 bells. These are inscribed "Jon Bread made me, 1657".
A fourth says Thomas Newman made me, 1707.
The fifth, a tenor, was made in 1657 & recast by John Warner & Sons 1910.
The sixth, a treble, was given by Philip Edward Sewell and also cast by John Warner in 1910. The old 5 were rehung in a new frame for 6 bells when the tower was rebuilt in 1882 and in 1910 rope guides were added to enable the bells to be rung from downstairs. On the 6 bells 720 changes can be rung.

A History of Buxton Church has been written by A.K.Birch and is available at the Forum Library and copies are held at Buxton Vicarage.



A Baptist Chapel was built at the Heath in 1796 and was of considerable size. It fell into disrepair in the early 1900's and the main room was pulled down and services were held in the Vestry. It was demolished in 1931 but some of its buildings are incorporated in the present house called "The Chapel".


This was situated where the present house Freeholm now lies on the south side of Crown Rd. The building belonged to the Russell family and was known as the Mission Room. Services were regularly held there in the second half of the nineteenth century. A regular attendee was a T.Collins, a Dudwick House gardener who lived at Dudwick Lodge and took a fiddle with him under his arm.
Early in the new century the attendance fell off and the services were discontinued.
In 1915 it was hired by Miss Sewell and used as a War Work Room. After the war it was for a short time used as Craft Workshop, open to school children in their dinner hour. In the 1930's it was converted into a cottage dwelling.


As early as 1232 there was a vicarage in Buxton, and almost certainly it was located in the Manor of Levishaw, probably on the same site as the vicarage built by Rev Stracey-Clitheroe in 1870. This vicarage was a grand building (see photos) with squash courts, a chapel, stables and a pond and swimming pool. It required 12 staff to run it. The front of it was removed in 1930 making it a slightly smaller building. Its drive came off Brook Street near to the present Levishaw Close road. It passed through the gardens of the houses to the north of this road and curved round to cross the old bridge still present on the Green. (Alas, this bridge was in a right state, and was unsafe to use, so it is now no more). The front door lay 43 yards south of this bridge near the top of the Green. The building then stretched back to the public footpath in the Dell. The stables (later a garage for 3 cars) lay to the west roughly in the back garden of 2 Manor Close.
Nearer the Beck lay a pond and swimming pool. There was a footpath which ran from the Vicarage straight through the present houses in Levishaw Close to Crown Rd. In 1936 the Rev Benson built the present vicarage in Back lane at a cost of £2450 of which he contributed £350. He rechristened the Old Vicarage, Levishaw Manor, and it was sold to Mr Bainbridge of Mills & Reeve and when his wife died in the late 1960's it was sold off for development. The site was so wet that the first builder went broke and the next builder had to build the houses on piles. The area is still liable to flooding.


First annual Parochial Church meeting was held on June 15th 1934 and the first P.C.C. followed on July 4th when Mr Perry was elected as Church Secretary and Parochial Church Officer. The first resolution on record is " all regular members of the congregation should have a seat in the church reserved for them. But should anyone accidentally occupy their seat they could not be asked to move."