Buxton Museum & Art Gallery — Attraction in High Peak

It is an absolute travesty that the Council are closing the Museum and selling the purpose built home of the great collections it houses. My family have enjoyed going to see the static and temporary exhibitions here for years. Our history and archaeology should not be for sale. I know the Council are cash strapped..but if ever there was a case for upping the precept this is it. The Police take more every year..yet their service to us in the High Peak reduces. We have lost all visible signs of the Force and are now effectively self-policing. Pretty much all the local Police stations have closed and we are subsidising Chesterfield and Derby. I'm sure there are other less deserving cases than the only cultural hub in N Derbyshire. Sort out the dry rot and get it open again. Public subscription and crowd funding haven't even been attempted! May Professor Boyd-Dawkins haunt all the philistines who are responsible for...

It was such a shame to visit today with my family, after the winter renovation, what used to be an exciting and informative little museum with great character has been lost to future generations in place of a clumsy attempt to sell poor quality art, why they decided to do this when their is a gallery next door is beyond me and my family, I have been visiting the museum for about 28 years and taken many people with me, I have never tyred of it's charm and little room's and the feeling of adventure it gave to young people but now it feels that Buxton and surrounding areas have been robbed of part of their own history, I will return in a year or two to see if they have improved things but I feel that is the end of my love affair with what many used to believe was a special little gem, I feel for the staff it must be embarrassing to work there now....

Buxton Museum & Art Gallery is a smallish venue in the town centre, with modest exhibits of historical objects and paintings (on the upper floor) which also offers a glimpse into the history of Buxton. There are some genuine artefacts on display, most obviously the "Buxton Mermaid" (see photo) - in the 19th century, people like the infamous P.T. Barnum displayed such objects as genuine "mummified mermaids"! Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there: the mostly modern paintings on the upper floor are insignificant, made by local artists - but they do add to the "community feel" of the place, and as suggested by the many posters and leaflets lying around, the museum plays an important part in the communal activities of the town.

The entry is free, and you're allowed to take photos. So if you're close by, why not drop in for a half hour on...