Buxton Spa pump room drainage system

Lanes Group engineers have been called in to survey and clean the drainage system for Buxton Pump Room as part of an ambitious plan to create only the second genuine spa hotel in the UK in more than 100 years.

Renovation of the pump room, a grade 2 listed building, is part of the £35 million first phase in the development of the luxury hotel and spa in the Buxton Crescent.

VINCI Construction UK commissioned Lanes Group’s depot at Eccles, Greater Manchester, to carry out the survey on rainwater drains at the pump room, which is opposite the grade 1 listed Buxton Crescent in the centre of the town.

Ian Clapham, Lanes Group Area Development Manager for the North West, said: “We were very pleased to be asked to carry out this work on such an important historical building and for an exciting project that will bring it back to life.

“The drainage system was not hugely extensive, but some of the pipes were the original ones put in when the pump room was first built. VINCI Construction UK needed to establish the condition of the system as part of its preparation for renovating the building.

“As the UK’s largest independent drainage specialist, Lanes Group has developed extensive experience working on historical buildings, where a sensitive approach to what could be pipework that is hundreds of years old is essential.”

The Lanes team used a 2,000 gallon jet vacuumation unit to cleanse the drainage system. Then, a ROVVER pan-and-tilt robotic camera was used to survey the main drain pipes, and a pushrod camera to inspect the rainwater downpipes and gully pipes.

The Buxton Pump Room was built by the Duke of Devonshire, and opened to the public in 1889 as a place where people could pay to take the unique thermal mineral waters in comfort, rather than take water free of charge from the well outside.

Well into the 20^th Century, it helped make Buxton a popular tourist destination, as thousands of people visited to drink the mineral water which they believed had health benefits.

The pump room ceased to operate as a place to ‘take the waters’ in the mid-1970s.The building was last used as a public space to host arts and crafts exhibitions. Once the restoration is complete, it will become a café and a place where visitors can learn more about the history of the Buxton Spa.

The Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa is a partnership between the Trevor Osbourne Property Group, CP Holdings Ltd, High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council.