Since at least the
Middle Ages, a hall has stood on this site by the warm spring for which
Buxton water is known. The oldest part of the current building was once part of a four-storey fortified tower, built in 1572 by
Bess of Hardwick and her fourth husband,
George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. staying at the Old Hall Hotel, reading "MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS: Whilst under the custodianship of
George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, she stayed here to take the waters on numerous occasions between 1573 and 1584." The tower was used at times between 1573 and 1584 to house
Mary, Queen of Scots, whilst she was in the custody of the Earl on the orders of
Queen Elizabeth I. According to Doctor John Jones of Derby, author of ''Buxtone's Bathes Benefyte'' (1572), the tower was a lodging, purpose-built for those taking the waters. Visitors to Shrewsbury's "goodly house" enjoyed a game of table bowls known as
trou madame. Women guests had their own bench for the game, the men could play in a gallery. In fine weather they could play bowls outside in an alley or practice archery and other exercises. Her last visit to Buxton was in the summer of 1584. It is claimed that it was Mary who inscribed the following couplet to Buxton on a window pane: Buxton, whose warm waters have made thy name famous, perchance I shall visit thee no more – Farewell. The inscription can still be seen in the window of room 26. Other inscriptions, now lost, were recorded by a contemporary. The Hall was rebuilt by one of Bess of Hardwick's descendants, the first of five
Dukes of Devonshire, in 1670. ==Use as a hotel==