Solomon's Temple

When is a folly not a folly?

Buxton’s own folly, Solomon's Temple, standing proud atop Grinlow Hill, is perhaps an example.

Nowadays, should life throw us a curve and the worst come to the worst, we all have something of a safety net in the form of state benefits. We may lose the shirts of our backs, but the chances of us starving to death are probably quite slim. Back in the days before unemployment benefit, however, if a man didn’t work he didn’t eat. Harsh, but that's the way it was.

Buxton residents fared no better than the rest of the country when unemployment ran rife, so in 1896 a public subscription was raised, and with the help of the 7th Duke of Devonshire the tower that has come to be known as Solomon's Temple was built. The structure was designed by George Edwin Garlick and was opened by Victor Cavendish in  September of 1896. The building of Solomon's Temple provided work for unemployed labourers.

The Solomon's Temple we know and love today was actually the second structure to be erected on this site. The first went up in the late 1830s, under instruction from the 6th Duke of Devonshire, and was built on land leased by Solomon Mycock, a local farmer.

Why call it a temple?

After all it’s not very tall (about 20’), not very grand (in the temple way of things) and Solomon's Temple is not that easy to get to.

But Solomon's Temple is striking, standing as it does at the top of a hill overlooking the town, and it does stir a sense of curious marvel. It also requires a bit of a pilgrimage to get to it.

The prettiest route is up through Grinlow Woods, following along a steeply winding path between mature trees of beech and ash, amongst others. It's about 1.5 miles, and climbs around 90 feet until it opens out at the top of the hill and Solomon's Temple comes into view. 

It’s quiet on top of the hill, Grin Low, which itself is a bronze age barrow that was excavated by Buxton archeologist Micah Salt in 1894. With only the hush of the wind and the call of birds for company it's almost possible to slip back a few thousand years and imagine the scene at the time the burials took place. Micah Salt uncovered evidence of 3 burials and 2 cremations within the bural mound where Solomon's Temple stands, one of them a child's. 

So with Buxton town at your feet and the wide open sky at your shoulders, as you stand in the shadow of Solomon's Temple, you may find a moment for spiritual reflection and a sense of being at one with the world.

Is it a temple?

You'll just have to go and look, then decide for yourself.

Its crenelated top and arched windows are reminiscent of a castle, and the weathered stone walls resonate with history.

Inside the circular structure of Solomon's Temple a staircase leads to the top floor. Open to the skies, the views are exhilarating, taking in Mam Tor and Kinder Scout as well as the dignified spread of Buxton town and the wider High Peak landscape.

A folly is a structure with no practical purpose. It is there, and was built ‘just because’.

Solomon's Temple, Buxton’s own folly, was built with the very serious purpose of providing employment, and as it is now an important fixture in Buxton’s landscape, history and future, perhaps the label ‘folly’ is a little narrow.

In the strictest sense of the word, of course, to call Solomon's Temple a folly is a true description. But if we take a wider, more holistic view, this folly of ours has its own distinct purpose, both when it was built, and now in the present.

Folly Facts - Solomon’s Temple

• Built in 1896
• Build through public subscription on land originally leased by Solomon Mycock and aided by 7^th Duke of Devonshire
• Restored in 1988
• Height above sea level - 1440 feet
• Build on a Bronze Age Barrow excavated in 1894 by Micah Salt

Folly Directions - Solomon’s Temple

• From Pooles Cavern Car Park on Green Lane take the woodland path through Grinlow Woods.
• It’s signposted (so you won’t get lost.)
• Climb steeply until you come out of the woods at the top.
• Look for Solomon’s Temple – you won't miss it.