The baths date back to Roman times and were the basis for developing Buxton as a Georgian and Victorian spa town.

The geothermal spring that feeds the baths rises from about 1km below ground and produces about a million litres of water per day.

[3] The present Natural Mineral Baths building was designed by Henry Currey and built in ashlar gritstone from 1851 to 1852.

[2][4] In 1894 the Pump Room, also designed by Currey, was opened opposite the Crescent to extend the facilities where people could drink the spring water and socialise.

[6] The Duke of Devonshire's agent Phillip Heacock lobbied for establishing coal-fired hot baths in the town in the early 1800s.

These were all replaced in 1853 with the grand Thermal Baths iron and glass building designed by Henry Currey in the style of The Crystal Palace.

The building was remodelled by William Radford Bryden in 1900 with the removal of the glass and iron colonnades and a new ashlar gritstone facade.

[5] A memorial to Samuel Turner (an activist in town improvements and public welfare) stands outside the Hot Baths.

[5][8] After World War II, the use of the baths declined, with no funding by the new National Health Service for medical water treatments.

The building was converted between 1984 and 1987, by conservation architects Derek Latham and Company, into specialist shops and opened as the Cavendish Arcade.

[9] An arcade was formed by the introduction of a barrel-vaulted stained-glass roof, designed by artist Brian Clarke,[10] creating a covered public space and linking together the Baths buildings.

Dr William Henry Robertson moved to Buxton in 1835 and he also studied the effects of the local mineral waters on disease.

All visitors to Buxton's hotels and lodging houses were expected to contribute one shilling to the charity and sign the subscription book.

In the late 17th century, Cornelius White operated bathing facilities at the hot spring at the site of the Buxton Old Hall.

In 1695 he discovered an ancient smooth stone bath (20m long by 7m wide) as well as a lead cistern (2m square) on an oak timber frame.