According to the Derbyshire Archeological Journal (1994): "In the national context, the survival of a building which accommodated both Mary Queen of Scots and much of the Elizabethan nobility is of considerable note.

Its importance in architectural terms is further enhanced as it is believed to be the earliest known British building of cross-axial form.

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.

Of the Hall he wrote: "The Duke of Devonshire ... has built a large handsome house at the bath, where there is convenient lodging, and very good provisions, and an ordinary well served for one shilling per head; but it is but one.

He was considered socially more than a mere hotelier, and the hotel's clientele included bishops and visiting aristocracy.