In 1904 Mr W.H Bradbourne purchased the land between Temple and College Road Buxton from the Duke of Devonshire and commissioned the nationally renowned Arts and Crafts architects, Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin to design two dwelling houses on the site. These were to be known as Alison, named after Mr Bradbourne’s wife and Winnington, after his house in Cheshire which was used as a model for the new houses. The Alison was designed to be the business side of the build, to be used as a guest house whilst Winnington was the private home of the family. The guests were mostly permanent residents, often the widows of Manchester’s industrial leaders who craved the cleaner, fresher air and the Spa facilities of Buxton.

Following the Bradbourne years the two houses fell into separate and sometimes confusing ownership, Winnington was divided into two unequal parts, the smaller part remaining as Winnington and the much larger house being renamed Merringham. The Alison, still a guest house fell on harder times as post war Britain changes. Buxton was no longer a fashionable town as interest in the English Spas waned.

In 1955 Mr and Mrs Noon first saw the Alison, it had been empty and neglected for some time. The garden was a mess, overgrown and overshadowed by a complete ring of trees which had been allowed to grow far too tall. But inside the house, under the layers of dust and grime, they discovered an almost untouched Parker and Unwin, Arts and Crafts interior. They bought the house and work started on a total refurbishment which took the rest of 1955 and into January 1956. They ran it is a home for the elderly, the business grew steadily and remained successful for many years. Later Winnington was put up for sale and Jessie and Alfred snapped it up. It meant that the guest rooms could expand into the former family part and they could make a proper family home in the newer part.In 1971, Alfred and Jessie retired leaving his son Peter, recently home from the RAF and his new wife Annette to run the business. The owner of Merringham approached them with the offer of a sale, which again was snapped up. Work began again, Merringham became the family home with the other two parts now united into the guest and work areas. The business continued to be run as a home for the elderly until 1987 when Peter and Annette along with their business partners Geoff and Helen Ward changed the home into a hotel. The two couples raised their children alongside building the business. Helen and Geoffs sons decided against joining the hotel industry but Peter and Annettes’ children both followed in their footsteps, both David and Sara worked up and down the country gaining experience in different styles and standards of hotels. In 2003 David rejoined the company alongside his wife Kate and in 2007 Sara rejoined with her husband David.

In 2008 the new restaurant was opened with a large conservatory and patio area outside. Refurbishments are a constant at the Alison Park Hotel, however whatever is done to the building, it will always retain its Arts and Crafts heritage and its feel of a working family home.