Devonshire Royal Hospital Devonshire Royal Hospital The Devonshire Royal Hospital building (now popularly known as the Devonshire Dome) is a Grade II* listed 18th-century former stable block in Buxton, Derbyshire. It was built by John Carr of York and extended by architect Robert Rippon Duke, who added what was then the world's largest unsupported dome, with a diameter of . It is now the site of the Devonshire campus of the University of Derby. Built between 1780 and 1789, the original building was designed by John Carr of York for William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire. Octagonal in shape, it housed up to
William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire instrumental in the creation of the Derby Museum and Art Gallery in 1836. He also travelled extensively. Devonshire was a close friend of the Prince Regent. Other friends included Antonio Canova and Charles Dickens. Much of Devonshire's private correspondence, including letters to his mistresses (one of whom he installed nearby), was destroyed by his Victorian relatives. He intended to marry Lady Caroline Ponsonby, his cousin, but she married William Lamb, which he found devastating. Devonshire died at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, in January 1858, aged 67, and left an estate valued at £500,000 in his will. As he was unmarried the