A BRIEF HISTORY OF MATLOCK

By June Lait – Matlock Civic Association

Until the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, Matlock was a hamlet whose principal activity was farming with lead mining and quarrying as subsidiary activities. Historians now question whether the Romans mined lead here, but Derbyshire lead mining is undoubtedly of great antiquity. For centuries it provided work for those enterprising enough to stake claims and strong enough to tunnel into the hostile earth. In the Great Masson Cavern dramatic illustrations of the hardship and danger miners encountered can still be seen, and the whole of Masson hillside and much of Starkholmes is riddled with evidence of their efforts. Most of the mines have been safely capped, but it is prudent to keep exploratory dogs on leads and to supervise adventurous children. In the late eighteenth century Sir Richard Arkwright’s mould breaking experiments at Cromford provided factory jobs for a few Matlock people, but it was not until the 1840’s that Matlock began its spectacular growth as a Spa Town.

John Smedley was not the first to recognise and exploit the effects of water treatment on various illnesses. Matlock Bath, endowed with natural thermal water, was a Spa Town of some elegance two centuries before he was born in 1803, but it was Smedley whose conviction and enterprise established Hydrotherapy firmly in Matlock, and for a century made it one of the most celebrated centres of the “water cure”. By the outbreak of war in 1939, Smedley’s Hydro was world famous, its guests having included Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir

Thomas Beecham, Ivor Novello, Jimmy Wilde and Gilbert Jessop, to name but a few. The building that still dominates Matlock Bank was completed in 1886 on the core of Smedley’s more modest establishment, founded in 1853. Riber Hillside is crowed by the castle that Smedley built as his private residence in 1862. It is said to have been “planned, reared, finished and occupied in four months and one week”. If correct, this is a stunning achievement, given the need to transport huge blocks of stone up a one in five gradient on roads little more than farm tracks. Sadly derelict now, Riber housed a wildlife centre, having been a school, and during the war a food store. Planning Permission now exists for its conversion to apartments. Hydropathy was given a boost by the arrival of the railway in Matlock, in 1849, enabling patients to travel from London in speed and comfort. By 1867 the line was through to Manchester, and in the heyday of cotton, wealthy mill owners from the North had easy access to the then universally accepted benefits of the water cure and to the many accompanying treatments pioneered by John Smedley. Matlock Station remains largely unaltered from the time that Joseph Paxton, head gardener at Chatsworth and architect of Crystal Palace, had a hand in its design. All that is missing are the through trains to London and Manchester! Once alighted from the trains, visitors were taken up the steep hill by horse-drawn vehicles. The façade of the building in which the horses were stabled remains on the Bakewell Road, now rebuilt as The Crown Public House.

It was not long before an enterprising ancestor of the present writer, who had been to San Francisco and seen the steep tramway there, had the idea of a tram to take the visitors to the Bank Road hydros, of which there were now a large number. On leaving school aged 10, in 1852; Job Smith became a bath attendant at Smedley’s Hydro. Smedley appears to have encouraged his employees to set up on their own, and Malvern House on Smith Road was the Hydro built by Job Smith after he went gold prospecting in America. Oldham House on Wellington Street and Rockside towering spectacularly above it are examples of large hydros that complemented, but never seriously rivalled, Smedley’s. Both are now converted into flats enjoying impressive views over the town. Below them in Rutland Street, and used for various industrial purposes, is the tram house, all that remains of the machines which for 34 years from 1893 carried people from Crown Square to the top of Rutland Street. The tram shelter at the head of the park originally stood in Crown Square and was presented to Matlock by Robert Wildgoose. Job Smith first thought of the tram in the 1860’s. By the time finance was raised, principally through Sir George Newnes, newspaper proprietor, the tram was being upstaged by the motor car. Nevertheless, it is etched into the folklore of Matlock, and many would like to see it restored. The hydros brought visitors with money to spend, and shops opened to cater for them. Dale Road was once one of the most elegant shopping streets in the East Midlands. Evans the Jewellers with its astonishingly high standards remind us of that era, and fortunately many of the Victorian and early Edwardian buildings remain largely unaltered. Smedley Street had several shops catering for visitors, Tinker Wright’s ironmonger being a remarkable survivor from the time when the main trade was in elaborate baths and shower accessories for the many treatments, but it sadly closed in 2006. Alcohol was strictly forbidden at Smedley’s, but it is thought that many sent out for it from the local pubs and liquor stores. Smedley was a highly religious man and a large purpose built church was an important part of the hydro complex. The austere religion on offer was not to everyone’s taste, and All Saints Church was built to accommodate those of more liberal inclination. On Bank Road several fine Non-conformist churches were built. St Joseph’s Catholic Church also dates from the period. Between the two World Wars, Matlock prospered uneventfully. The slump of the 1930’ affected heavy industry, although the hydropathic business seems to have been less seriously affected. During the war many of the hydros were requisitioned, Smedley’s being used as an Intelligence Centre and Military Hospital. It opened again after the war, but the inception of the NHS in 1947 doomed hydropathy. Its more fanciful treatments never had the approval of the medical profession, and were not prescribed under the NHS. Even the very rich saw little reason to pay large sums of money for treatment of unproven worth,

when expert attention was available free. Smedley’s closed in 1955 and became the headquarters of Derbyshire County Council. What of the future? It is difficult, though not impossible, to see hydropathy being revived here. Leisure activities of one kind or another are well suited to this beautiful place and we are already an important administrative centre. If we could solve our intractable traffic problems, Matlock could surely flourish as vigorously as it did in Victorian times. The sitting of a supermarket on derelict land at Cawdor Quarry, combined with a new road, offers some hope of this.

HIGH TOR

By John Collins

High Tor, as its name suggests, is dominated by a great limestone outcrop which towers almost vertically, some 400 feet above the River Derwent on the A6 between Matlock and Matlock Bath. Throughout the mid and late 18th century it was a popular subject for artists seeking to capture “the picturesque scenery”. In the 19th century, the geological and botanical interest of the Tor became an additional attraction. By the 1830’s a show cave at the foot of the rock, the “High Tor Grotto” was opened to the paying public, approached via a newly erected wooden bridge. (This was subsequently replaced by a suspension bridge, now dismantled). During the mid 19th century, a network of paths was “at such labour and expense” constructed up the hillsides and across the summit of the Tor to enable visitors to experience the spectacular panoramic views. This was the work of Richard Arkwright, later Sir Richard, world renowned industrialist and entrepreneur of nearby Cromford. His descendant, Peter Arkwright, continued the work by constructing the “Grand Walk”, a cobbled roadway from Pic Tor to the summit, around 1857. By 1865 a further attraction, the Fern Cave was opened to the public.

From the 1870’s, the site now known as “the High Tor Pleasure Grounds” was held under lease from the Arkwright family. In the last years of the century the lessees were "the High Tor Grounds Recreation Company”. They were responsible for creating the tennis courts and quoit grounds, (the remnants of which are still discernible adjacent to the cable car base station) and a cricket ground near the summit, which survives as an open grassed area. The company also created the spectacular “Giddy Edge” walk around the cliff top which visitors with a stout heart and a good head for heights can still experience today. In 1924, the grounds were purchased from Captain R A Arkwright by the Matlock Urban District Council, still subject to the High Tor Recreation Company’s lease which expired in 1975. From 1975 to 1994, the site was managed by a tenant, resident at the summit bungalow and café. Under resourced and inadequately maintained for over 30 years, the grounds had deteriorated to such an extent that Derbyshire Dales District Council (the successor owners) resolved to take on direct responsibility for the restoration and management of the grounds.

Working with English Nature, the Countryside Commission, the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, BTCV and local people, much has been done to repair and restore the paths and to make the site safe and attractive once more for visitors. In 1995, the café and bungalow buildings were lost in a fire. Access to the site is now free and at peak periods a Ranger Service operates to manage the site and to give advice and assistance to visitors. The woodland beneath the Tor has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. In 1993, in recognition of their historical importance, the High Tor Grounds were listed as Grade II* on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

A member of Matlock 140 SQN, ATC prepares to abseil down High Tor In 2007 the Grounds will be improved as part of the Heritage Lottery funded Matlock Parks Project.