Matlock is the
county town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, England. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...
, with the National Park directly to the west. The town is
twinned with the French town of
Eaubonne
Eaubonne () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
Population
Twin towns
It is twinned with Matlock, Derbyshire, England; Budenheim, Germany and Vălenii ...
. The former spa resort of
Matlock Bath
Matlock Bath is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. It lies in the Peak District, south of Matlock on the main A6 road, and approximately halfway between Buxton and Derby. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was ...
lies immediately south of the town on the
A6. The civil parish of Matlock Town had a population in the
2011 UK census
A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...
of 9,543.
Matlock is nine miles (14 km) south-west of
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
and in easy reach of the cities of
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
(19 miles),
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
(20 miles) and
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
(29 miles); the
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
conurbation is 30 miles away. Matlock is within the
Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 71,116. Much of it is in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent.
The borough borders ...
district, which also includes the towns of
Bakewell
Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...
and
Ashbourne, as well as Wirksworth. The headquarters of
Derbyshire County Council
Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. It has 64 councillors representing 61 divisions, with three divisions having two members each. They are Glossop and Charlesworth, ...
are in the town.
History
The name Matlock derives from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''mæthel'' (or ''mæðel''), meaning assembly or speech, and ''āc'', meaning oak tree; thus Matlock means 'moot-oak', an oak tree where meetings are held.
In the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086 it was recorded as ''Meslach'' and in 1196 it was named ''Matlac''.
[ It is a former ]spa town
A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits.
Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. H ...
that lies on the River Derwent, and has prospered from both the hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...
industry and the cloth mills constructed on the river and its tributary Bentley Brook
Bentley Brook is a stream in Derbyshire, England. It rises on Matlock Moor, flowing south through Cuckoostone Dale, under the A632, into Lumsdale, gathering the valley's waters—notably from Knabhall Brook, out of Tansley, itself dammed and s ...
.
It was a collection of villages in Wirksworth Hundred – composed of Matlock Town, Matlock Green, Matlock Bridge, Matlock Bank – until thermal spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s were discovered in 1698. The population increased rapidly in the 1800s, largely because of the popular hydros that were being built.[. See downloadable attachments at bottom of page.] At one stage there were around twenty hydros, mostly on Matlock Bank, the largest built in 1853 by John Smedley.[ This closed in 1955,][ and re-opened in 1956 as the headquarters of the ]Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
County Council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...
. Matlock is also home to the Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 71,116. Much of it is in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent.
The borough borders ...
District Council as well as Matlock Town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
.
Governance
Matlock has a town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...
, the urban equivent of a rural parish council and the lowest tier of local government. The Council meets twice a month. There are 11 Councillors who cover the area and 9 members of staff. Matlock Town Council's jurisdiction extends to the town centre, Matlock Bank, Hurst Farm, Matlock Green, Matlock Town, Starkholmes and Riber.
The second tier of local government is Derbyshire Dales District Council
Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 71,116. Much of it is in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent.
The borough borders ...
, which covers almost a third of the mainly rural parts of the county, including the towns of Matlock, Ashbourne, Bakewell, Wirksworth and Darley Dale and over 100 villages. The council has 39 District Councillors elected in 25 wards. Matlock is represented by 6 councillors in the two wards Matlock All Saints and Matlock St Giles.
The top tier of local government is Derbyshire County Council
Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. It has 64 councillors representing 61 divisions, with three divisions having two members each. They are Glossop and Charlesworth, ...
, which has responsibilities for the whole of Derbyshire apart from the City of Derby. Matlock is represented by one county councillor (out of 64 councillors in total).
The main offices of all three tiers of local government are sited in Matlock. The Town Council is situated in the Imperial Rooms close to the bottom of Bank Road, the District Council is halfway up Bank Road and the County Council is at the top.
As regards national democracy, Matlock forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 71,116. Much of it is in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent.
The borough borders ...
. The MP is currently Sarah Dines
Sarah Elizabeth Dines (born 27 May 1965) is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Derbyshire Dales since the 2019 general election. She has been serving Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for S ...
, who was elected in the 2019 General Election.
Geography
Natural physical features
The main physical features of the Matlock area are the hills and watercourses. The height of the town (above mean level) varies from 91m at Causeway Lane (in the valley bottom) to 203m at the top of Wellington Street. Matlock is overlooked by Riber Castle at 260m from the south-east and by Masson Hill at 339m from the south-west. The first human settlement in the area was in what is now known as Old Matlock or Matlock Green. This was where the Bentley Brook joined the River Derwent. When the town grew in the late 19th century, the town spread up the steep hillsides to the north-east of the narrow valley bottom.
Various industries made use of the natural features:
* The underlying bedrocks were quarried and mined.
* The watercourses were harnessed to power corn, cloth and other mills.
* The hillside thermal spring water gave rise to the hydros.
The natural features also constrained transport links:
* In the Derwent gorge below High Tor, the present-day A6 (Dale Road) was squeezed in beside the river.
* From the south, the Midland Railway reached Matlock Station via a series of short tunnels constructed under the limestone of the gorge.
* A cable tramway was constructed to tackle the very steep Bank Road (see above).
Geology
The geology of the Matlock area is extremely complex. Broadly speaking, the Derwent valley bottom forms a boundary between the sandstones and gritstones of the Dark Peak
The Dark Peak is the higher and wilder part of the Peak District in England, mostly forming the northern section but also extending south into its eastern and western margins. It is mainly in Derbyshire but parts are in Staffordshire, Cheshire, ...
to the NE and the limestones of the White Peak
The White Peak, also known as the Low Peak, is a Carboniferous limestone, limestone plateau that forms the central and southern part of the Peak District in England. It is mostly between and above sea-level and is enclosed by the higher altitu ...
to the south-west. There are igneous intrusions into the limestones to the south-west.
This geology has been exploited by the quarrying and mining industries. The sandstones and gritstones have been quarried as building materials (e.g. at Bentley Brook Quarries) and the limestones for building materials and the manufacture of lime (e.g. at Harvey Dale Quarries). The igneous intrusions gave rise to valuable minerals which have been mined (e.g. in the Bonsall area), particularly for lead. A very rare lead halide mineral called Matlockite
Matlockite is a rare lead halide mineral, named after the town of Matlock in Derbyshire, England, where it was first discovered in a nearby mine. Matlockite (chemical formula: PbFCl) gives its name to the matlockite group which consists of rare ...
was first discovered at nearby Bage Mine in the early 1800s, and is named after the town.
The route of the River Derwent downstream (south) of Matlock is especially interesting to geologists in that it appears to have cut its way through a limestone gorge below High Tor (120m above river level), rather than follow the "simpler" way to the east. It is thought that landslips and/or glaciation may have had an influence over how the present route of the river was established.
Nearby places
The Dimple
The area on the western edge of the town, bounded on the north and east by Old Hackney Lane, Hurds Hollow, and Dimple Road, and on the south by Bakewell Road, is named as Dimple, on the Ordnance Survey
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map.
Flooding
The Derwent has occasionally flooded, including during November 2019 when large areas of England were affected.
Transport
Railways
National Rail services run generally hourly each way between Matlock and Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
on the Derwent Valley Line, operated by East Midlands Railway
Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
History
In March 2017, the Department for Transport a ...
.
History
In 1849, the railway came to Matlock.[ ]Matlock railway station
Matlock railway station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway; it serves the Derbyshire Dales town of Matlock, Derbyshire, England. The station is the terminus of both the Derwent Valley Line from and Peak Rail who op ...
was opened on the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton.
In time it would become part of the Midland Railway's main line between ...
, later the Midland line between London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, until the section between Matlock and Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level. was closed in 1968 following the Beeching cuts
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised British Rail, railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Develop ...
. Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
has considered re-opening the line, with a study carried out by the county council; although it proved to be unfeasible in the short term, the track bed will be kept free of development as the study showed that the line could be economically viable from around 2025. The section from Wye Dale (about east of Buxton) to Coombs viaduct, a point about a mile south-east of Bakewell, has now become the Monsal Trail
The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 18 ...
, an walking and cycle trail.
Heritage
Peak Rail
Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam and heritage diesel service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales.
The preserved railway line is over 3½ miles (5.6 km) in ...
, a preserved railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
, runs steam train
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s on a section of the closed line between Matlock, Darley Dale
Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, with a population of 5,413. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road. The town forms part o ...
and Rowsley
Rowsley () is a village on the A6 road in the English county of Derbyshire. The population as at the 2011 census was 507.
It is at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent and prospered from mills on both. The border of the P ...
. Previously it used its own station, Matlock Riverside, a short distance to the north of the mainline station; however, from 2011, both Peak Rail and trains on the Derwent Valley Line share the same station.
Buses
The town is well served by bus routes, operated by High Peak Buses
High Peak Buses Limited is a bus company based in Dove Holes, Derbyshire, formed in 2012. It operates a mixture of local and long-distance commercial and subsidised public bus services in and around the Borough of High Peak, after which it is n ...
, Hulleys of Baslow
Hulleys of Baslow is a bus company based in Baslow, Derbyshire, England.
History
The origins of Hulleys can be traced back to 1914 when Henry Hulley purchased a Ford Model T taxi. In 1921 a bus was purchased to operate a service from Bakewell ...
and Stagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach Group.
It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshi ...
.
Roads
The A6, which links Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
with Luton
Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
, passes through the town; it provides access to Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
, Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level. , Bakewell
Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...
and Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
.
Bank Road Tram
In 1893, Matlock Cable Tramway
Matlock Cable Tramway was a cable tramway that served the town of Matlock, Derbyshire, UK between 28 March 1893 and 30 September 1927.
History
The principal purpose was to serve the Hydro Spa Hotels, bringing customers from the railway statio ...
was built up Bank Road
Bank Road is a road in Matlock, Derbyshire which runs from Crown Square up Matlock Bank, a steep hill which gives the road its name, to Wellington Street. Although many consider the whole incline to be Bank Road, beyond Smedley Street, just over ...
from Crown Square
Matlock Cable Tramway was a Cable car (railway), cable tramway that served the town of Matlock, Derbyshire, UK between 28 March 1893 and 30 September 1927.
History
The principal purpose was to serve the Hydro Spa Hotels, bringing customers fro ...
at Matlock Bridge to Wellington Street (at the top of Bank Road) with a stop halfway up at Smedley Street where Smedley's Hydro (built by John Smedley) was situated. Conceived by Job Smith, the tram was inspired by San Francisco's famous cable cars and cost £20,000. When it was built, it was the steepest tramway in the world at a gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
of 1 in 5½ and it rose . The fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger for use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used. Fare structure is the system set up to determine how much is to be paid by various pa ...
was tuppence up and one penny down. It closed in 1927,[ after losing business to ]cars
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
and buses
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
.
Hall Leys Park
Hall Leys Park is a Victorian public park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to re ...
in the centre of Matlock, Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
which opened in 1898. It lies between the River Derwent to the south and Causeway Lane to the north. The park has many facilities and in 2004–2005 underwent major regeneration as part of the Matlock Parks Project with funding from the Millennium Commission
The Millennium Commission, a United Kingdom public body, was set up to celebrate the turn of the millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery to assist communities in marking the close of the second millennium and celebra ...
.
At the Crown Square/Matlock Bridge end of the park there is the town's war memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.
Symbolism
Historical usage
It has ...
and a wishing well
A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed deities or had been placed there as a ...
. Beside this there is the shelter from the former cable tramway which was moved to the park when the tramway ceased to operate in 1927.
Moving away from Crown Square there is, next, a large grass area and some tennis court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...
s. As part of the refurbishments which took place, the old grass tennis courts were replaced with a skateboard park
A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, Freestyle scootering, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert r ...
.
In the centre of the park is the Victorian bandstand
A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...
, which is used regularly in the summer months by local brass bands and for events such as the annual Matlock Victorian Christmas Weekend, held on the first weekend of December. Beside the bandstand is a footbridge over the Derwent that has markings indicating the height of several floods that hit the town in the 1960s and 1970s. The café, on the opposite side of the bandstand, has similar markings for other floods.
Hall Leys Park is now a central part of the town's flood protection. The wall which surrounds the northern side of the park has the ability to have the footways sealed with sheets of wood which would dam the progress of any overflow from the river and turn the entire park into a large reservoir. Further down the park there is a putting green
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
and a Crown Green Bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
green. A boating lake, with several small islands, is home to a large number of birds, including ducks and moorhen
Moorhens—sometimes called marsh hens—are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family (Rallidae). Most species are placed in the genus ''Gallinula'', Latin for "little hen".
They are close relatives of coots. They are of ...
s as well as being host to the longest-running pleasure boats
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...
in the country. A miniature railway runs half the length of the park along the river but, because of the lack of any turning space, the return journey is made in reverse. At the far end of the park is a children's playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
, which was significantly upgraded in 2005.
Hall Leys Park is occasionally the site for visiting "Continental Markets" and, since the summer of 2006, regular "Farmers' Markets". It is also the centre of the Matlock Victorian Christmas Weekend, held annually on the first weekend of December.
Bank Road
Bank Road runs from Crown Square
Matlock Cable Tramway was a Cable car (railway), cable tramway that served the town of Matlock, Derbyshire, UK between 28 March 1893 and 30 September 1927.
History
The principal purpose was to serve the Hydro Spa Hotels, bringing customers fro ...
up Matlock Bank, a steep hill which gives the road its name, to Wellington Street. Although many consider the whole incline to be Bank Road, just over halfway up beyond Smedley Street the road is called Rutland Street.
Bank Road has many local landmark buildings along it – from the bottom of the hill (Crown Square) travelling north:
*The Crown Hotel – the original site of the hotel which gave its name to Crown Square is now a building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending. Building societies exist in the United Kingdo ...
office. This was built prior to 1899. The Crown is now a Wetherspoon's
J D Wetherspoon plc (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a pub company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based in Watford. It op ...
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
just along Bakewell Road.
*Crown Buildings, opposite the original Crown Hotel at the bottom of Bank Road, was built in 1889 and currently houses a café on its ground floor.
*Post Office and Sorting Office. These were built prior to 1922.
*Police Station – built after the second world war.
*Matlock Town Hall
Matlock Town Hall is a municipal building in Bank Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, England. The building is now used as the offices of Derbyshire Dales District Council.
History
The oldest part of the town hall complex is Bridge House, a private ...
– formerly Bridge House. In 1894 the Matlock Urban District Council bought Bridge House for use as the town hall and added a large wing in the Italianate style to house an assembly room etc. It was reopened in 1898 and also housed most local authority undertakings, magistrates courts, etc. Following local government reorganisation in 1974, the Town Hall became the headquarters of West Derbyshire District Council (which later changed its name to Derbyshire Dales District Council
Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 71,116. Much of it is in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent.
The borough borders ...
).
*Our Lady & St. Joseph's Catholic Church – built in 1883 with a presbytery added in 1896. The church was described as a ‘mission’, established under St Mary's of Derby. A church hall was built alongside in the 1990s.
*Youth Hostel – a YHA youth hostel
A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...
– Built in 1882 as Smedley Memorial Hospital. There is a later (Hunter) wing with a datestone of 1897 set further back from the road. The Youth Hostel opened in 1983 and closed on 30 September 2007.
*Matlock Methodist & United Reformed Church – originally Matlock Wesleyan Chapel, and later the Trinity Methodist Church. The church was designed by C.O. Ellison of Liverpool, with additions designed by Horace G. Bradley. The neo-gothic church was originally built in 1882 without the slender steeple, which is now a landmark feature reaching above the roofs of neighbouring buildings, and, from higher levels, an elegant feature against the backdrop of the hills beyond. The Manse was built at the west of the site, fronting New Street.
*Old Sunday School which is now private homes.
*Old Methodist Church – the Primitive Methodist congregation was founded in 1838, although the current church on Bank Road, opposite the entrance to County Hall, was rebuilt in 1856 and the adjacent School Room below was added in 1878. Until recently, the Old Methodist Church housed the Matlock Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
.
* County Hall – formerly Smedley's Hydro, is a grade II listed building which dominates Matlock Bank. The earliest (western) section seen today was built in by Smedley. Much of today's building was added after Smedley's death in 1874. The first phase, in 1881, included the entrance hall and staircase, now in the middle section. In 1886, the eastern section was added by architect George Statham of Nottingham. Later extensions include the tall chimney, impressive for its height on the already prominent site, along with boiler house and bath in 1894. The domed glass Winter Gardens, which housed a ballroom, and the northern block on the other side of Smedley Street were added in 1901. The northern block was linked by the unusual two-storey bridge over Smedley Street.
*Smedley Street traverses Bank Road. It has its own parade of shops and a post office (now closed). The east end of Smedley Street (known as Smedley Street East) is home to Laser Rail, a designer and manufacturer of rail measurement equipment now incorporated into Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works ac ...
's rail division. At the west end is All Saints' Church, Matlock Bank.
*The Gate public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
– There were known to have been numerous public houses on Matlock Bank, thought to have been the result of the ban on alcohol consumption within the hydros themselves, especially at Smedley's. The whereabouts of many is no longer known. The Gate (dated 1869) was one of these, and still stands on the corner of Smedley Street and Bank Road, opposite Smedley's. It now functions as an arts venue known as Designate at the Gate.
''NB. Beyond Smedley Street, Bank Road is actually Rutland Street.''
*Rutland Court – the former Matlock House Hydro stands prominently on the east side of Rutland Street. The hydro was built in 1863 and an engraving of 1870 shows that the main block, at least that which is visible from the roadside today, is largely unaltered.
*Elmtree House – a former hydro, now 70–74 Rutland Street, was opened in 1862. It is located just to the north of the dominant Matlock House (now Rutland Court).
*The Old Tram Depot which is now a garage and car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
repair centre.
*Rockside Hydro – an imposing building with views across Matlock, is a grade II listed building, on higher ground above Smedley's and is distinctive for its two octagonal corner turrets with conical roofs topped by lanterns. Rockside was built circa 1860, but extended significantly by the firm of architects Parker and Unwin between 1901 and 1905, The building was also extended later in 1923 and 1928. An upper floor glazed conservatory with a glazed curved roof was added in , and a block was added on Cavendish Road in 1928. It probably is not so well known that during the Second World War, Rockside Hall was used as an RAF psychiatric hospital, where mentally-scarred service personnel (mostly aircrew) were rehabilitated. It was somewhat unkindly known as "Hatters Castle" by locals.
Dale Road
Dale Road runs all the way from Matlock Bridge (road bridge over the River Derwent) to North Parade in Matlock Bath
Matlock Bath is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. It lies in the Peak District, south of Matlock on the main A6 road, and approximately halfway between Buxton and Derby. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was ...
. It forms part of the Derby to Manchester road ( A6) and has very many bends.
Dale Road, like Bank Road (see previous section), contains a large number of examples of Victorian architecture, although only four are listed by English Heritage. However all buildings on Dale Road are included in two conservation areas created by Derbyshire Dales District Council. These conservation areas are called "Matlock Bridge" (from the bridge over the Derwent to the railway bridge over Dale Road), then "Matlock Dale" to the outskirts of Matlock Bath.
In this section, the main features of Dale Road are described, starting at Matlock Bridge and then proceeding in a southerly direction until the High Tor Hotel.
*Railway Station and Station House – The railway station and the nearby station house were both designed by Joseph Paxton
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
around 1850, as part of the building of the Midland Railway's Derby to Buxton route. The station house, being largely unaltered since being built, is listed Grade II by English Heritage, but the station itself is unlisted.
*Matlock Bridge – This is the road crossing of the River Derwent. The first stone bridge was constructed over or close to the site of a ford in the mid 13th century. It was only a single carriageway in width and remained so for 550 years. In the 1890s there were discussions regarding the need for a wider bridge to be able to cope with the increasing road traffic. A new bridge was proposed which would have involved the demolition of the existing. However, a decision was taken to double the width of the existing bridge. This work was undertaken in 1903–1904. The bridge was made one-way to vehicular traffic at time of building of the access road to the superstore in Cawdor Quarry in 2007. The bridge is listed as Grade II* by English Heritage.
*RBS Bank (now closed) – There is a pedestrian access to this bank from Dale Road, although its postal address is Snitterton Road. This a building that has seen several changes of occupancy. In recent times, it has been offices for the Derbyshire Stone Company, then bank premises for William Deacons, then Williams & Glyn, then Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). This stone building was originally built in the late 18th century and is listed as Grade II by English Heritage.
*Queens Head Inn – The building currently on the corner of the junction of Holt Lane with Dale Road dates from the late 19th century. At that time it was the Queens Head Inn, although it has now been converted to shops. Along with the Market Hall (see below), this was one of the earliest buildings to be constructed at this (north) end of Dale Road.
*HSBC Bank (now closed) – This building is on the east side of Dale Road (No 5) and has an eye-catching clock. There is a record that Henry Barnwell and his son Harry moved from Birmingham and established a watchmaker and jewellery business there in 1876. Their corner shop became "London City and Midland Bank" which later became just "Midland Bank" which then became HSBC. The HSBC bank closed in June 2015.
*NatWest Bank (now closed) – This building of 1901 is on the east side of Dale Road (No 19). This is one of the few buildings on Dale Road that has a brick frontage (although several that have a stone frontage do use brick for the sides and rear).
*Market Hall – This building is on the west side of Dale Road (Nos 4,6,8,10) just south of the Queens Head Inn. The Market Hall was constructed in 1867–68. The ground floor was used as a general market house with 12 shop units while the upper floor was used for assemblies, public meetings and entertainments. The architectural style chosen for this was that of the then-popular Gothic Revival. The building was also an important source of civic pride, designed to impress and sporting a row of carved heraldic shields across its façade. The Market Hall is now a row of shops and offices.
*Olde Englishe Hotel – This large building is on the east side of Dale Road (No 77). Its "old English" timber frames, spire-like turret and corner position give it a striking appearance in a street-scene of predominantly darker-stone buildings. The building closed as a hotel in 2009, and has been converted into bars and shops.
*Lime – This building is on the east side of Dale Road (No 79) and complements the Olde Englishe Hotel which it faces across the road junction. It has a distinctive cupola above its entrance. The building has had a variety of uses, from grocery shop, to antiques sales to hair salon.
*Evans Jeweller – Evans Jewellers Shop at Nos 93–95 Dale Road, with its projecting clock, can be regarded as the focal point of that part of the east side of Dale Road between its junctions with Olde Englishe Road and Holt Lane. W. Evans & Son has traded from these premises continuously since it was first established in 1893.
*Holt Terrace – This is a five-house terrace that looks down on the southern junction of Holt Lane with Dale Road. It lies just north of the railway crossing of Dale Road and the River Derwent. Holt Lane was the "main road" along the valley until the Midland Railway opened in 1849. Soon after then, the Dale Road area was developed and Dale Road relegated Holt Lane to a side street.
*John Hadfield House – This is a post-WWII building on the west side of Dale Road immediately south of the railway bridge. It was built in the former Harveydale limestone quarry as the headquarters of Derbyshire Stone Ltd and named after a leading figure in the company. Derbyshire Stone was ultimately absorbed into Tarmac Ltd in 1968, whose Matlock office was subsequently closed. John Hadfield House is now occupied by offices of the Derbyshire County Council.
*The Boat House – This pub (now closed) is next to John Hadfield House on the west side of Dale Road. The pub was built in the early 19th century and is listed Grade II by English Heritage. It takes its name from a small ferry which once linked Matlock Dale to Matlock Green. The ferry was replaced by a footbridge in 1872.[
*Footbridge to Pic Tor – This footbridge on the east side of Dale Road replaced a ferry at this point in 1872. The present iron bridge, erected in 1922, was refurbished in 2005. The bridge provides access from this part of Dale Road to Starkholmes Road, Pic Tor, High Tor, Hall Leys Park and Matlock Green.][
*Artists Corner – This is a collection of houses in the valley bottom built along the west side of a sharp bend on Dale Road. It has been a favoured spot through the centuries for artists to come to admire the scenery and either draw or paint High Tor, which overlooks it from the south. It is overlooked on the north side by St Johns Road with its Grade II* listed Baptist Chapel. Artists Corner was also the location of a toll house on the Wirksworth-Moor-to-Longstone Turnpike (opened 1759).
*High Tor Hotel – This building, squeezed into the valley bottom below High Tor, was built in the early 19th century by Colonel Edward Payne. It was originally known as Tor Cottage and has had a variety of uses since then, including being a private home, lodging house, guest house, hotel and school (Matlock Modern School). As at August 2015, it is called High Tor Hotel and Artists Corner Restaurant and claims to be "a modern boutique hotel offering guests luxury, comfort and style".
File:Matlock - HSBC Bank on Dale Road (Geograph-2242878-by-Dave-Bevis).jpg, HSBC Bank
File:Matlock - NatWest Bank.jpg, NatWest Bank
File:Matlock - former market hall.jpg, Market Hall with Queens Head beyond
File:Matlock - Olde Englishe Hotel.jpg, Olde Englishe Hotel
File:Matlock - Evans Jeweller.jpg, Evans Jeweller, with Lime and Olde Englishe Hotel beyond
File:Matlock - railway bridge and Holt Terrace.jpg, Holt Terrace with railway bridge to left
File:Matlock - footbridge to Pic Tor (Geograph-2242688-by-Dave-Bevis).jpg, Footbridge to Pic Tor
File:A6 (Dale Road) in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire - Geograph-4595383.jpg, top, alt=, Artists Corner
]
Sport
Matlock is home to Matlock Town Football Club playing in the Northern Premier League Premier Division
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
at their Causeway Lane
Matlock Town Football Club is a association football, football club based in Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock, Derbyshire, England. Nicknamed 'the Gladiators', they are currently members of the and play at Causeway Lane.
History
The club was esta ...
ground.
Matlock is also home to Matlock and Cromford Meadows Cricket Club playing next to the football ground, and Matlock and District Swimming Club (also known as MAD Swimming) which trained and competed in the nearby old Matlock Lido before it closed in August 2011 with subsequent events transferred to the Arc complex. Matlock Cycling Club has helped to produce a number of national and international status riders including Tim Gould
Tim Gould (born 30 May 1964) is an English former professional racing cyclist specialising in cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing.
Biography
After a string of World Cup victories and podium placings through the early 1990s his strength was cl ...
, Olympian Mountain Biker Annie Last
Annie Last (born 7 September 1990), is an English professional cyclist, representing Great Britain and England, who specialises in mountain biking and cyclo-cross. She was chosen as a female competitor in the Cycling at the 2012 Summer Olympics ...
and has a popular youth section.
Matlock's rugby team play their home matches at nearby Cromford Meadows. They run 3 senior teams and the 1st XV compete at Level 6 in the RFU league structure. Matlock Rugby Club also has a thriving minis and junior section with over 250 members all supported by fully qualified mini and junior coaches. In 2007 the club was awarded the Derbyshire Tigger Price Memorial trophy for the team of the year award.
On the outskirts of Matlock off the A6 Bakewell Road, a new multi-use leisure centre and swimming facility was opened in 2011 known as ''Arc Leisure Matlock''. It was opened officially by Lord Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medals ...
.
Education and arts
The annual arts festival Matlock Live began takes place in June or July each year featuring local musicians, dancers, artists, etc. As part of the summer event, Matlock Live invites buskers and other street performers to form a busking trail around Matlock raising money for the charity ''Aquabox''. Matlock Music present a series of public concerts at Highfields School (Upper Lumsdale site). Storytelling
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...
is also well represented with a monthly venue at the Imperial Rooms.
Education history
The first school in Matlock was founded in 1647 as a free school for local boys, originally funded by local George Spateman of Tansley
Tansley is a village on the southern edge of the Derbyshire Peak District, two miles east of Matlock.
History
Tansley is recorded in the Domesday Book as Taneslege, and its name comes from the combination of the Old English elements ''tān'' a ...
and from 1668 by Anthony Wolley. This school was rebuilt in 1829 and expanded in 1860 and 1889 and girls first attended in 1816. This school has since been demolished (the date is unknown).
Another school, All Saints Primary School, was founded in 1875 to provide for the population of the newly developed Matlock Bank. This school still operates and is the biggest primary school in Matlock. In 1897, a third school, the Council School, was constructed on Matlock Bank, at the junction of Smedley Street and Chesterfield Road. It also still operates as Castle View Primary School.
Before Highfields School was founded in 1982, when the tripartite education system in Matlock ended, there were two secondary schools in Matlock; Charles White Secondary Modern School
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usually ...
(founded in 1956, and named after two local MPs, father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
and son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...
, the latter of who died in 1956) and Ernest Bailey's Grammar School
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
(founded in 1924 and named after its wealthy founder).
As a Grammar school, Bailey's accepted students whose parents paid or who gained scholarships (by passing the Eleven plus exam
The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...
) until fees were phased out, leaving scholarship as the only means of entry. Those who didn't attain a scholarship attended Charles White – it is estimated that Charles White students outnumbered Bailey's students 3:1. White had been built especially by Derbyshire County Council
Derbyshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. It has 64 councillors representing 61 divisions, with three divisions having two members each. They are Glossop and Charlesworth, ...
to accommodate the children who couldn't attend Bailey's.
The two schools were merged to create Highfields, a comprehensive school. The site of Charles White in Starkholmes became the 'lower site' of Highfields for years 7–8, while Bailey's was converted to the county council records offices. A new site was built to house the new 'upper site' at Lumsdale for years 9–13.
The town centre development
For over 10 years, the council had proposed to allow a Sainsbury's supermarket to be built in Cawdor Quarry
Cawdor Quarry is a disused quarry in Matlock, Derbyshire. Much of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Within the SSSI the quarry still contains some old derelict machinery and warehouses. Cawdor Ponds, three lakes left ...
, a disused quarry next to the railway station. In early 2007 building work started and it opened 4 October 2007. A new access road with its own bridge over the River Derwent allows the A6 to bypass the town centre. The old bridge is restricted to one-way traffic (out of town) and allows pedestrian access from the town centre to the train station, a newly built bus station and the supermarket. Several bus routes continue to serve only the old bus station on Bakewell Road, making Matlock one of the smallest towns in Britain to have two bus stations.
In 2010, Crown Square was updated with the replacement of pavements and street furniture intended to provide a look more appropriate to a conservation area; the old tarmac pavements and traffic island were rebuilt in local sandstone, barriers were replaced with heritage bollards and all street lights replaced. Bakewell Road and Firs Parade were not included in this phase as they are just off Crown Square, and along with Imperial Road they are yet to be redeveloped.
Matlock on film and television
*''Coming Down the Mountain
''Coming Down the Mountain'' is a 2007 British television film which was shown on BBC One, written by Mark Haddon (author of ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'') and directed by Julie Anne Robinson. The television film was bas ...
'', The BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
drama was set partly in Matlock although nothing was filmed there.
*''Women in Love
''Women in Love'' (1920) is a novel by English author D. H. Lawrence. It is a sequel to his earlier novel ''The Rainbow'' (1915) and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an artist, ...
'', Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...
's Oscar winning
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
1969 film, uses a house at the top of New Street (No. 80) as the home of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. The house is currently a B&B. St Giles' Church in Church Street was the setting for the wedding of Laura Crich.
* A music video of Libera
Libera may refer to:
* Libera (mythology), a Roman goddess of fertility
* Libera (choir), a boy vocal group from London
* ''Libera'' (film), a 1993 comedy film
* "Libera" (song), a song by Italian artist Mia Martini
* ''Libera'' (gastropod), a ...
(''Salva Me'', 1997) in a rock formation in Matlock Cave.
*''Peak Practice
''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale—a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most ...
'', the ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
series, used locations in Matlock, including Highfields School, Victoria Hall Gardens and Henry Avenue, although the main village location is Crich
Crich is a village in the English county of Derbyshire. The population at the 2001 Census was 2,821, increasing to 2,898 at the 2011 Census (including Fritchley and Whatstandwell). It has the National Tramway Museum inside the Crich Tramway Vil ...
and nearby Fritchley.
*'' Dead Man's Shoes'', the 2004 film by Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015).
Meadows' other films inc ...
, was filmed in and around Matlock.
*''In Denial of Murder
''In Denial of Murder'' is a two-part British television crime drama series, written by Neil McKay and directed by David Richards, that first broadcast on BBC One on 29 February 2004. The series follows investigative journalist Don Hale (Stephen ...
'', 2005 BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
dramatisation of Matlock Mercury
The ''Matlock Mercury'' is a weekly newspaper published on a Thursday in the United Kingdom which serves Matlock, Darley Dale, Wirksworth, Bakewell and smaller villages in the Derbyshire Dales area of Derbyshire.
The ''Matlock Mercury'' began l ...
editor Don Hale
Don Hale (born July 1952) is a British author and journalist known for his investigative work and campaigning against miscarriage of justice in specific legal cases.
Early life
Hale played football at youth and reserve level for Bury, Blackbur ...
's campaign to free Stephen Downing.
*''Skeletons
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
'', (2010 film), partially filmed around Matlock including locations at the Morledge estate
*''Starlings
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
'', a 2012 Sky 1
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
drama, is set in Matlock.
Matlock in literature
Karl Philipp Moritz
Karl Philipp Moritz (Hameln, 15 September 1756 – Berlin, 26 June 1793) was a German author, editor and essayist of the ''Sturm und Drang'', late Enlightenment, and classicist periods, influencing early German Romanticism as well. He led a li ...
in his ''Journeys of a German in England in 1782
''Reisen eines Deutschen in England im Jahre 1782'' (English: ''Journeys of a German in England in 1782'') is a travel memoir by German author Karl Philipp Moritz. Moritz was a young scholar and Anglophile traveling to England for the first time. ...
'' describes Matlock as follows:
Travelling from Matlock Bath and via the Matlock Bridge you arrive in the small town of Matlock proper, a place hardly worth being called a village, as it is made up of very few, shoddy houses.
Letitia Elizabeth Landon
Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L.
The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...
's poem "Matlock", subtitled "To the memory of a favourite child (the daughter of a friend) who died there", appeared in ''Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book'', 1839.
William Berry's poem "Matlock" appeared in his collection ''A victim to glamour: and other poems''. Leeds: T. Barmby, 1874.
Youth hostels
The Youth Hostels Association (YHA) has its national headquarters in the former Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent plc is a water company based in Coventry, England. It supplies 4.6 million households and business across the Midlands and Wales.
It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Severn Trent, the ...
building on Dimple Road, Matlock.
Notable residents
* John E. Amoore (1930–1998), specialist in olfaction
*Ben Ottewell
Benjamin Joseph Ottewell (born 23 June 1976) is an English singer-songwriter. He is one of the three lead singers of the English indie rock band Gomez. He was the recipient of the Mercury Music Award Prize in 1998, and is well known for his "de ...
(born 1976), singer-songwriter of the indie-rock band Gomez, winners of the 1998 Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
* Alan Frederick Parker (born 1944), guitarist and composer
*Isy Suttie
Isobel Jane "Isy" Suttie (; born 11 August 1978) is a British musical comedian, actress, and writer. She played Dobby in the British sitcom ''Peep Show'', and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show ''Pearl And Dave''. ...
(born 1978), comedian and actress
* Charles Webster (born c. 1965), DJ and record producer[Larkin, Colin (2000) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music'', Virgin Books, , p. 315]
* Philip Whitehead (1937–2005), MP and later MEP
Gallery
Image:Matlock morning, fog, rotate.jpg, Matlock morning view from east, Lumsdale
Image:Town of Matlock.JPG, Matlock viewed from a nearby ridge
Image:Power of the Sun.JPG, The town enjoys the Sun's rays as shade approaches
Image:Lovely view.JPG, The town as seen from the nearby cable cars
See also
*Listed buildings in Matlock Town
Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock Town is a civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. The parish contains 44 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. ...
References
External links
Local Histories – Matlock, Matlock Bath and Matlock Dale
Matlock tourist information website
{{Authority control
County towns in England
Spa towns in England
Towns and villages of the Peak District
Towns in Derbyshire
Derbyshire Dales