Matlock: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 80 - 80 Riverbank House
 On the edge of the Peak District, the Riverbank B&B sits on the banks of the River Derwent in Matlock. Riverbank offers country-house style rooms, fr… MoreGBP 45 - 70 The Boathouse Hotel
 The Boathouse is located in the Derbyshire village of Matlock, on the edge of The Peak District National Park. It offers cosy rooms with free Wi-Fi a… MoreGBP 68 - 98 Whitworth Park Hotel
 The friendly Whitworth Park Hotel is a Grade II Listed building with free Wi-Fi, good breakfasts and excellent food. Near the Peak District, Matlock i… MoreGBP 49 - 559 Riber Hall Studio´s
 Located in the village of Riber, just outside of Matlock, these apartments all have patios with views of the Derbyshire countryside. The spacious Ribe… MoreGBP 89 - 129 Holmefield Country Guest House
 Situated just outside the Peak District, Holmefield Country Guest House is 3 miles from Matlock. It offers 5-star accommodation a 6-minute drive from … MoreGBP 54 - 207 Brook New Bath Hotel
 The hotel was built in 1802 and looks out over Derwent Gorge. It has an Olympic-sized outdoor pool and an indoor heated plunge pool, both fed by natur… MoreGBP 55 - 75 Duke Of Wellington - Residential Country Inn
 Rich in original character and traditional charm, this cosy 19th-century country inn offers good beers, great-value food and comfortable en suite room… MoreGBP 55 - 95 Alison House Hotel
 Set in 7 acres of grounds, this Georgian-style house has free Wi-Fi and spacious rooms, in the Derwent Valley World Heritage site. Cromford Rail Stati… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matlock: Guide
Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, UK. It is situated at the south eastern edge of the Peak District, and is twin towns|twinned with Eaubonne in France. Matlock Bath lies immediately south of the town on the A6 road|A6. Matlock is ten miles south west of Chesterfield, surrounded by the cities of Derby (19 miles), Sheffield (22 miles) and Nottingham (25 Miles). The A6 road continues to Manchester (45 miles away). Although officially occupying a central England position geographically, Matlock is in the west of Derbyshire in what is known as the Derbyshire Dales which includes the towns of Wirksworth and Bakewell. Industry in the area is now relatively low since the decline of the mill industry and job opportunities are quite poor apart from tourism and administration jobs. Many now travel to Chesterfield and the South Yorkshire conurbation for work.
History
A former spa town, Matlock lies on the River Derwent, Derbyshire|River Derwent, and has prospered from both the hydrotherapy industry and the Mill (factory)|mills constructed on the river. It was an unimportant collection of small villages — Matlock Town, Matlock Green, Matlock Bridge, Matlock Bank — until thermal springs were discovered in 1698. The population increased rapidly in the 1800s, largely due to hugely popular hydros being built. At one stage there were around twenty hydros, most on Matlock Bank. The largest was built in 1853 by John Smedley (industrialist)|John Smedley. This closed in the 1950s, when it became home to Derbyshire County Council. Matlock is also home to the Derbyshire Dales District Council as well as Matlock Town Council.
Transportation
Bank Road Tram
In 1893, Matlock Cable Tramway, a Cable car (railway)|cable tramway was built up Bank Road from Crown Square at Matlock Bridge to Wellington Street (at the top of Bank Road) with a stop half way up at Smedley Street where Smedley's Hydro (built by John Smedley (industrialist)|John Smedley) was situated. Conceived by Job Smith, the tram was inspired by San Francisco, California|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 of 1 in 5½, and it rose 300 Foot (unit of length)|feet. The fare was tuppence up, penny down. It closed in 1927 after losing business to automobile|cars and buses.
Railways
Matlock railway station was on the Midland Railway line between London and Manchester, until the section between Matlock and Buxton was closed in 1968 during the Beeching Axe.The rail council have been considering opening it again but the locals of Matlock know that it won't happen. Trains still run between Matlock and Derby on the Derwent Valley Line. Peak Rail, a preserved railway, runs steam trains on a section of the closed line between Matlock, Darley Dale and Rowsley. It is hoped that in the future Peak Rail will be able to share the mainline station – it currently has its own station, Matlock Riverside railway station|Matlock Riverside, a short distance to the north.
Hall Leys Park
The tram shelter from Crown Square is now in Hall Leys Park, a large Victorian era|Victorian park next to the river which opened in 1898. The park boasts a miniature railway, bandstand and a boating pond, with the oldest running powered boats in Britain, for many years, as well as tennis courts and a war memorial. There is an ongoing project to update and upgrade all the parks in the Matlock area - Hall Leys Park was the first to benefit from this and the children's play area has been greatly modernised. There has also been a skateboard park added replacing grass tennis courts. The park hosts the Matlock Victorian Christmas Weekend on the first weekend of December.
Sport
Matlock is home to Matlock Town F.C.|Matlock Town Football Club, known as 'The Gladiators'. They are currently in the Unibond League|Unibond Premier League and play home matches at their Causeway Lane ground.
Matlock is also home to Matlock Cricket Club who also play their games next to the football ground.
The Arts
Matlock has a growing reputation for the creative and performing arts which was enhanced in 2004 when the annual arts festival Matlock Live! began. It takes place in June or July each year featuring local musicians, dancers, artists, etc.
The local secondary school, Highfields School, achieved status as a Specialist school|Performing Arts College due to its connections with Matlock Live!
Matlock on film and television
Ken Russell's Academy Awards|Oscar winning 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 Bed and Breakfast|B&B.
series, used locations in Matlock although the main location is the nearby village of Crich.
Dead Man's Shoes (2004 film)|Dead Man's Shoes, the 2004 film by Shane Meadows, was filmed in and around Matlock.
In Denial of Murder, 2005 BBC dramatisation of Matlock Mercury editor Don Hale's campaign to free Stephen Downing
Jane Eyre, 2006 BBC Adaptation of the Charlotte Brontë novel was filmed at the nearby Haddon Hall and in the Countryside nearby.
Youth Hostels
The YHA|Youth Hostels Association has its national headquarters on Dimple Road, Matlock. Despite the close proximity of the HQ, the YHA announced in 2005 that they would be closing down the Matlock Hostel which is situated on Bank Road.
Famous Residents
Simon Groom, the DJ and former Blue Peter presenter.
Ben Ottewell, from the band Gomez_(band)|Gomez
Geoff Hinsliff, actor, famous for playing Don Brennan in Coronation Street
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Matlock". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.