The three storey building closest to the camera, situated on a narrow strip of land between Bath Terrace and what used to be called the Matlock and Buxton Turnpike Road (Derby Road), was where Robert Hartle lived in the nineteenth century^[1]. Hartle, a comb manufacturer who was born in Bonsall, also ran a spar and marble museum on the premises.

An auctioneer's sale advertisement from 1847 described the property as having a "show-room, out buildings, small garden and the appurtenances thereto belonging"^[2]; at the time it was in the tenure or occupation of Mr. Hartle who held a lease for 21 years, "eleven years whereof are unexpired at the annual yearly rent of £15"^[2]. By 1855, when the property was advertised again, there were only two years of the lease remaining but Mr. Hartle continued to live there well after the expiry date^[3] and the building was still referred to as "Hartle's" as late as 1886^[4]. When the web mistress was small there was very little left of the museum building apart from a few crumbling walls just above soil level. It was demolished in the 1930s^[5].

The photograph also shows the remains of another building which was known as Win Tor^[6]. My late father described it: "The building [I was born in] has been demolished in pursuit of road widening. It was situated on the A6 road between the present approach to the New Bath Hotel and Clifton Road. There were two cottages and on the ground floor was a blacksmith's"^[7].

Behind Hartle's is Portland House, originally called Wint House. The road junction on the left just beyond Hartle's leads to Clifton Road and opposite the junction is a small shop that was run by Edith Brocklehurst about 1900. Matlock Bath's Holy Trinity Church can also be seen.

Also see:
Advertisement for Hartle's Museum, Matlock Bath from Hall's "Days in Derbyshire", 1863

References (coloured links are to transcripts elsewhere on this web site):

^[1] Robert Hartle was living there in the 1841 census | 1851 census | 1861 census | 1871 census
He also advertised in many trade directories: Pigots 1831 | Pigots 1842 | Bagshaw 1846 | Kelly's 1848 | White's 1852 | Kelly's 1855 | White's 1857 | White's 1862 | Kelly's 1864 | Kelly's 1876
Also see his MI

^[2] "The Derby Mercury", Wednesday, October 13, 1847.

^[3] "The Derby Mercury", Wednesday, August 15, 1855.

^[4] "The Derby Mercury", Wednesday, April 21, 1886.

^[5] The building was demolished before 1940. From a conversation with Ken Smith

^[6] I have no large image of Win Tor at present, but the property can be seen on other pictures on this site. See Similar/related views in the top right menu bar. Win Tor was demolished before 1932 and Matlock Bath Filling Station replaced it.

^[7] Reminiscences of the late Mr. Frank Clay, from his private papers and notes owned by the web mistress. This extract written about 1998. The Clay family moved shortly afterwards.