The River Derwent has flooded many times in the town's history and there have been several flood relief schemes. The most recent was proved very effective and largely withstood the effects of the very heavy rainfalls experienced in Great Britain during October and November 2000 when the River Derwent broke its banks in many places. Although central Matlock was affected, and some premises were flooded because of water coming up through the drainage system, the walls that have been built alongside the river and the enclosure of the Hall Leys Park withstood the torrents and largely contained the swollen river. In 2019 the Derwent flooded the town for a second time this century, causing major disruption. Sadly, in 2022, for a fourth time since the millennium, the Derwent and storm water have recently inundated the town, yet again causing further disruption and hardship.

November 2000. Floodwater contained in the Hall Leys park.
The water was just a few inches from the top of the retaining wall before it stopped rising.

The footbridge over the River Derwent connecting the Hall Leys Park with Dale Road, shown in the photograph on the right, has plaques marking two severe floods that occurred in the twentieth century and within living memory of many residents. On Sunday 4th December, 1960 the flood water reached the lower mark when the river burst its banks and flooded into Crown Square at 9 a.m., engulfing an area five miles long by a mile wide[1]. Some five years later, on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th December, 1965, the flood waters reached even an higher point. Many of the shops in the town centre were again flooded - six feet of water was said to be covering the town centre on the 10th. The murky water went up into Firs Parade, where the writer's father had to try to rescue and remove stock before the water came in. In "dreary Derbyshire", as the RAC were reported to be describing the situation, motoring was impossible in many parts of the county although by the evening of the 11th the Derwent's water had subsided and much of the town centre was clear. On the 23rd levels were being monitored as the water rose again, to three feet above normal, but the town did not flood on that occasion. Susy Cytko remembers these floods. "In Matlock Green a lorry decided to rush through the water and made such waves that it broke the window at Aunty Dolly's sweet shop and all the jars of sweets floated out, which was exciting to us as we were children at the time; we did try to catch them but my mum would not let us go down stairs so we tried to catch them with a bucket on a rope but it never worked. Someone came with soup in a boat and we let the bucket down to collect it, and bread. Of course we kids hated the soup as it was onion, but our parents were grateful. ... One person drowned across the road[2]". Grenville Smith recalls that Dolly, who ran the sweet shop, was always first to know that a flood was on the way because water would appear in her basement before it entered anyone else's. She would then alert the other Matlock Green residents to move upstairs. Floods in Matlock Green were not new. In the summer of 1830 John Bown of Matlock Green Mill lost a cow and William Bown had to save a mare when what was described as "tremendous rain" caused the Lumsdale mills dams to break their banks, and a "mighty torrent" ensued. The "Green was completely inundated to a great depth, the field walls were swept away, the gardens and all vegetables destroyed, and large trees torn up by the roots and carried away". Large potholes appearing in the roads made them impassable. The flood level in Matlock Green in 1965 was 13 inches (33cm) higher than in 1931, which was the previous worst flood Matlock had known.

Where the floodwater reached, 1960 and 1965. © Ann Andrews

Though flooding has occurred because of exceptionally heavy rainfall, as it did most recently in 2000, 2019 and 2022, the town has also flooded when extremely heavy snowfalls were followed by very sudden rises in air temperature and rapid thaws, sometimes accompanied by heavy rainfall.

So snow falling in the hills of the Peak melted quickly and formed torrents which drained into the Derwent, causing water levels to rise dramatically and this was the reason why the town flooded in 1965^[3]. The same thing had happened over sixty years before, when the water levels rose very quickly overnight between Sunday 29th December and Monday 30th December 1901. An article in "The Times" described the whole of the Derwent Valley as a "scene of desolation"^[4] and another press report thought the town was "Matlock in the Lake District"^[5]. It was reported that water had entered hundreds of business premises, hotels and private homes at 3 a.m. causing residents to flee^[4]. Other inhabitants awoke and peered through the mist to find that Matlock Bridge and Matlock Green had joined hands, as it were, and only the coping stones of the walls along Causeway Lane were visible^[5]. The cellars of both the Crown and Railway Hotels were under water^[5], with water standing four to five feet high in the Railway Hotel^[6]. On that occasion the flood water covered Crown Square by 7 a.m.^[6] and the Derwent above Matlock was about a mile wide^[4]. The greatest depth was recorded on the football ground (which was on the Hall Leys until 1911). The water level there registered ten feet - "not a vestige of the football field could be seen except the top of the 'pavilion'."^[5] According to the Matlock historian Benjamin Bryan, there was by then bright sunshine which reflected in the newly formed lake^[6]. Fortunately, "an abatement took place by daylight"^[4] but the flooding had caused considerable damage in the town^[6]. Matlock Green did not suffer quite as badly as it could have done, thanks to the Council having raised the banks of the stream there (the Bentley Brook)^[5].

1907 flooding.

Work to widen the County Bridge was delayed for weeks in 1903 owing to the flooded state of the river, when Matlock cricket field was under water^[7]. It was reported that many rivers had overflowed and part of Matlock was once more submerged on Wednesday 16 October 1907, with damage to the hockey and cricket grounds^[8] (see image above). Such was the volume of water that the Derwent was said to be at least ten feet above its normal level and the Hall Leys, including the Broad Walk and the football pitch, disappeared under the torrent. Crown Square, Bakewell Road, part of Bank Road and Causeway Lane were submerged and the Railway Hotel was cut off. The Crown Hotel was surrounded on two sides by floodwater and pedestrians were ferried across the water by penny buses^[9].

At the end of 1910, when a general election was being held in the United Kingdom, Matlock endured more flooding. On 9 December the Derwent rose alarmingly, following heavy snowstorms in the Peak that had ended two days before and then 36 hours of heavy rain. The cricket and football pitches disappeared and the Hall Leys promenade resembled a swimming pool. The new bandstand stood above the water but the surrounding land, where the park was being created, was totally submerged by midday. Knowleston Gardens were impassable and flood water then entered both Crown Square and Dale Road. Fortunately, at 3p.m. the same day the water levels started to drop, just as the water had reached the front of the Conservative Club, and more serious damage was averted^[10].

Benjamin Bryan described several nineteenth century floods. In the first week of October 1880 there was a storm with very high winds which caused the river to burst its banks. Several months later, just before the 1881 census was taken, snow, high winds and a rapid thaw caused further flooding in February. "So high did the waters rise that the railway was flooded, and no train was permitted to proceed northwards beyond Matlock Bridge. The consequence was that numbers of passengers had their journey arrested, and upwards of 150 persons had to be accommodated at the Queen's Head Hotel and elsewhere^[6]". "The footbridge across the river to Matlock Town was washed down and wrecked : "The new footbridge over the river at the foot of Harvey Dale was destroyed by the violence of the flood, and lies at the side of the river a complete wreck"^[11]. Lower down the bridge leading to the paint works and the High Tor Grotto was also destroyed. There was a strong current of water three to four feet deep running along the roadway, as if it were part of the river, to and through Matlock Bath^[6]". There was further flooding in March of the same year, and again during October, so 1881 was not a good year for the town^[12].

Matlock: Dale Road, Boat House Hotel & Bridge, 1870s has a photograph the first bridge.

Matlock: Dale Road, Boat House Hotel & Quarry shows the 1882 replacement, the second in 10 years.

A few years afterwards the "Weekly Dispatch" reported, on 16 May 1886, serious flooding and "Great Destruction of Property" in many parts of the country. "At Matlock vehicular and pedestrian traffic was totally stopped along a large portion of the highway, and the houses on The Green were submerged to the second storey". The Horse Shoe Inn, Mr. Clay's ironmongers and the Co-op were the worst affected and "full of water" following almost 70 hours of continuous rain. The furniture and household items of many of the houses had to be rapidly moved to a place of safety. November 1890 saw further flooding: "On the road to Matlock Bath there was a depth of four to five feet of water^[6]".

The notice board outside the Crown Hotel has a poster for a Police Ball Whist Drive on it. The same poster can be seen on another image on the Bank Road & the Steep-Gradient Tramway page.

The postcard above is dated 18th January, 1921 and the area under water is just off Crown Square, at the bottom of Bank Road. One of the entrances to the Crown Hotel is clearly visible on the near left. A gale of unusual severity had affected the U.K. for the previous two days, causing widespread flooding. The Matlock correspondent to "The Times" described "the view from the Peak as one huge lake" as much of the Matlock's town centre was under water. The water rose so rapidly that a temporary bridge had to be erected for traffic^[13]. Stanley Fearn's shop was under three feet of water and in Crown Square the water was four feet deep. Dale Road, by the Holt Quarries, was also partly submerged. There was considerable relief that the "new" iron bridge across the Derwent near the Old English Hotel, carrying the sewerage scheme's main pipe, had withstood the pressure; it was submerged to a depth of a foot. The only anxiety was in case a tree trunk, many of which had travelled downstream on the spate, should strike it. The floating debris in 1921 included "fowl houses, stakes, fencing, and other wooden objects ... although there were dead sheep and fowls among the rest; and logs galore"^[14].

Also 1921. The flood water was slowly receding - a small amount of debris has been left behind. It rather looks as if the car driver may have been somewhat foolhardy if he had attempted to drive across Crown Square; his car's back wheels are half submerged. As for the tram, it is difficult to know if it had stopped or whether it was the same tramcar shown on the Bank Road & the Steep-Gradient Tramway page.

Matlock was flooded twice in 1928. On the 16th February a serious flood, the second within six weeks, occurred. The water level was six to eight inches below the flood height of 6th January that year, but there was a river across Crown Square, the Hall Leys was a lake once more and shops and houses on Bakewell Road were flooded^[15].

Three years later, on the 4th September, 1931, the town flooded again when the Derwent rose at an extraordinary rate^[16]. This time there was considerable damage: Burgon's in Crown Square was particularly badly affected and other shops had their windows smashed because of the amount of debris, which included a large boiler floating down the Hall Leys park to the Knowleston Place Pleasure grounds and an Austin Seven saloon car that had been abandoned a few hours earlier being swept along by the deluge. Pavements were also torn up. An omnibus with passengers aboard was stranded and two men, Mr. G Taylor (foreman to the Highways Department) and Mr. E. Flint (pleasure grounds manager), were swept off their feet by the swirling water and nearly drowned whilst attempting to take a rope to the stricken vehicle. The footbridge near Matlock Bath's Gas Works, which carried a main sewer and water main was swept away and the Parochial Hall parking area was also partly destroyed. Fire had also broken out at Matlock Gas Works and water the fire brigade pumped out flood water in addition to extinguishing the flames. Further downstream, at Masson Mill, the sluice which worked the turbines was completely wrecked by the flood, huge blocks of concrete were flung into the river bed and over 300 employees signed on at the labour exchange^[17].

Photographs also exist of the Hall Leys under water once more in 1941. The flooding caused havoc although the low lying parts of the town, which had been inundated with flood water many times before, were covered to a depth of between one and four feet. On Bakewell Road North Western moved their buses to higher ground and both Kennings and Walters & Brooker parked their cars on Lime Tree Road and Imperial Road. The water didn't recede for some time, but once levels started to fall it subsided as quickly as it had risen. The debris left behind included large quantities of timber and many sacks of coke, which were collected by both children and adults for later use^[18]. Bakewell Road was flooded again in 1948^[19].

To return to Matlock Bath, there was very localised flooding during the summer of 1924 that was caused by a violent thunderstorm in which "rain and hailstones fell as large marbles for two hours. The Parade became a river and the shops were flooded to a great depth". Visitors and day trippers were marooned, or had to wade through deep water to escape^[20]. Parts of Matlock Bath had also flooded during the First World War^[21]. Some of the ground next to the river had been prone to flooding for a long time^[22].

Postcard taken before 1906, and possibly before 1900, showing a swollen river Derwent. The Promenade landing stage is under water and the shelter is also flooded. This was not an uncommon occurrence but in 1907 the water rose to just below the promenade and some of the Lovers' Walks were under water[9].

One of the saddest tales resulting from the Derwent being in flood occurred in the village in January 1852. There was a particularly tragic accident involving two members of the Cumming family, who drowned in the swollen river at Matlock Bath. The disastrous consequences of this, as the head of the family was one of the two who perished, were widely reported and a fund was set up to help the surviving children.
Cumming biographies | Newspaper report | Subscription for the relief of the Cumming children
Sadly, these weren't the only fatalities to occur in the Matlock section of the River Derwent^[23].

Whilst flooding can and did cause misery and damage, Matlock and District's inhabitants were not without a sense of humour. Colin Goodwyn writes of an escapade in 1866 during what proved to be the worst flood for 25 years and which turned the Hall Leys into a sea of water across to Matlock Green. "Some wags hung a five bar gate on the lamp post at Matlock Bridge as a make believe that the flood had been that height and left it there". A sign board was seen floating down the Derwent; on it had been painted the words "No road this way"^[24].

Below is a photograph of the River Derwent in spate, taken from Matlock Bath's Jubilee Bridge in the 1950s using a 2 x 2 Agifold camera. The landing stage was completely submerged! The Lovers' Walks on the opposite bank would undoubtedly have been underwater downstream.

There is an interesting, if somewhat obscure, cutting from the High Peak News, dated Saturday, 22 April, 1916, about flood prevention.
Read the article
Whatever the various bodies may have either talked about or did, nothing to deal effectively with the problem happened for many years.

During the 1970s the weir that served the Matlock Dale colour works and fed their water turbine was removed. This fundamentally changed the nature of the river between Matlock and Matlock Bath; it is better for the canoeists, though that was not why the weir was removed^[25]. Before the recent severe flooding of November 2019, the last time the river was a cause for concern was in 2007, but it thankfully just broke the bank in the park.

The pictures show the extent of the flooding on 6th November 2000, just before Armistice Sunday; crosses and posts were being prepared for poppies close to the town centre's memorial. A great deal of surface water also ran down the hill behind Matlock's football ground, which stayed on the land. Someone even used a canoe on the cricket end of the field^[26].



Firemen pumping water back into the river on Bakewell Road, taken from the car park over the supermarket.

Flooding on 8 November 2019

Parts of Matlock's town centre flooded after very heavy rain that began around 3p.m. on 6th November and continued throughout the following day. There had been a prolonged period of rain during October, which meant the ground was already saturated and was unable to cope with yet more downpours.

Interestingly, as in 1910, a general election had been called in The U.K.
The British Prime Minister swept in briefly for a photo opportunity, supposedly clearing up flood water in Specsavers, and there was a promise of funding for flood relief.



Bakewell Road, mid-morning.
Although the green bin's wheels are not really in the water by this point, marks on the bottom of the walls of the buildings on the right indicate levels had been a little higher. The water had receded slightly between 9 and 10.30a.m. Further along the road, vehicles are block traffic entering the town centre.
In the afternoon the levels here were possibly a little higher. The road was still cordoned off at the Crown Square end there was no traffic in Crown Square.
The fire brigade was in action and the Gas company was also working outside what used to be Burgons!
Some businesses were been badly affected.

The fast flowing water was close the top of the arch of the County Bridge. If water had hit the bridge the flooding would have been far more extensive.	Swans were an unexpected addition to the birds on the Hall Leys during the morning. They were still around during the afternoon, though were out of the water.

Turbulent water immediately to the south of the bridge, which overflowed onto the Hall Leys Park.
The railing on the left help show how deep the water was in this part of the park.



Looking across the Hall Leys, towards the Pavilion, the bandstand and Riber Castle.
The sign advertising Matlock Market looks rather forlorn.



A really beautiful autumnal view across the flooded park. The bandstand, or at least part of the surround, can be seen on the right.
To give readers an idea of the depth of the flood water, the height of the black rubbish bin in the centre of the picture is four feet. As the top of the bin is just showing here it means that the floodwater was a little less in height when the photo was taken^[26].



Although the football ground wasn't totally submerged, most of the Hall Leys park was under water.
Flood water in the park can be seen on the right, over the top of the hedge.
Fortunately, the weekend's scheduled FA Trophy football match was able to go ahead, despite an extremely low spectator turnout because of continued travel disruptions. The ground had drained well but the players had to cope with more rain and very cold conditions. This time luck was on the side of the local team and they were able to progress into the next round.
The cricket ground was covered with water on the Friday morning, but by Saturday it had all gone.



The water in the park had receded slightly by 2p.m.
At its maximum the height of the water was 2 feet less than that recorded in 1960 and approximately 4 feet below the height reached in 1965.



The former tram shelter

Whilst I have no current pictures of the 2019 flooding in Matlock Bath, water levels in the early morning were worryingly high as they were just three feet below Jubilee Bridge. The river was said to be close to reaching the highest recorded level which was attained in 1965.

First there was Storm Dudley and there was hardly time to recover when Storm Eunice swept across the United Kingdom on Valentine's Day, its damaging winds battering the country, leaving homes without power and causing extensive damage. It was quickly followed by Storm Franklin, which was almost the final straw because of the wind strength. It wasn't until this point that questions were raised about the promised flood relief money for Matlock, which had not materialised.

Matlock had also flooded in early 2021, when the flood prevention gates were shut, but it was not as severe. The Environment Agency had also spent a considerable sum on repairing the flood defences in early 2020.

1. Warning signs of what was to come

21 February, about 10.30am Surface water pouring into the river via the drain beside the County bridge from Snitterton Road. In another image of this (not shown here) the water level is considerably higher and the water from the road was a thick brown.	The river and bridge, also about 10.30am on 21 Feb. Water began flowing through the fourth arch shortly afterwards. Forecasts said the flood water was due to peak in the early hours of the following morning.

2. The aftermath.

The Broad Walk, Hall Leys, 21 Feb 2022.



Bakewell Road, 21 Feb 2022.
Shopkeepers in and around Crown Square had been advised to move their stock to a place of safety on the previous day.
Businesses close to where the cars are parked in the distance, such as Stanley Fearn Cycles and Matlock MOT (the large white building), were also affected.
The water here is said to have come down the hillsides after the excessive rain, so it was water run-off from the Dimple, Bank Road, etc., and water coming up through the drains rather than from the Derwent, that is believed to have caused the problem on this occasion.
Floodwater coming up through the drains wasn't a new phenomenon. If you closely study Harry Gill's 1960s film in the Mace Archive (linked at the bottom of this section) you should be able to see occasional bubbling where the water is coming up. Unfortunately, it is not easy to spot because of the tidal waves caused by the large lorries, but it is there.



Two images of the fast moving Derwent, which had burst its banks, taken from the same spot a little way along the Pic Tor footpath, 21 Feb 2022.
The water was heading downstream towards Matlock Dale and Matlock Bath, where flood alerts were also in place.
These two photos were taken a few hours after the flooding had reached its maximum height.
The riverside footpath was under water; it was also covered by debris.
Fallen, damaged, trees were both in the swollen river (shown above) and on the opposite bank (pictured below).
Another tree had come down near Knowleston Place.

3. Cleaning up

Hall Leys, 22 Feb 2022.
Water levels were subsiding, the paths were open and the clean up had begun.

22 Feb 2022 Debris piled up against the upstream side of the iron footbridge over the river, which was repaired very recently. The maximum height of the floodwater was probably slightly lower than in 2019 and the debris was a little different because of the time of year. In 2019 there were very many leaves but this debris consisted mostly of small twigs and branches broken off by the high winds. The fast flowing water below the bridge was still at a high level, but at least it was going under rather than over the walkway. Although the footbridge remained closed, the following morning most of the debris on the paths had been cleared. Whilst the rose garden was still submerged and flood water remained in the paddling pool, the Council staff had done an excellent job.

28 Feb 2022. The road over the County Bridge was closed and the Environment Agency were assessing the situation as part of the flood wall had been damaged the previous day. Here a wall had collapsed, some into the river, and stones moved from under the building where the orange barrier can be seen. Thursday 7 April. This enormous crane was parked on Derwent Way, traffic lights had been installed in both Crown Square and on Dale Road, and vehicles were once again crossing the bridge in both directions.

1 March 2022. Underneath where the orange barrier had been on 28 February (shown on the left) had been washed away. Fifty two white bags of gravel were placed below where the wall had collapsed. 7 Apr 2022 (above and below). These show the amount of damaged sustained to both the wall and various properties. Other photos show severe erosion of the riverbank underneath what had been a building. What remained of the destroyed outbuilding behind the Crown Square shops (in the centre of the photo) has since been demolished. It is estimated that over 60 green bags, filled with large grey gravel, were put in place. They were guided in by the man in the middle (above), who had a thin wire attached to him. A lifebelt lies on the ground nearby. Trees along the riverbank had been cut down.

Matlock Bridge was closed to all traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists, from 13 June 2022 to prepare it in readiness for the flood prevention work. So pedestrians and cyclists were advised to use the bridge in the Hall Leys park. The bridge was re-opened on 1 August for two-way traffic as Derwent Way has been closed until these major repairs are completed, although there is only one pavement over the bridge. A different crane was now on Derwent Way (see below) and materials are also there in readiness. Things progressed quickly, with more gravel bags and some kind of pontoon in the river. The work aroused a good deal of local interest.

Monday 8 August. The replacement crane.

8 August 2022. View of the work's progress from under the bridge.

A working platform was then created in the river on top of the green bags that had been placed on the riverbed, with a footbridge connecting it to the Derwent Way side. It seemed to fill over half of the river. Piling work was then undertaken, no mean feat because the work involved drilling through the limestone below. Some slippage also occured on the opposite bank.

The scheduled work for the year was completed shortly before Christmas 2022. There were a couple of minor hiccups as some trees fell into the Derwent and had to be removed. By early January 2023 the work shelf, the equipment and the footbridge had all has been removed, with just the platform remaining for the time being.

The work was finished - and then came the first major test ...

12 October 2023. The County Bridge was open.
Safety barriers, railings and gates have been added to the tops of the stone walls.
The left bank has also been improved/strengthened. Large rocks, said to be immovable, have been placed on the water's edge.
The Environment Agency have clearly invested a great deal of thought and care into protecting the bridge and the nearby buildings as well as spending time on some community projects.

A few finishing touches were being added to the retaining wall, which is faced with high quality local stone.

21 October 2023.
Storm Babet caused havoc in the U.K. but whilst there was some flooding in the Matlocks, it was largely contained.
This photo was taken from the bridge just over 4 hours after the water level had been at its highest.

21 October 2023. Excess flood water contained in the Hall Leys Park.
There was the usual hay bale jammed against the bottom of the bridge connecting the park with Dale Road.
The A6 near the former Boat House Hotel also flooded again and Matlock Bath had to cancel their Illuminations but the Matlocks were luckier than many other communities.

Environment Agency: Matlock Flood Wall. Keep up to date with what is happening or has happened.

Of interest is the Mace Archive, with video footage by Harry Gill of the 1960 and 1965 floods in Matlock - see Harry Gill, the tempestuous years (external link, so will open in a new window or tab). What was astonishing to see was how fast vehicles were being driven through the flood water, creating bow waves that made the situation worse for the premises bordering the roads.

References (coloured links go to on site transcripts):

^[1] "The Times", Monday 5 Nov 1960. These were the worst floods to have hit Matlock since those of late Dec 1931 - early Jan 1932. The flood water covered low lying land five miles wide and a mile long between Matlock and Rowsley.

^[2] Thanks to Susy Cytko, whose parents then ran the Horse Shoe in Matlock Green. The drowned man Suzy referred to was Mr. George Ellis, a 58 year old railway worker from Starkholmes. He was swept away by the flood water during the night of 9th December ("The Times", Monday 13 Dec 1965).

^[3] "The Times", 30 Nov 1965 reported blizzards and heavy snowfalls in the U.K. and Matlock police reported that over 400 vehicles were stranded in North Derbyshire.

^[4] "The Times", Wednesday 1 Jan 1902.

^[5] "Derbyshire Courier", 4 January 1902 and "Derbyshire Times", Saturday 4 January 1902

^[6] Bryan, Benjamin (1903) "History of Matlock - Matlock, Manor and Parish" London by Bemrose & Sons, Limited.

^[7] "Sheffield Daily Telegraph", Thursday 29 October 1903.

^[8] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 19 October 1907.

^[9] "Sheffield Daily Telegraph", 18 October 1907. Remarkable Scenes at Matlock. With thanks to Susan Tomlinson for finding this article.

^[10] "High Peak News", 10 Dec 1910. Matlock's New Park Flooded. The general election was the second to be held in 1910. Thanks to Susan Tomlinson for providing the article.

^[11] "Sheffield Independent", 10 Feb 1881. "The highest altitude of previous floods is that of 1790, but there is no record of any floods rising to the height of that of Tuesday evening. It was more than 20 inches in some places higher than marked on any previous occasion".The article was written by the paper's Matlock correspondent. It has been asserted elsewhere that the Harvey Dale bridge was swept away in 1921, but pictures and postcards of the area show that the iron bridge (still in situ) was put in shortly afterwards the 1881 flood and no newspaper references have been found to indicate any damage to that bridge in 1921.

^[12] "The Derby Mercury", 19 Oct 1881, reported a gale and strong winds, with many trees uprooted. A Mr. Willliam Hadfield of Oker managed to save a hay rick which was in danger of being carried away by the water that flooded the fields. It referred to the damage in February when, according to the same paper, the noise of the water rushing through the gorge beneath High Tor was terrifying. Tree trunks, general debris and some sheep and rabbits were swept downstream and on towards Derby (issue of 16 Feb 1881).

^[13] "The Times", Wednesday 19 Jan 1921.

^[14] "Derbyshire Courier", 22 January 1921. Matlocks Streets Under Water. Gale's Violence. Perils of the Spate.
It should be noted that although the bridge was described as "new", an article the previous year verifies that it was some 3-4 years old in 1921, so it was not brand new.

^[15] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 17 Feb 1928. Serious Matlock Flood. Also "Sheffield Independent", 17 Feb 1928. Matlock Flood. River rises more than ten feet.

^[16] The date is from Arkle, M. J. (1983) "Tuppence Up, Penny Down", printed by Geo. Hodgkinson (Printers) Ltd. The flood damage was estimated to be over £30,000. "The Times" of 4 Sept 1931 reported heavy rain across the country and on the 5th that Derbyshire's rivers were in flood, although did not mention events in Matlock.

^[17] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 5 Sept., 1931. Derbyshire Roads Impassable and Houses Inundated. Matlock follows Derby Relief Fund lead. This was also reported in the "Derbyshire Times".

^[18] "Derbyshire Times", 21 February 1941.

^[19] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 14 January 1948.

^[20] "The Times", Wednesday 23 July 1924.

^[21] There is a short report in Matlock and Matlock Bath Newspaper Cuttings, Jul 1914 - Nov 1918, 1916.

^[22] A sale notice from 1767 comments on this. See Matlock & Matlock Bath Public Notices & Announcements, 1767.

^[23] Further tragedies are described in Boating on the River Derwent, 1914.

^[24] "The Derby Mercury", 21 Nov 1866, with thanks to Colin.

^[25] Information from the late Peter Hare. Also see Photographs of Matlock Bath Today (4) | Matlock Bath, High Tor and the Colour Works

^[26] Information from Susan Tomlinson. After the flood water receded in 2019 she measured the height of the bin.