There are three boats moored
up at the ferry point on the Lovers' Walk bank of the river Derwent.
The man on the left has one foot in the ferry, a deep and well
made boat with seating all around the edge for passengers and
a central foot-well. The man in the
centre is standing on the ferry's forecastle. This was where
the passengers would step onto the ferry before taking their
seats. To return to the man on the left who is about to step
into the ferry. His weight is on his other leg as his left
foot is in a sailing boat with a rather primitive mast, possibly
added after it was originally constructed.
A rowing skiff is behind the older, bearded gentleman in the
middle. The older man has secured the ferry by a single turn
around one of the support ropes on the riverbank.
The middle boat has a rowlock visible on one side to hold an
oar - the nearer one is hidden from view. There are two shrouds
(or hounds) that would normally support the mast but tied in
so that they are out of the way. There is a halliard over a pulley
at the top of the mast and, possibly, sails are lying on the
boom of the boat.
Unfortunately, it is hard to know both who these men were and
whether the workman on the footpath was just an observer or if
he was also involved with the ferry.
Behind them, several smaller rowing boats are moored across
the width of the river. As the river water wasn't high at this
time one just wonders if this was a deliberate ploy to prevent
others using the river. A little further away, on the left hand
bank, are the steps behind Herbert Buxton's Museum. He also had
boats for hire and there was a dispute between the boat hires
at one stage.
A meeting of the UDC's Pleasure Gardens and Boating Committee
in 1898 learned that 3900 people had used the ferry in the previous
year, paying 1d. each. Whilst the Council's Surveyor could not
explain why there had been a downturn in the ferry's use, Mr.
Cubley suggested that poor weather might have played its part[1].
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| Enlargement of the right hand side of the stereoview |
This stereoview was taken by Alfred Seaman. John Bradley, who
is an expert on stereoviews, included another version of this
scene in an article he wrote for Stereo World. The stereoview
image he presented in that article, given the title of "The
Ferry, Matlock Bath", was taken by Seaman and had
been published by The Fine Art Photographer's Publishing Company
of London[2].
It is identical to this image.
There is more about the Ferry and Ferry House:
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