The houses on the left hand side of Dale Road that back on to Holt Lane were built in the early 1880s.

The Old English Hotel is of particular interest in this picture. The hotel had been built in 1880; its plans were drawn up by local architect G. E. Statham; It was four storeys high and had many decorative external features including towers and turrets, supposedly in the Elizabethan style. In 1883 Mrs. Catherine Mattocks applied to transfer the licence for the Old English from Joshua Wortley to herself and a temporary grant was made^[4]. Unfortunately, on 7 November 1884 disaster struck when fire broke out on the third floor of the hotel in the early hours of the morning. Mrs. White of Holt Lane and a Mr. Elliott were the first on the scene and managed to rouse all the Mattocks family. The staff then evacuated the guests and many items of furniture, including two pianos, were saved. The nearest fire engine was at Masson Mill, some two miles away! Unfortunately, despite valiant efforts of the fire fighters, the local police and neighbours, the roof caught fire. The Derby fire brigade was also sent for and they arrived at 8a.m. The interior of the building was burnt out apart from the vaults on the northern side^[5]. The Derbyshire Courier reported that the tower was destroyed, slates gave way, the roof fell in and the framework of one of the windows crashed into the street; bare walls only remained^[6]. Almost nobody was injured although the confectioner Mr. W. H. Moore burnt his hands quite badly; he had noticed showers of sparks falling upon part of his premises where he had hay stored and seems to have put out the flames there single handedly^[5]. Whilst the fire was raging three local men attempted to make off with one of the barrels so they could consume the contents, and were hauled before the magistrates.

Mrs. Mattocks needed to apply to renew the hotel's licence in September. The property had still not been rebuilt or restored and it was said that the premises were totally unfit for the class of business for which the licence was originally granted. Mrs. Mattocks told the court that it was intended to spend about £3,000 on the erection of the new building, which would contain seventeen bedrooms, and all other requirements for a first class commercial and family hotel. The Council agreed to renew the licence on the distinct understanding that the new portions of the building were proceeded with as quickly as possible^[8].

The work on the hotel was carried our between the licence being granted and the land on Dale Road being sold; there is a picture of the restored Old English but with the land on the opposite corner undeveloped, dating from about 1887, in David Barton's book about Matlock^[9]. All the images of the hotel after the fire show the Old English was reconstructed with only three floors instead of four and with alterations to the dormers and other features on the Old Englishe Road side of the building. At the rear of the hotel is a large bay window, also part of the original structure.