Here is Matlock Bank in the second decade of the twentieth century, with part of Matlock Bridge; Dale Road (bottom left) and the houses in Derwent Avenue (bottom right) are in the foreground. Probably dating from about 1914, the picture shows the Hall Leys as a recreational area but Causeway Lane has not been developed.

"The Urban District Council in 1903-4 opened up the Pictor Promenade and other river walks and constructed an asphalt promenade, a quarter of a mile long, on the Hall Lees, near the bridge. In 1907 the Bakewell road, near Crown square, was widened and in 1908 a provisional agreement was entered into for the acquisition of 7¾ acres of land, known as "Hall Lees", adjacent to the river promenade, which have been laid out as recreation grounds. In the same year, three shelters were erected at interesting spots in the neighbourhood by Councillor J. W. Wildgoose for the use of the public"^[1]. The asphalt promenade can be seen on the edge of the park. It is today known as the Broad Walk.

On the far left (centre) of the postcard are a few houses on Imperial Road, with Woolley Road and Malpas Road also visible. Some houses on Edge Road, close to Bank Road, can be seen, too. Smedley Street goes across the hillside with Smedley's Hydro, and its distinctive central tower, clearly dominant on the Bank. Above it, though less obvious, is the refurbished Rockside. On the far side of the park, behind the garden of "The Firs", almost in the middle of the picture, are Lime Grove Walk and New Street. Because of the angle, this picture makes Rutland Street seem an extension of New Street.

Derwent Avenue, from left to right: Brooklyn, Nether Green, Glenroy and Rockleigh.

The Derwent Avenue properties, shown in the enlargement above, were built as substantial semi detached family homes, with gardens that went down to the river. Glenroy and Rockleigh were Victorian villas, built around 1882^[6] and at various stages in the early years some of their occupants were members of one family, the Nuttalls (see below).

Anne Nuttall, the widow of John Nuttall, passed away at Rockleigh on 24 July 1888^[7]. There then followed several different tenants over the course of the next ten years or so, including George Westcombe (1891), Thomas Geldart (1895) and Joseph Flint (1899)^[8]. By 1901 another member of the Nuttall family, Annie Bell Sladen, was in residence with her husband Joseph and their son. The Sladens remained at Rockleigh until at least 1923, the year Joseph died. Although he was by then 76 he was employed in the Education Department at the County Offices in Derby as a clerk. He died in Derby, unfortunately collapsing in a tramcar bound for the station shortly before ten o'clock one evening^[9].

Glenroy, or Glen Roy, along with Glenholme on Dale Road, was first advertised in 1882 and 1883. The first occupants were John Stockdale Dawber and his wife^[10], the parents of the architect Sir Edward Guy Dawber^[11]. After her husband died Mrs. Dawber went to live in Huddersfield with her daughter^[12] and Miss Agnes Hodgkinson then moved into the property along with her niece Kitty Ada Frances. Kitty continued to live at Glenroy for a couple of years following her aunt's death^[13].

However, in 1912 and 1913 the local architect John Nuttall was advertising Glenroy as being in an "ideal position, very conveniently situated, five minutes from station, nine rooms, every convenience: nice garden down to river; rent £35"^[14]. John was the son of Anne Nuttall and it was his sister, Mrs. Sarah Statham, who moved in^[15]. Sarah was the widow of Luke Statham, who had been the organist at St. Giles' for 18 years and was one of the founders of Messrs. Statham and Sladen, the coal merchants^[12. This meant that the two sisters were living in next door to each other.

The other two houses in Derwent Avenue, Brooklyn and Nether Green, were built after 2 April 1911; neither property was recorded in the census for that year. However, from a letter he wrote in 1912 we know that John Nuttall and his wife were living at Brooklyn in April 1912^[17] and the trees and shrubs were in leaf. It is likely, then, that this picture could have been taken in the early autumn of 1911. Elizabeth Nuttall passed away on October 1914 and in March 1915 her executors sold the contents of their home^[18].

Benjamin Bolas was at Nether Green by 1916^[19] and Mrs. Mountney was there in 1928^[20]. Brooklyn was owned by Walter Evans of W. H. Evans, the Dale Road jewellers, and the Davisons lived there for a long time^[21]. Whilst Brooklyn and Nether Green have still retained their names (2016), both Glenroy and Rockleigh became guest houses and have changed their names.

Taken a year or so earlier than the top image, we can see that Brooklyn and Nether Green were still in the hands of the builders. Tennis nets had not been installed on the Hall Leys, and the trees on the park look a little smaller. The blacksmith's to the left of Burgons, behind the Crown Square shops, had not yet been demolished. This was carried out in 1915[22]. In addition, two houses on Edge Road, opposite the top of what is today Edgefold Road and behind the town hall building, were not on this view but are seen on the top picture.

^[1] Kelly's Derbyshire Directory, 1912.

^[2] "Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal", 7 February 1908.

^[3] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 6 September 1909.

^[4] "Derbyshire Courier", 18 October 1913.

^[5] "Derbyshire Courier", 15 January 1921.

^[6] "Derbyshire Times", 28 October 1882.

^[7] "Derby Mercury", 1 August 1888. Nuttall (Deaths). Mrs. Nuttall was also shown living at Rockleigh in Kelly's Directory 1887. She and her family were involved in The Great Matlock Will Case.

^[8] George Westcome was at Rockleigh in the 1891 census | Kelly's 1891 Directory;
Thomas Geldart was shown living there in Kelly's 1895 Directory;
Joseph Flint was the householder listed in Kelly's 1899 Directory.

^[9] Joseph Sladen was shown at Rockleigh in the 1901 census | Kelly's 1908 Directory | Kelly's 1912 Directory | Kelly's 1916 Directory. His death was reported in the "Derby Daily Telegraph" on 29 May 1923 (Matlock Clerk's Death at Derby).

^[10] John Stockdale Dawber can be found at Glenroy or Glen Roy in: Kelly's Directory 1887 (no address given) | the 1891 census | Kelly's 1891 Directory | Kelly's 1895 Directory. He died at Matlock on 7 Feb 1898 (Morning Post, 11 February 1898 and other newspapers). Also see Dawber family Memorial Inscriptions

^[11] A brief outline of the life of Sir Guy Dawber can be founder under Biographies. He designed St. John's Church, Cliff Road and Cottages, Matlock Dale, 1899

^[12] "Derbyshire Times", 4 March 1899: Glenroy Villa, Dale Road. Joseph Hodgkinson instructed by Mrs. Dawber to sell by auction all her surplus furniture on Thurs 9th Mar 1899. She was living in Huddersfield in the 1901 census.

^[13] The Misses Hodgkinson were shown at Glenroy in Kelly's 1899 Directory | the 1901 census | Kelly's 1908 Directory.
Agnes Hodgkinson was buried at St. Giles' on 3 Jun 1909, aged 78. See Wills, Surnames H
Kitty Ada Frances Hodgkinson, the niece of Agnes, was still living at Glenroy in the 1911 census but it is unclear where she went to after that. The last time she was mentioned in a newspaper was in 1929 ("Nottingham Evening Post", 2 April 1929).

^[14] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 7 February 1912 and 14 March 1913. GLENROY - VILLA RESIDENCE to LET, Matlock.

^[15] Mrs. Statham was listed in Kelly's 1916 Directory. She was living in Matlock in 1891, but moved to Derby with her family. She had been widowed in 1899, but by 1911 she had returned to the district and was living with her brother and sister in law in Matlock Bath.

^[16] "Derbyshire Times", 11 February 1933. Death of Mrs. Statham. Also "Derbyshire Times", 18 February 1933, burial in the family vault.

^[17] "ibid.", 6 April 1912.

^[18] "Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal", 6 and 12 March 1915. Sale by Joseph Hodgkinson and Son, Matlock. The sale was to take place on March 18th & 19th.

^[19] Mr. Bolas at Nether Green in Kelly's Directory, 1916 - Private Residents.

^[20] Kelly's 1928 Directory.

^[21] Information from Anne Davison.

^[22] "Belper News", 16 April 1915 and "Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal", 10 July 1915. It was reported that the work to remove the smithy had been carried out and the land had been "thrown into" the highway 0 this last comment from the County Council meeting, Bridges & Highways.