The Boat House Hotel has stood on Dale Road, at the north entrance to Matlock Dale, for over two and a half centuries^[1]. Ebenezer Rhodes, visiting in the early 1820s, wrote that "near the Boat House, the first fine scenery of Matlock Dale is presented"^[2]. Eighty years later J. B. Firth, who was writing at approximately the same time as the pictures for these two postcards were taken, was less complimentary about its surroundings. On entering the the dale "the first thing we pass is a large, unsightly quarry on the right ; then we reach the Boat House Hotel, once one of the fashionable houses of the dale"^[3].

The former Hotel is pictured here about a hundred and twenty years ago, when Holt Quarry behind had not been quite so extensively worked. There is an extremely large and unmissable painted sign on the side of the building in the top image, which is enlarged on the left, advertising "Hardy's Ale & Stout, Starbright, Sold in bottle". Hardy's had taken over the Boat House about 1888[4]. It became a tied house. Unusually, the main entrance is at the side of the building, probably because the property was built next to the road. The front door has changed since that time and there has been a porch for many years, whereas in this view we see that the top of the door surround reached the first floor window. Although the building no longer an hotel, it is Grade II listed.

Nobody seems to know what this building, to the left of the stables belonging to the hotel, was used for. I have assumed it was a second stable block as there was an arched entrance for carriages. There is a sign over the main door but it in unreadable on this image. It is quite possible this was where the rowing boats that the hotel hired out were stored.

Matlock held an annual May Day Parade at this time and a committee of the Society met at the Boat House, both to assess how the previous year's event had gone and to decide on what they would do^[5]. Matlock Football Club held its AGM at the Boat House in 1912^[6]; its season had been disastrous from the playing point of view. Other groups would have met there too, but their meetings weren't necessarily mentioned in the press.

The image below shows not only the Boat House but also a view of Matlock Bank. Look carefully at the quarry entrance just past the Boat House. A large wheelbarrow is standing end down and with the handles pointing skywards.

Mid twentieth Century Advertisements for the Boat House

		1968 advertisement (above), from the Venetian Fête programme
		1950s advert (left) The proprietor was, presumably, William Vincent Doolan, thought to be a former police superintendent and chief constable of Neath

Known licensees, listed alphabetically, 1775 - 1950s
With links to on site references

References (coloured links go to on site transcripts):

^[1] See the 19th century "Guides" The Gem of the Peak | Hall's Days in Derbyshire, 1863, Chapter 5

^[2] Rhodes, Ebenezer (1824) "Peak Scenery" pub. London, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, Paternoster Row

^[3] Firth, J. B. (1908) "Highways and Byways in Derbyshire" MacMillan & Co., London.

^[4] "Derbyshire Advertiser ... and Journal", 16 November 1888. Advertisement that the old established Boat House was to Let. Applicants had to contact Thomas Hardy, The Brewery, Kimberley, near Nottingham.

^[5] "Sheffield Daily Telegraph", 28 February 1907.

^[6] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 30 August 1912.