Another tranquil scene showing the Railway Bridge, built in the 1840s for what was then the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock & Ambergate railway, with High Tor in the background. It was taken from the first floor side window of what was then the Dewent Hotel. Today it is part of Mills and Black, with a joinery shop on the ground floor.

We can only see the two of the three main arches over the river and the road. Two stone arches span the river and a third, smaller, archway - an access archway - is on the left underneath which the Pic Tor footpath passes. Behind and to the side of the Bridge is the Boat House Hotel, and other properties along Dale Road can also be seen. The large building that is reflected in the river was the Boat House Livery Stables. It was demolished some time ago. The quarry behind the bridge on the right is the Harvey Dale Quarry.

In 1849 a "Derby Mercury" journalist wrote enthusiastically of the "handsome and substantial structure of three arches, the building material employed being the durable and inexhaustible gritstone of the almost immediate locality"^[1]. The bridge had created a problem for Messrs. Harding, who were the contractors for this part of the line. They had discovered that the River Derwent, which they had seen "flowing smoothly and placidly", could suddenly become a torrent. It had cause them to lose both time and money before they were able to complete this section. The stone mason used was a Mr. Southern of Newcastle.

Out of the picture (to the right) the bridge crosses over the main road and is not arched. It is an iron bridge, although it has stone sides, and was undoubtedly easier to construct. In the 1930s the Council implemented a scheme to widen what was a then narrow section of the London-Carlisle A6 trunk road, between the railway bridge and Matlock Bath Station approach, 1,400 yards to the south. The idea had first been suggested some twenty years previously. The new carriageway was to be 30 feet wide, but had to be narrowed where it passed under the bridge to 25 feet, which was the maximum width available^[2]. The footpath on the river side of the road is rather narrow today, and the one on the opposite side is almost non-existent.

References (coloured links go to on site transcripts):

^[2] "Derby Mercury", 23 May. 1849. Second experimental journey on the Ambergate, Matlock and Rowsley Railway.

^[2] "Derby Daily Telegraph", Friday 29 November 1935. Work began in February 1936 and was expected to take two years to complete.

^[3] Francis Scarratt was listed as a Stationer in the 1911 census and in Kelly's Directory 1912 he was a post card publisher, both in the Market Hall and of Normanton Road. SCarratt was publishing cards of this design before WW1.