In 1949 the young projectionist at the Picture Palace Cinema on Dale Road, Harry Salt, stepped out onto the cinema's balcony at 11.12 a.m. to take this picture. The precise time the photo was taken is recorded on the clock above Evans jewellers. Harry had taught himself to develop and print his own films and this was one of his earliest efforts. It provides us with a good view of what used to be the Old English Hotel, the large Victorian Gothic building on the corner of Dale Road and the Derwent Avenue/Old English Road junction. Hunter's Stores was on the opposite corner.

The Army Recruitment Office, with two signs, was run by Sergeant Steel[e]. A sign for K Shoes can also been seen, slightly closer to the camera. This was known as Dale Buildings and pre war had been the home of Herbert Wallis, a retired master boot and shoe dealer, and his wife Lily^[1]. In the 1930s Mr. Wallis discovered he was somewhat short in his takings. He carefully checked his books and could not find what the problem was so informed the police. He later idendified 119 pairs of boots and shoes at the police station! It came to light that as well as taking his shoes, the thief also stole 21 women's dresses from Marsdens. In addition police recovered more goods from between 70 and 100 houses in the district as she had been selling the items on as bankrupt stock! There were sacks full of footwear when the case went to court.

In the 1950s this shoe shop installed a ground breaking (for the time) X-ray machine for checking the fit of shoes. When the first shops on Firs Parade were built the shoe shop (still known as Wallis's) moved away from Dale Road.

Next door, the premises with the large box bay window closest to the camera, was The Studio, which had been the premises of the photographer William Nathan Statham. The business was still in the hands of his sons when the photo was taken^[2].

The vehicles' number plates are impossible to read. However, the small truck bottom left was an L.M.S. delivery vehicle and was almost certainly driven by either Reg Gedney or Herbert Henry Goodall. They were the only drivers working out of Matlock Station at that time^[3].

The Statham's were still the offical photographers for the Operatic Society in 1953, which this image is from, and 1955.

References (coloured links are to on site transcripts):

^[1] Information from the 1939 register, available on Find My Past.

^[2] There is more about Mr. Statham on Matlock & Matlock Bath Photographers.

^[3] See Lists Through the Centuries - The Twentieth Century: Matlock Station Staff, 1911 - 1966, A - J