The photographer would have been standing close to the sharp bend in Cavendish Road, then called Bent Lane, to capture this shot. The card is slightly later than first thought, and the picture was taken between 1904 and 1910 or so. The date has been arrived at because views of the Hall Leys exist that can be dated to 1903; those images do not include a football stand. The stand here, seemingly shorter but slightly more substantial that in other pictures as it is shown with a back, probably replaced an earlier stand. It is possible that the first stand was damaged or destroyed in the devastating flooding of 1901^[1] when the football pitch was under 10 feet of water^[2].

The Hall Leys park had not yet been developed, of course, and its bandstand had yet to be thought of. Yet the newly developed Imperial Road Gardens, just behind the Crown Hotel, can be seen over the top of the unmistakably steep roof of All Saints' Church. In addition, although you cannot really see it on this image, there is actually quite a good view of the railway line where it goes into the High Tor tunnel. And just below Snitterton Road there are signs of quarrying.

In the foreground is Smedley's Church (on the extreme left).

If you follow the roof line of Jackson House hydro (bottom, centre) you can see a wide bend in the road where Smedley Street meets Woolley Road. The large house in the crook of the bend was called "The Terrace". It was split into two halves, with the Reverend John Higgs (d.1895) in one half and the Collinsons in the other^[3]. Charles Collinson (d.1897) was said to have been a quiet philanthropist and a supporter of All Saints' Church^[4]. There is a brass chancel screen in All Saints' church in his memory, given by his daughter Maud. In an essay about the Collinsons, Joyce Copeland mentions his connection to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. James Collinson, Charles' brother, was a founder member of the group and was for a time engaged to Christina Rossetti, the poetess^[5].

Jackson House Hydro (bottom, centre) is seen, unusually, from the rear of the building. The Jackson Road hydro, which was known as Abbey Hotel in the 1950s, was later renamed Jackson Tor House. It was opened by George and Martha Barton in 1857^[6]; the couple were former employees of John Smedley and their son later built Lilybank Hydro. Their neighbour was George Davis at Tor House Hydro (to the left of Jackson House, and in line with All Saints')^[7].

George Barton died on 22 March 1875 and was survived by his wife, who remarried in 1878 and passed away in 1884^[9]. Joseph Leedham Dean, a draper, then took over^[10]. Leonard Bramwell and his wife became managers of the Bartons hydro in 1898; he had links to Orme's of Matlock, Bakewell and Derby. He bought the property just before the First World War^[8].

1930s.
Mr & Mrs Roddis were the Managers in the mid 1930s and K. Holtom was Manager in 1938^[11].

In January 1939 the freehold property was offered for sale:

"... AT A LOW RESERVE PRIVE AS A GOING CONCERN AND IN ONE LOT. THE Substantial Gritstone-built and Blue-slated PROPERTY known as JACKSON HOUSE HYDRO situate and occupying a prominent position on Matlock Bank, together with the Garage, Bowling Green, Garden and premises thereto. The accommodation includes:-
Lounge or Entertainment Room, Office, Still Room.
Entrance Hall, Kitchens, Billiard Room, Sitting Rooms, 30 Bedrooms and Lavatories.
The Basement is fitted for treatment including: Russian and Steam Baths, Needle Sprats with the cubicles thereto, Laundry ; Workshop and Storeroom. ..."^[12]

The following month Wells-Smith of Figtree lane, Sheffield were advertising the hydro - "can finance, furnish, sell or lease"^[13]. It is unclear if it remained empty for a time but during the War it was first used as part of the Army Intelligence Centre based at Smedley's Hydro^[14].

In 1945 it was for sale again. "Jackson House Hydro, which has been used by the Ministry of Works", was to become vacant on 29th September 1945. It was being sold at an auction of 31st July by the executor of Henry Wells-Smith, a Sheffield Chartered Accountant who had died the previous year. The Ministry of Works had paid £132 per annum and had to pay all outgoings^[15].

The hotel finally closed in 2003. It was eventually bought and has been converted into flats.

References (coloured links are to transcripts or more information elsewhere on this web site):

^[1] Tomlinson, Susan (2017) "The Early Years of Matlock Town Football Club, Including Results, Match Reports and Social History". Ms Tomlinson has noted that by the time of the Club's 1904 AGM the covered stand has not been mentioned for a number of years. She therefore suggested the possibility of the stand being affected by flooding, which is not unreasonable in the circumstances.

^[2] Flooding in the Matlocks has more about the numerous times Matlock has been flooded.
The old stand can be seen on the following pages within the site: Matlock Bridge, late 1880s | Matlock: Bridge & Bank, early 1890s.
The newer stand is also found on: Matlock from Matlock Bank, 1904-06.

^[3] Charles Collinson and the Rev John Higgs can be found at The Terrace in Kelly's Directory 1876 | Kelly's Directory 1891 | Kelly's Directory 1895. Miss Collinson lived at The Terrace after her father's death - see Kelly's Directory 1899. The Collinsons can also be found in various census returns: the 1871 census | the 1881 census (John Higgs was next door) | the 1891 census | the 1901 census (Mary Maud Collinson). Mary Maud Collinson died on 18th November 1904.

^[4] "Derbyshire Times", 1 May 1897. Obituary notice for Charles Collinson.

^[5] Mitchell, Ian (ed.) (2002) "A Matlock Bank Miscellany, Essays by Members of the All Saints' Local History Group". Article by Joyce Copeland.

^[6] See both the 1861 Census and the first listing of Jackson House in Kelly's Directory, 1864 (under Matlock Bank). George Barton Junior and his mother are listed in Kelly's 1876 Directory.

^[7] George Davis is shown as a hydropathic practitioner in the 1871 census and in Kelly's Directory 1876. Tor House Hydro was still open at the beginning of the Second World War (Derby Daily Telegraph, 2 November 1939 - William Davis fined 10/- for failing to obscure lights) but did not advertise in Kelly's 1942 Directory. The building was eventually demolished.

^[8] "Derbyshire Times", 2 April 1898. Announcement of the Bramwells taking over at the hydro. Kelly's Directories of 1908 | 1912 | 1916 show Leonard Bramwell at Jackson House and George Davis at Tor House. Mrs. Mary J. Bramwell died at Bournemouth in 1835 and her husband Leonard passed away in October 1939. The "Birmingham Daily Post", 2 November 1939, published a notice for all creditors of Leonard Bramwell to get in touch.

^[9] "Derbyshire Times", 15 May 1875. Announcement of his death. Both George and Martha Barton were buried at St. Giles'. See Wills & Administrations Calendars, 1858 - 1928, A-C. Martha had remarried in 1878 at Bakewell's Wesleyan Methodist Chapel; her husband was William Barton. The couple can be found in the 1881 census.

^[10] Mr. Dean can be found at the hydro in Kelly's Directory 1887 | the 1891 census | Kelly's 1891 Directory.

^[11] "Sheffield Independent", 14 July 1938. It was a Temperance Holiday Centre.

^[12] "Derbyshire Times", 13 January 1939. It was to be sold on the premises "subject to the Law Society's General Conditions of Sale 1934 and then to Special Conditions then read."

^[13] "Sheffield Daily Telegraph" 4 May 1939 and 25 July 1939. Matlock. Jackson (Guest) House.

^[14] Taylor, Keith (2012) "The Matlocks and District in the Second World War - A Diary of Events in Matlock, Matlock Bath and District 1935 - 1955".

^[15] "Derbyshire Times", 13 July 1945.

^[16] See: Matlock Bridge, Pic Tor Walk, 1909.

^[17] "Nottingham Evening Post", 17 May 1946. Matlock. Abbey Hotel (late Jackson House Hydro), Jackson-road, opening Whitsun, welcomes old and new visitors. H. and c. basins in bedrooms, excellent food, moderate terms.

^[18] London Gazette, 30 November 1962.