A view of Matlock from just below the grassy recreation area on Cavendish Road. Charles Colledge, the photographer, was looking down on Jackson Road and Jackson Tor Road, past All Saints' church and Smedley's Hydro towards Riber, Starkholmes, the valley of Matlock Dale and the hills above Cromford. He was only able to obtain the view of Riber from this angle because he was standing on the Look-out. The spire centre left belongs to the church John Smedley built in his hydro's grounds in 1870. The buildings below the spire but closer to the camera (also behind All Saints') were Tor House Hydro, then run by George Davis^[1].

The hydro was offered for sale on more than one occasion. In 1903 Mr Hodgkinson advertised "the old established Tor House Hydro, Jackson road, Matlock Bank. The property has been associated with the family Davis, who were, with Mr John Smedley, the founders of hydropathy fifty years ago in Matlock. The hydro has thirty eight rooms"^[2].

The image dates from after 1910-11 as the United Methodist Church on Imperial Road (now the Imperial Rooms) can be seen, facing what was then the Imperial Road Gardens, and was possibly taken before the first world war.

The card was sent from a young Peggy Douglas, who lived just along the road from where the picture was taken, to Miss Sandy who was staying in Teignmouth. Although it has a side strip for a message (not shown here), unlike the early postcards it has a divided back for both a message and the name and address of the intended recipient.

Detail, showing the spire of Smedley's church, the roof of Tor House Hydro, plus the roof and back of All Saints'
church. Just above the right hand end of All Saints' is the United Methodist Church on Imperial Road.

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

^[1] George Davis can be found in on site trade directories at Tor House from Kelly's 1876 Directory to Kelly's Directory 1916, though George Davis senior died in 1901. See Wills. He and his family, including his son who took over the business, can be found in the 1901 census.

^[2] "Derbyshire Courier", 19 September 1903. The Lot was withdrawn.