John Sidney Kay, also known as John Sidney Thelwis Kay, became the Manager of Lilybank Hydro after World War One^[1]. He had previously worked at Chesterfield House as a bathman and had arrived in Matlock some time before 1901^[2]. He married Elizabeth Connor, a co-worker at Chesterfield House, at St. Giles' church on 29 Sep 1902^[3]. They were living at Chesterfield Lodge in 1911, both still working at the hydro^[4].

Ivy Harvey had been the Manageress before the Kays took Lilybank over. She was fined 10s. at Matlock's Brewster Sessions in 1916, one of several to be charged under the Lighting Restriction Order^[5].

In 1925 John Kay was instrumental in persuading Matlock Golf Club to open their course on Sundays^[6]. He argued that visitors were kept away as a result of the course being closed on the Sabbath. He asked that the directors should go into the matter and it was agreed that a special meeting of directors should be called.

1926-7 advertisement

At the beginning of the Second World War Mr. Kay, by then managing director of Lilybank Hydro^[7], was fined £2 for showing lights during the black-out, along with Frederick Turner the manager of Chatsworth Hydro^[8]. History was repeating itself. Mr. Kay was still a director of the hydro post war, and the couple remained at Lilybank after Stanley Joseph John Connor became the assistant manager in 1949. Elizabeth died on 15 May 1954, aged 83. John outlived his wife by only a few months, dying at Bournmouth on 23rd October, aged 74; Mr. Connor was one of his executors^[9].

1930s advertisement, which refers to Mr. Kay as Sidney.

Lilybank Hydro (Dalefield)	Barton's Dalefield Hydro 1904	Sun lounge 1930s	Ballroom	1950s multi view, with advertisement
Letterheads of Local Businesses, 1900-1949 (3) - Lilybank.	Dinner menus from the late 1950's		Mrs. Marian Wildgoose, who owned "The Gables"	Sally Mosley's article about the school (Newspapers section)

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

^[1] "Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer", 15 September 1919. Avertisement for the "beautifully furnished" 50 room hydro show J. Harvey running Lilybank. The terms were 9s.

^[2] See the 1901 census entry for John Kay | Elizabeth Conner [sic] in the 1901 census.

^[3] Parish Register.

^[4] The 1911 census is available on FindMyPast.

^[5] "Derby Daily Telegraph", Thursday 14 September 1916

^[6] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 23 November 1925. Matlock and Sunday Golf. Report Matlock Golf Club's AGM. It was also said that of the 13 courses in the county, Matlock was the only one not to open on Sundays.

^[7] The 1939 Register shows John and Elizabeth Kay at the hydro, with a large number of live in staff and a number of guests.

^[8] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 17 October 1940. Matlock Light Offences.

^[9] See the couple's MI, with thanks to Deirdre Connor. Their dates of death have been extracted from Wills, probate and inheritance calendars, GOV.UK