This postcard of Matlock Town, designated Old Matlock by the artist, is from a painting by Henry Hadfield Cubley. It is difficult to provide an exact date; whilst it was quite possibly painted in the first decade of the 20th century it is likely that Cubley painted this scene in the last part of the nineteenth century. The webmistress believes that he included his wife and two little girls to add something extra to the picture and they provide a tiny focus of red paint which he liked to include in his work.

Here is the area near St. Giles' parish church, which is off picture on the right, at the bend in Church Street. Behind the lamp is the entrance to the late eighteenth century Rectory. The Wheatsheaf (Wheatsheaf Farm) is the very old building behind the ancient tree. According to Pevsner's architectural guide, it dates from 1681 and has "a symmetrical front with windows of mullion-and-transome-crosses"^[1]. Pevsner also commented that "no one can feel the nearness of modern Matlock here^[1]". This is still true today, despite the increased use of the motor car.

Church Street was part of the old road connecting Matlock and Cromford - the only road until the Scarthin Rock was blasted through - and there were several inns along the route. The sign on the building on the left of the image belongs to the former King's Head where, in the 1890s Joseph Marsden was the both the publican and a butcher^[2]. Cubley has also included the stone steps, to help people mount their horses, which are next to the pub's wall.

There used to be a biography of the artist on this page.
This has moved to the Biographies page

A selection of Cubley's paintings of Matlock & Matlock Bath that are on this web site:

The Old Bridge, Matlock

Matlock Bank from the Derwent, 1903

Matlock Church from Hawe Leys

Lea Hurst

Pic Tor

Riber Hall

High Tor 1887

References (coloured hyperlinks are to transcripts elsewhere on this website):

^[1] Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953) "The Buildings of England, Derbyshire" Penguin Books London, Melbourne, Baltimore, p. 179.

^[2] See his name in Kelly's 1891 Directory | Kelly's 1895 Directory | Kelly's 1899 Directory