The Cumberland Cavern is roughly at the same level on the hillside as the former Royal Pavilion (Palais Royal); it is no longer open to the public. The cavern used to be reached by an extremely steep footpath from Clifton Road, although before Clifton Road was developed the bottom of the path was described as being beside the Bath Terrace Hotel. It could also be accessed by going up the Wapping or from Upperwood.

Some thirty-five years after Henricus, an unnamed Victorian visitor wrote that "entrance to the Cumberland Cavern ... is not gained without difficulty, and those who explored its dark circuitous passages marched in irregular procession, each carrying a lighted candle, without which we should have been in great danger of losing ourselves in the intricate windings through which we passed. The measures are quite dislocated, and immense pieces of rock are thrown into most extraordinary positions., one piece of many tons weight - which our guide seemed specially proud of, and most anxious that the ladies, at all events, should inspect it carefully - resting on a mere point^[1]". The Victorians loved a touch of melodrama. The Cumberland was described in many nineteenth century guide books^[3] and in 1903 Heywood recorded that it was "very extensive and abounds with fossils, and is one of the most interesting of the Derbyshire caverns^[2]".

The Cumberland had opened in the late eighteenth century^[4] and was owned for many years by various members of the Smedley family^[5]. When John Smedley, "the son of the late Mr Wm. Smedley", died at Portland House in 1900 at the age of 63 it was said that he belonged to one of the oldest established families in the district^[6]. He was a well known local businessman who, as well as owning the cavern, quarried for tufa in the Via Gellia^[6].

John Smedley's widowed sister, Mrs. Mary Brocklehurst, then became the proprietress^[7] and after her death her daughter, Edith Nash, took over^[8]. During her tenure one 1925 visitor was to comment that "We drank at the Wishing Well inside, and saw the Queen's Palace and the Str. of Gibraltar etc as described in the Guide. ... It is much finer than the Masson".

In March 1927 the Cumberland Cavern was sold at public auction, with adjoining land, to Mr Frank Taylor of Hope Terrace for £400. This was the first time one of the caverns had been auctioned. It was then said that the cavern had been discovered by lead miners some 200 years before [a slight exaggeration], and that "volcanic disturbances in the cavern had left large blocks of dislodged rock. One detached from the roof weighs 40 tons, and stands poised on two points of rock"^[9]. This was presumably the same rock noted by the Victorian visitor.

Cyril Edmonds of Portland House bought the cavern in the 1930s. Mr. Edmonds is on the left in the photograph above, wearing a cap. His son, Cyril Rowland Edmonds, was to die in a flying accident in the second World War^[10].

The cavern was advertised for sale once again in May 1950^[11], though was not sold until a year or so after Mr. Edmonds' death in 1954. His two assistants ran the cavern for Mrs. Edmonds for a while, but then took over the tenancy and purchased the cavern around 1956^[12]. It remained open for the rest of the 1950s and for some of the 1960s but has been closed for a long time. One thing remained for many years from Cyril Edmonds time. When the Matlock Bath Cricket Pavilion was no longer needed by the club it was removed to the Cumberland Cavern and acted as a shelter. It was still there about 2013, although it is no longer in situ^[12].

1930s advertisement

This flyer from 1936 was handed out to Matlock Bath's visitors

The geologist William Adam had catalogued the Rocks, Marbles and Minerals of Derbyshire around 1840^[15]. His list of zinc ores found in the Cumberland Cavern and elsewhere included Carbonate of Zinc, also known as Smithsonite; Silicious Oxide of Zinc [sic, Siliceous Oxide of Zinc] was present in both the Cumberland and Rutland caverns. He also listed the Fluor Spars Arragonite [sic, Aragonite] and Selenite, Sulphate of Lime, occurring in the Cumberland Cavern. Twentieth century research by Roger Flindall and Andrew Hayes^[16] mentions three other minerals in the cavern: Hemimorphite which is associated with Smithsonite, Chalcopyrite, and Siderite.

In 1912-13 the Matlock Naturalists' Association discovered a "pocket" filled with rare cave pearls in the Cumberland Cavern^[17]. They were described as being a creamy colour, in comparison with others found in the Great Masson cave which were brown. "The pearls were in a hole which there poured a big stream of water, and when broken with a hammer the pearls disclosed a tiny portion of a gritty substance, to which the pearl had been added during generations". They were found by Mr. J. C. Goodall, the hon. secretary of the Association, and five of the members.

William Smedley wrote a poem called Matlock Bath, Derbyshire.

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

^[1] "The Derby Mercury", 2 July, 1873.

^[2] "Abel Heywood's Guide Books, With Cycling, Walking and Driving Routes. Matlock Illustrated." Abel Heywood & Son, Manchester & London.
^[3] The Cumberland Cavern (and other caverns in Matlock Bath) is described in Bemroses' Guide to Matlock ... , about 1869 | Holmes Hand Book to Matlock Bath & Neighbourhood.

^[4] See William Adam's "Gem of the Peak" (1840) (scroll down).

^[5] Peter Smedley was listed as proprietor in Kelly's 1848 Directory | William Smedley was shown as the proprietor in an advertisement published in Bemrose Guide: The Royal Cumberland Cavern & Romantic Rocks.

^[6] "Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald", 4 July 1900.

^[7] Mrs. Mary Brocklehurst of Bath Terrace was the proprietress in Kelly's Directory 1908 and Kelly's Directory 1916. Also Kelly's 1922 Directory. See the MI of Mary and her daughters in Matlock Bath Churchyard.

^[8] Kelly's 1925 Directory.

^[9] There were several reports of the sale. The "Derby Daily Telegraph" of 30 March 1927 said Mr. Taylor had paid £480 whereas another newspaper gave the sum as £400.

^[10] Names on Matlock Bath's War Memorial.

^[11] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 30 May and 1st, 5th and 19th June 1950. Plus other dates. Royal Cumberland Cavern. Sale notice.

^[12] Information from the family papers of Christine Leila Hill.

^[13] "Guide to Matlock and Matlock Bath" (ca. 1907) Printed and published by Geo. Hodgkinson, Matlock Printing Works.

^[14] "Grantham Journal", 10 August 1945. Grantham Scouts, camping at Lea Hurst, visited the cavern and drank the spa water in the Wishing Well. There is no record of whether the boys enjoyed the drink.

^[15] The list of Rocks, Marbles and Minerals of Derbyshire were catalogued in Part V of "Gem of the Peak".

^[16] Flindall, Roger and Hayes, Andrew (1976) "The Caverns and Mines of Matlock Bath, 1 The Nestus Mines: Rutland and Masson Caverns", Moorland Publishing Company

^[17] "Nottingham Evening Post", 14 January 1913.