Arkwright's Masson Mill was about to undergo some significant changes when this photograph was taken. In late 1899 it was announced that the English Sewing Cotton Company, who had owned the mill since 1897, had decided to greatly enlarge their premises^[1].

The English Sewing Cotton Company was registered on July 16th, 1897 although an Association of the English Sewing Cotton Manufacturers had existed for some years before then on a non-joint-stock basis. When the company was first registered there were seven companies involved but by the date the prospectus was issued, at end of November the same year, their number had increased to fifteen^[2]. The Derbyshire mills that joined what was described as the Great Thread Amalgamation were Sir Richard Arkwright and Co., of Cromford, Matlock, Messrs. G and J. Strutt of Belper and Messrs. S Manlove and Sons, of Chesterfield and Belper^[3].

The plans to alter Masson Mill had already been drawn up by late 1899, and the contract was about to be let out. The building work was to include the erection of a red brick factory chimney 150 feet high. Mr. William Farnsworth, of Matlock and Cromford, was responsible for building the chimney^[4]. The goyt also had to be diverted to allow for the extensions^[1]. Benjamin Bryan, writing in 1903, noted that the high wall which screened the mill from the road was also pulled down^[5]. The wall is mostly hidden by the large tree on the roadside in this picture.

The buildings on the left hand side of the road include the Rutland Arms and the properties at South End. Just past them, above the road, is Masson House.

Masson Mill

South End. Some of these properties were then "back to back" cottages.

In 1898 five stone built copyhold cottages at South End were offered for sale. They had been owned by the late James Sheppard, a papermaker, and were the homes of Messrs. Acton, Boden, Wildgoose, Shaw and G.W. Boden. There was a second lot of three more cottages where the Holland, Martin and Goodwin families lived, as well as Boston House, the grocer's shop tenanted by Mr. J. W. Boden. Other lots consisted of properties on the Wapping and Mount View, but all of them were withdrawn.

This attractive hand tinted card is probably a coloured version of the above, despite the postal date of 1910. Glenorchy Villa, where the Lawton family first lived in Matlock Bath, is bottom left. Although shown as a white building, it is constructed of red brick. The pink building to its right was Fairview Terrace and Boston House.

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

^[1] "Derbyshire Times", 4 November 1899.

^[2] "ibid.", 10 August 1898.

^[3] "Derby Mercury," 22 September 1897.

^[4] "Derby Daily Telegraph," Tuesday 12 April 1932. William Farnsworth was living on Holme Road in the 1901 census. He advertised in Kelly's 1899 Directory | Kelly's 1908 Directory | Kelly's 1916 Directory

^[5] Bryan, Benjamin (1903) "History of Matlock - Matlock, Manor and Parish" London by Bemrose & Sons, Limited.

^[6] "Derbyshire Times", 24 September 1898. Property Sale at Matlock Bath. See the 1891 census and the 1901 census for some of the South End residents who are named. James Sheppard left a Will and was buried at Holy Trinity, Matlock Bath (see his MI.).