This is a lovely view of the New Bath Hotel, one of Matlock Bath's oldest hotels and where people came for the medicinal properties of the water. It is probable the photograph dates from the 1930's. Certainly, there's no sign of an ash tree on Clifton Road that the web mistress used to climb in the 1950's. There are other clues that the picture was taken before the Second World War. For example, the building on Derby Road (near the bottom of Clifton Road) that was once Hartle's had not been demolished. The remains of the Royal Hotel can be seen on the right of the photograph, above Holy Trinity Church. Most of that hotel had been destroyed by fire but one wing, which was a twentieth century extension, remained; the building became very dilapidated.

Cars are parked outside the New Bath hotel's main entrance, at the side of what had been the stables and also on the grassy area of Bath Terrace. There is no sign of the railings which fenced off the grass earlier in the twentieth century. The hotel's gardens are quite extensive. They grew their own vegetables in the plot next to Clifton Road. The swimming pool, built in 1934, looks very new and there is no water in it, so it was either being cleaned or was not quite finished.

During the nineteenth century the management of the New Bath hotel was in the hands of just a few individuals^[1]. George Saxton and his son George Withers Saxton advertised in various directories from at least 1823 until 1855, and are known to have been at the hotel from 1788^[2]. The hotel was often referred to as "Saxton's" in their day. Miss Ivatts & Mrs. Jordan moved to the hotel in 1856^[3]. Thomas Tyack, a Cornishman, was the manager for about eighteen years from about 1877^[4] and in his time there the hotel was known as Tyack's New Bath Hotel. His lease expired in early 1898 and he auctioned the contents^[5].

The New Bath Hotel Co. Ltd. was then formed by the company who took over the hotel^[6], and appointed a new manager. Bertram Clulow was still the manager in 1901^[7], although he didn't stay long. The hotel's licence was transferred to Robert Rimmer^[8], who remained at the hotel until 1907. Miss A. Ward (1907) then took over, followed by Miss Edith Lakeman (1909, 1911 census), Mr. R. A. Page (1912), John Nobile (1916) and John E. Atkinson (1922)^[9]. Mrs. E. G. Kent was Manageress for a time^[10]. In 1927 Robert A. Mace was the Manager and was succeeded by Charles Herbert in 1931^[9]; John W Barker also served as Manager. The list is incomplete, but since the 1930s there have been many other people who held the licence and ran the hotel.

There is on rather lovely story about the hotel during Mr. Tyack's tenure. In 1882 J. R. Sims, a dramatist, recounted that, when visiting the New Bath Hotel, he was shown around by a twenty year old dog called Jack. Jack would greet a new guest, take them into the hotel and then show them to the village post office. He would also lead visitors to where they would ascend the hill to the Heights of Abraham and point out the cavern. After that he would greet you, but reserved the other services for the next arrivals!^[11]

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

^[1] Nineteenth Century Trade Directories - transcripts are on this website

^[2] Matlock Public Notices & Announcements, 1788. Also see Derby Road, Woodland House, the Saxton's final home.

^[3] See a stereoview dating from the Ivatts and Jordan era.

^[4] There's an advert, dated 1888, for Thomas Tyack's New Bath Hotel.

^[5] "Derbyshire Times", 26 February 1898 announcing the auction to take place 14 - 19 March. Mr. Tyack went on to run the Royal Hotel for a time before moving away.

^[6] Kelly's 1899 Directory for Matlock Bath. Also see Kelly's 1908 Directory for Matlock Bath

^[7] Transcript of 1901 Census of Matlock Bath

^[8] "Derbyshire Times", 11 May 1901. Mr. Clulow was reported to have gone south and he has accepted a better appointment.

^[9] Various names from the "Derby Daily Telegraph", when the licence transfer was announced (transfer year mostly in brackets), and the 1911 census.

^[10] Matlock Bath Business Letterheads. Mrs. Kent took over the licence from the late Mr. Atkinson in 1923, but it was reported that she'd been running the hotel for two years.

^[11] "Derbyshire Times", 29 July 1882.

There is more on site information about
Water Cures
Matlock & Matlock Bath Guides - the New Bath featured in many nineteenth century guides