Many of the shop signs are hard to read although Smiths Hotel sign, about half way down, is clear. Close to it is a vertical chemist's board; the chemist at the time was Frank Slawson who advertised as a pharmaceutical chemist of North Parade from 1912 onwards.

If you look carefully at the left hand of the two first floor windows above the shop, or pair of shops, with the long balcony close to the camera you can just make out the word CLUB written on the glass. This was where Matlock Bath's Conservative Club held their meetings for some years. In 1916 the secretary was Arthur Walker. He was succeeded by Joseph F Donegani, who was followed by Joseph Oliver and then Benjamin F O'Dowda^[1]. The Club utilised the whole of the first floor of the building. It isn't clear when the right hand unit became the Prom Café and it is difficult to work out what is being sold in the shop or shops, but neither unit seems to have been a restaurant at the time and may have been selling china or ornaments either separately or as one unit.

The signboard for the George Hotel is missing. The bracket is there, but no sign. So this photograph could date from the First World War period rather than just afterwards.

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

^[1] Information extracted from various Kelly's Directories: Walker (1916) | Donegani (1922 & 1925) | Oliver (1928) | O'Dowda (1932)