When Tor Cottage was advertised for a sale at auction in 1894 by one of the property's former owners, Herbert Topham, it was stated that the house was a "charming freehold residence, situate in its own Grounds, containing 2a. 2r. 7p., with a frontage of 500 feet to the main road^[1]".

By the time the photographs for these images were taken it was no longer a private home. After WW1 it had become a school and in the 1930s became the the High Tor Guest House, run and later owned by Mr. and Mrs. Grant between 1933 and 1960^[2]. It was said to be "ideal for holidays all the year round^[3]",

Both images here were taken, on the same day, during the Grant's occupancy. On the back of the top postcard there is a quotation from King George VI (reigned 1936-52). The picture is of the main house and the kitchen block, but Ruskin Hall, curiously named when Mrs. Bertha Law's Matlock Garden School was in residence, is hidden behind a tree on the right. As far as is known, Ruskin was never a house guest here.
See Matlock Modern School prospectus (previously Matlock Garden School).

"At the foot of High Tor is Artists' Corner, with its magnificent views of rock, river and woodland scenery."
1940s postcard.

In the second picture the gates at the bottom of the drive had been removed, and a wall between one of the pillars and the coach house had also gone. This is now the exit for the hotel, with a new entrance having been created on the side of the hotel that is furthest away from the viewer. As for the coach house itself, the large double doors had been replaced and a skylight had been installed in the roof. There is a sign above the door and people near the doorway, but it is impossible to work out if it was still a working cafe. However, these pictures were taken before Minerva studio moved in (about 1950). Whilst it isn't very obvious, the former coachhouse was by now slightly lower than the road.

1930s advertisement.

In 1949 the hotel launched a nationwide publicity campaign in the press, advertising Matlock as a place for "as a delightful holiday in the beautiful Derbyshire Hills ", and invited the public to write for an interesting booklet/folder^[4]. The Grants were to run the guest house for a further nine years.

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

^[1] "The Derby Mercury", Wednesday, May 9, 1894. The Tophams made at least two unsuccessful attempts to sell their home as there was another auction, this time in London during May 1895, when the property did not reach its reserve. Having sold the house, they left Matlock Dale in 1896 after auctioning all the contents in September that year.

^[2] Goodwyn, Colin (1998) "The History of Tor Cottage Matlock Dale", a privately published limited edition. The Grants purchased the property in 1936 (see next image).

^[3] "The Matlocks, the Official Guide Book", no date but about 1951 for the webmistress's copy, Geo. Hodgkinson, printer

^[4] The advertisements began in February 1949 and intensified the following year.