The photograph was taken at the opening of a fund-raising function held in the school room of the Trinity Methodist Chapel in Matlock and dates from the 1950s.

The people in the photograph are, left to right :

Rev J W Swarbrick, minister at Matlock Bank Methodist Chapel; Unknown female (Mrs. Astbury?); John Hadfield, Managing Director, Derbyshire Stone Ltd.; Rev Bernard Lewis, Minister of Trinity Methodist Chapel; Mrs Edith Gale, at the Piano; Rev W H Coxon, Matlock Methodist Circuit Minister; Unknown female.

In March 1955 invitations were extended to both Rev. J. W. Swarbrick and the Rev Bernard Lewis to stay in the circuit for a further year by Mr G. W Burnett, the Circuit Steward^[1]. Bernard Lewis had links to the area before he became a minister at the church as in 1933 he married Margaret Mary, the daughter of Henry Arthur Wood (1871-1953) of The Shaws on Snitterton Road. Mr.Wood was the Managing Director of a company producing Road Concrete & Building Materials^[2] (was this Derbyshire Stone?). He was involved in the church and was also and a director of the Willersley Castle Wesley Guild Guest House^[3].

Bernard Lewis was one of the organisers of a 1955 campaign that opposed a plan for Matlock's two cinemas to open on Sundays. Star Cinemas had applied to the Council to allow Sunday opening under the Cinematograph Act 1909 and the later Sunday Entertainments Act 1932; they wanted the Council to submit a draft offer to the Secretary of State for permission. Two votes were held in the town and, although the turnout was probably smaller than hoped for, the second one gave a resounding 2 to 1 majority in favour of Sunday opening.

There is a poem, written in 1882, about the Laying of the Foundation Stone of this church.

Please email the web mistress if you can identify either of the unknown people or provide an exact date. Thank you :-)

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

^[1] "Belper News", 18 March 1955.

^[2] From the 1939 Register, available on FindMyPast.

^[3] See Matlock : Willersley Castle.

^[4] "Belper News", 30 December 1955. Matlock Will Have Sunday Cinemas.