| Matlock
Bath: The Parade & the Derwent, 1920s-1930s |
| Matlock Bath : Twentieth Century Photographs, Postcards, Engravings & Etchings |
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A black and white photograph and a sepia image of the River Derwent. The top
picture is from a Ward Lock Guide and the second image,
with a pair of swans on the river, was published as a postcard.
The picture was taken by the Matlock Bath cavern owner
Cyril Edmonds a few years later (the trees are just a little
bigger). Note the lack of a protective railing on the riverbank.
Health and Safety wasn't an issue in the first few decades
of the twentieth century! The seats show on the
previous image had been removed.
The buildings on the right bank of the river were amongst
the casualties when the main road through Matlock Bath was
widened in 1967.
In 1928 Matlock Council had received a letter from Mr. Harry Fox offering a pair of swans for sale,
but it was resolved that it was not advisable to place swans on the river in Matlock Bath because of
the boating. However, the offer was referred to the Matlock Pleasure Grounds Committee. It is not known
if these were the same swans[sw]. Mr. Fox repeated his offer
in 1933, this time for swans at Matlock[sw1]. The offer was
again declined as Matlock Council had received a request from the R.S.P.C.A. that they should not
place any more swans on the river.
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1. Image from Ward Lock & Co's "Matlock, Dovedale,
Bakewell and South Derbyshire", Illustrated Guide
Books of England and Wales (1928). It was reproduced in the 1932 edition.
From the collection of, provided for this website by and © Ray
Ash. The photographs in the book were unlikely to have been
taken specifically for the guide and were also not necessarily
of the same date the book was published.
2. "River Derwent, Matlock Bath". [Cyril] Edmonds Photo Image
© Ken Smith collection. No date, but another version was posted in 1937.
Intended for personal use only.
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References
[sw] "Derby Advertiser and Journal", 20 July 1928. Harry Fox was a poultry farmer.
[sw1] "Derby Times", 21 March 1933. The second pair of swans were a year old and he offered them for £3 13s. 6d.
Also see:
 Matlock
Bath: River Derwent & the Devonshire Hotel, 1890
"Matlock
Bath from the Promenade" (it is in the "Just
images" section of the site).
"Matlock
Bath, The River" (also in the "Just images" section)" shows
the riverside buildings from a different angle.
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