A view of Dale Road from the opposite bank of the River Derwent, close to Matlock Bath station, and one of the first scenes Victorian and Edwardian visitors would have encountered when they arrived by train. At the end of Station Approach, blocking the roadway, are horses and carriages waiting for incoming arrivals (left, just below centre).

The oval sign on the building at the left of the parade is for the County and Station Hotel run by Francis Hoyland, who was described in the 1901 census as an Inn Keeper and Tobacconist^[1]. In various trade directories the hotel advertised that it catered for parties and had "good stabling" which was at the rear. The County and Station is at the bottom of Holme Road. Next to it is Holmesfield House^[1] and the three properties of Midland Terrace beyond which, towards Matlock, is a long stone wall.

The large house in the centre of the picture is The Laurels which was run as apartments by Mrs. Sarah Shimwell^[2]. Her husband, Samuel, was the Parish Clerk. The road from The Laurels to the right is Brunswood Road and above the roofline of the property can be seen the roof gable end of Clarence Terrace. Neither Rockvale Villas nor Rockvale Terrace are shown as they were not built. To the left of The Laurels is Albert Heights, which was demolished to make way for the houses.

This card was originally thought to date from around the 1905 postmark, but closer examination and comparison with other images point to the photograph having been taken about 10 years earlier.

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

^[1] See the 1901 census. Holmesfield House was given as Holmefield House in 1901. Francis Hoyland is also listed in Kelly's Directory, 1899

^[2] Mrs. Sarah Shimwell was listed at The Laurels in Kelly's Directory, 1895, Kelly's Directory, 1899, and Kelly's Directory, 1908. The Shimwells were also on Holme Road in 1891 and in the 1881 census although Sarah Martin, Mrs. Shimwell's mother, was listed in Kelly's Directory for that year