To advertise the occupations of those working below, a
bicycle wheel that rotated in the wind was fixed to the
roof of the workshop in Green Lane, just off South Parade.
The Ashbys, father and son, made bicycles[1];
their name is on the signboard straddling the lane and
the 1903 advertisement, below, says they made the Gladiator
Cycle. The father and son team were also Cycle and Motor
Repairers[2] and
provided accommodation for cyclists in the left hand
portion of the building, with the garage in the middle under
the arch. They had "Dunlop Tyres In Stock", according
to the sign in the foreground.
Frederick Ashby senior was a former farmer from Lincolnshire[3].
Unfortunately, his Matlock Bath business did not survive
and at the end of 1907 there was a Deed of Assignment for
the benefit of his Creditors[2].
If you were around in the 1950s this building is probably
better remembered as "The Singing Kettle" café.
There was a Cyclist's Touring Club blue sign on the wall
and a fish and chip shop at the far end. |
