Our trail begins with our back to the main road. To our left along the high street is the row of shops that epitomise Matlock Bath’s tourism today, But look ahead towards the river and its banks and we can find out how Matlock’s visitor appeal all began. You can’t miss the pink tones and dome of the now slightly tired looking ‘Grand’ Pavilion. The building seems at odds with the natural backdrop behind it. But the two are actually closely related. The Grand Pavilion once stood ... (read more)
Moonlight' engraving on Ashford Black Marble
DERSB : 2011.5
Boxed Ashford Black Marble plaque, with a moonlight engraving of Matlock Bath, engraved by Ann Rayner, 1830s. The image was engraved on Ashford Black Marble using a diamond-tipped tool.
Ann Rayner was the leading artist to use this technique in the 1830s. Her husband, Samuel Rayner, also an artist, painted a series of watercolours at this time. Anns engraving creates an extraordinary night time view.
Ashford Black Marble is neither black nor marble: it is a grey limestone containing bitumen that turns black and shiny when polished. It was mined near the village of Ashford-in-the-Water from the 1500s. Ornaments were popular tourist souvenirs and sold at numerous outlets, many of which called themselves museums. Early pieces were decorated with etchings and engravings. Later, inlaying became common, and geometric mosaics and floral designs became popular. By the 1870s, trade began to decline. The mines at Ashford closed and, by 1920, the industry had almost completely died out.
Matlock Baths spring water was discovered in 1600. At 20°C, it is cooler than Buxton water. Matlock village, in the beautiful, sheltered valley of the River Derwent, soon attracted visitors. From the late 1700s both Buxton and Matlock Bath developed thriving tourist trades, with hotels, theatres, concerts, horse racing and ballrooms. By the 1900s, customers came to both towns for hydrotherapy water treatments believed to cure all ills.
Additional information
- Rights: Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (part of Derbyshire County Council)