Publisher: Valentine “Colourtone” Series – Looking South
Publisher: Raphael Tack & Sons “Chromatic” – Looking North
There are several postcards and photographs in Buxton Museum that depict views of Matlock Bath as either having a “Switzerland View” or being a “Little Switzerland”. The art critic John Ruskin and poet Lord Byron both visited the area in the day and it is the latter that is credited with the comparison. This first view shows Matlock Bath’s High Tor. On the left, below the area of blank space by the road is now the Artist Corner car park. This side of Matlock Bath can be explored as part of the High Tor Recreation Ground. The second view shows High Tor from the Station Bridge looking North towards Matlock itself.
Matlock Bath is not alone in picking up an exotic moniker. Nicknaming places became fashionable in an era when foreign travel was a limited to a small number of wealthy individuals. Despite having neither mountains or lakes, it is the rocky outcrops that surround the area that lend the feel of winding alpine roads.