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Matlock is the administrative centre of Derbyshire and a bustling town and tourist centre.
The old ticket office and Waiting Room at Matlock’ s old tramway station- the one time steepest tramway in the world- have been taken over by the Peak Rail Society and here can be found shops and exhibitions explaining the history and aims of the society. Peak Rail is a refurbished and rebuilt railway between Matlock Riverside station and Rowsley South. A great trip through time

Inside Matlock’s Church of St.Giles can be seen the preserved funeral garlands or “virgin crants” that were once common all over Derbyshire. The decorated garlands were made in memory of a deceased girl of the parish and would have contained a personal item. At her funeral the garland would have been carried by the dead girl’s friends and after the service it would be suspended from the church rafters above the pew that her family would normally have occupied.

The waters from Matlock Bath were being used for medicinal purposes from the late 17th Century. The Old Bath Hotel was built at this time to accommodate the health tourists. Like other Spa towns in England Matlock Bath reached its peak during the Regency period. As well as offering a curative for the ills of the day the surrounding area offered a great deal to the visitor. Byron compared its beauties to Switzerland and it was much admired by the Scottish philosopher, Dr. Thomas Chalmers, and Ruskin, who stayed at the New Bath Hotel in 1829. The young Princess Victoria visited before she ascended to the throne

The coming of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century brought the town within easy reach to a lot of people at minimal cost. Today it retains a lot of Victorian charm left over from the days when people descended on the town to look for a cure

The Matlock Bath Hydro was where rheumatic patients came to immerse themselves in the curative waters. Today it is an aquarium housing native, tropical and marine fish. Visitors can feed the fish from food obtainable from the Aquarium. There is also a Hologram Gallery, which has pictures using laser technology and a Petrifying well where visitors can see objects being sprayed with water turning them into stone. There is also a gemstone and fossil collection

Contact: 0118 971 4700