This view of Matlock Bank was taken in the early 1920s from the vantage point of the War Memorial on the top of Pic Tor. It shows the recently built Ritz Cinema complex on Causeway Lane and the Hall Leys without the mature trees and shrubs of today. In those days the cinema wasn't called the Ritz, of course, but was known as the Cinema House or the Picture House - and was not to be confused with the Picture Palace on Dale Road! Matlock Town's football ground and the stand for spectators is also in the photograph. The row of shops on Causeway Lane between the cinema and the football ground were not occupied when the picture was taken^[1].

Amongst those trading on Causeway Lane in 1925, and whose shops and offices are probably shown, were^[2]:
Edward James Clayden, a bootmaker & dealer;
the offices of William Henry Furniss, whose Premier garage was on Bakewell road;
Derbyshire & Smith, printers;
Leigh & Sons, bootmakers;
and Wm. Thompson, shoeing & general smith.

What were the relatively recently laid out grounds of the Matlock Sports Club Limited can also be seen^[3].

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

^[1] When the image is enlarged the Cinema itself does not look quite finished, so this image may date from about 1921.

^[2] List of names extracted from "Kelly's Directory, 1925".

^[3] The sports club included football, cricket and athletics. Kelly's 1916 Directory provides the first reference to both the Athletic Club and the Football Club sharing the Causeway Lane ground with the Cricket Club.