Matlock, Derbyshire | town, county town - UK/Ireland

 town, county town - UK/Ireland

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A former spa town, Matlock (from the Old English for Moot Oak) lies on the River Derwent, and has prospered from both the hydrotherapy industry and the mills constructed on the river. It was an unimportant collection of small villages — Matlock Town, Matlock Green, Matlock Bridge, Matlock Bank — until thermal springs were discovered in 1698.

The population increased rapidly in the 1800s, largely because of the popular hydros which were being built. At one stage there were around twenty hydros, most on Matlock Bank. The largest was built in 1853 by John Smedley.This closed in 1955, and re-opened in 1956 as the headquarters of the Derbyshire County Council, making Matlock now the 'official' county-town of Derbyshire as opposed to the City of Derby which is only the traditional or historic county-town, and as its own unitary authority is in fact no longer even located within the modern County of Derbyshire. Matlock is also home to the Derbyshire Dales District Council as well as Matlock Town council.

There are centuries old lead mines in this area. A rare lead Halide mineral was first found in old slag heaps in this area, It was named Matlockite after the locality. The slag heaps in Laurion, Greece are another location. The largest known specimen some 4 inches is in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.