Matlock Bath museum appeal

November 2015

Biking memories | Motorcycle stories | Pre-1950

Miners, Mills, Mineral Waters and Motorbikes. That's the name of a new exhibition at The Mining Museum in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire. Sounds like an unlikely title for an exhibition. But it might have something to with the convenient alliteration. It could perhaps equally have been Miners, Mills, Mineral Waters and Macaroni. Or Miners, Mills, Mineral Waters and Malapropisms. But motorbikes are more interesting. And anyway, bikes are largely what Matlock Bath is currently famous for.

To that end, Derbyshire historian Clare Herbert is looking for old photographs and memories of the area, ideally pre-1950. Faded pictures of granddad, or grandma, on a broken-down Brough will do. The mouldy war diaries of Norton Ned will also help. Or maybe you've got an interesting piece of biking scrimshaw hand-carved by Mike the Matlock Matelot during his long sea voyages to and from the island of Madagascar (it's possible, so don't knock it).

Two or three hundred years ago, Matlock Bath (not to be confused with the town of Matlock a mile or two up the road) was a popular 17th century spa town that slowly blossomed into a residential and holiday destination for the wealthy and the not so wealthy alike.

If you've ever been there (and we've made the pilgrimage dozens of times), you'll know that the town has something of a seaside feel to it. There's a faded gentility there that, in later years, is arguably being eroded by the influx of thousands of motorcyclists pounding the pavement (or even tormenting the tarmac) on most weekends throughout the warmer months, and there are a fair few bikers on the move during the rest of the year. But the thing is, bikers bring in the money, and Matlock Bath would be a lot poorer if the council ever manage to chase away the two-wheeled hordes (which at times appears to be the agenda).

Mining and quarrying used to be a major industry in the wider Peak District area. In fact, there are still a few large quarries in the vicinity extracting limestone, gritstone, shale—plus lots of other stuff we don't know how to spell or pronounce.

But this appeal is about the Mining Museum which is an integral part of the local community and needs your support. So if you can dig out some old and relevant biking memorabilia, bring it on. And the next time you're cruising up or down the A6 past the museum, maybe you'll consider dropping in for a visit. It's £4 for the museum alone, and £7 for the museum and the mine. These are adult prices, note.

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— Big End