Matlock Bridge Business & Shopping
A vibrant shopping district on the edge of the Peak National Park
A vibrant shopping district on the edge of the Peak National Park
Hall Leys Park opened in 1898 and lies in the center of Matlock. The River Derwent runs along it's length to the south and it offers visitors a space to releax or excercise. The tennis courts are free to use and a skate park is open to all.
A foot bridge takes visitors from the park to the shops and restaurants on Dale Road, through a sensorary garden. The bridge has markings showing the height of floods that hit the town in the 1960s and 1970s. Other floods are marked on the café, on the opposite side of the bandstand.
Wikipedia explains the secondary use of the park: Hall Leys Park is now a central part of the town's flood protection. The wall which surrounds the northern side of the park has the ability to have the footways sealed with sheets of wood which would dam the progress of any overflow from the river and turn the entire park into a large reservoir.
During the summer visitors can hire boats on the boating lake, which has several small islands and is home to a large number of birds, including ducks and moorhens. It is said to be the oldest running pleasure boat lake in the country. There is also a miniature railway running along the river.