Oldham House and Prospect Place Hydro

The story of this building begins with Thomas Davis. Thomas had worked a framework knitter before hydropathy became such a runaway success in Matlock and his daughter Rachel^[1], who was also important in the history of Oldham House, was employed as a cotton winder when she was young (see both 1841 census and 1851 census transcripts on this website).

By 1861 Thomas was one of several of the Davis brothers practising hydropathy, or hydrotherapy, in Matlock^[2]. Thomas, Horatio, Ralph, Phineas and George^[3] were all sons of William Davis and Hannah (née Botham)^[4]. Not all the Davis boys became hydropathists, but several were key to the success of the industry and they ran establishments that were amongst the largest in the town.

Rachel Wildgoose (née Davis) took over the running of Oldham House and Prospect Place, probably after her father's death in July 1891. In 1895 she advertised the hydropathic establishment in Kelly's Directory as having comfortable apartments and experienced bathmen. She and John were still there is 1901^[5]. Rachel died in 1909, aged 72. By 1925 Oldham & Prospect Hydro Company Limited offered "tennis, bowls &c; evening entertainments & dancing ; electric light throughout" (Kelly's Directory, 1925). Lubin George Wildgoose was by then the Manager. He was the son of Rachel and her husband John Wildgoose, a stone merchant, and had begun his working life as a Joiner's Apprentice^[6].

The postcard above shows the building when it was possibly in its heyday as a hydro. Oldham House ceased to be a hydropathic establishment very abruptly one weekend when the Second World War began. After the War its role changed yet again and it went from accommodating paying guests to serving the needs of children, whose parents paid for their education.

References and more information (this section)

^[1] Rachel's birth and baptism are in the parish register. She was one of twins.
^[2] See the 1861 census
^[3] In St. Giles' parish registers George is given as the child of William and Sarah, which is clearly an error. He was living with his parents in both 1841 and 1851.
^[4] William Davis married Hannah Botham in 1803
^[5] See the entry for Oldham House in 1901
^[6] See the 1891 census entry

Woodlands School.

The following information has been supplied by Colin Goodwyn, to whom I am very grateful.

Woodlands School opened in 1925 or 1926 with three pupils. Miss Winifred White, the Headmistress, told Colin that she had taught for a short period in a state school and gave him the impression that she had worked in private schools in the South of England prior to returning to Matlock in 1923 to look after a relative - probably her father, Charles White M.P.

The post-First World War hydropathic trade provided a continued demand for local private education for the children of long-term visitors' and, following the death of her father in December 1923, Miss White decided that there was sufficient potential for another small school in Matlock. The family home on Bakewell Road, known as "The Woodlands", provided sufficient space for a few pupils and Miss White's original intention was not to exceed a maximum of twelve. However, over the next few years the numbers increased steadily to forty girls and boys aged from five years upwards supervised by up to four teachers.

The Second World War had little effect upon "The Woodlands" other than causing the cellar to be strengthened with railway sleepers for use as an air raid shelter. During the conflict the Government gave considerable thought to the future educational picture. The new all-embracing approach to nationalised education in fact increased demand from parents for private schools to assist their children in passing the selection test (Eleven-Plus) and also for those who failed the test but required something approaching a Grammar school-like education. The day of the dame school, too, was now past due to the requirements for improved standards and equipment and, for Woodlands, this meant larger premises were needed^[7].

The need for change coincided with the death of Miss White's brother-in-law, Alderman William Hyde, in Oxford in 1945, and with the return to Matlock of his widow, Mrs A G R Hyde. The two sisters appear to have then pooled their resources and, when the RAF gave up its occupation of Oldham House & Prospect Place Hydro, which had been used for hospital and recuperative accommodation, purchased it. Woodlands School (still known as Miss White's although she was married in 1938) moved up to Wellington Street in January 1946. Within this new building there was space to accommodate boarders.

Soon, the school choir was established and, from 1947, swimming lessons commenced at Matlock Lido^[8]. Woodlands School Choir became quite renowned and subsequently made many recordings and broadcast on radio.

Although the post-1947 establishment was usually described as a girls' school and a preparatory school for boys, Miss White claimed that its principal concern was coaching for the Common Entrance exams, but considerable attention was paid to Eleven-Plus cramming, and pupils who were over CE age were accepted to take GCEs.

Administratively, the classes were divided into groups of Junior, Middle and Senior Schools and the pupils were said to be separated by ability rather than age. No class ever exceeded twenty five despite the school once reaching a high point of 260 pupils. For competitive purposes the pupils were allocated to Houses named Hyde (probably after Miss White's sister Mrs Hyde or her late husband), Charlesworth (Miss White's mother's maiden name), Nightingale (after the local heroine^[9,10]) and Bright (reason unknown, though Bright is a local surname); their colours being green, blue, purple and yellow respectively.

The uniform was blue (with yellow blouses for girls) but changed to the fairly commonplace grey and yellow sometime after 1947. The school badge comprised a yellow tree between the letters W and S on a grey shield. The school had its own troops of Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Brownies and Cubs.

Mrs Hyde (Annie G R) and Mrs White (Winifred Alice) were the eldest and next youngest respectively of five sisters and a brother who were all born at Bonsall, Derbyshire, between 1884 and 1899 to Charles Frederick White, a boot and shoe maker from Tetbury, Gloucester, and his wife Alice^[11]. In 1918 Charles successfully stood as the local Liberal parliamentary candidate. His son, also named Charles (and Miss White's brother), became the Independent Labour MP for West Derbyshire in 1944 and, two years later, Chairman of Derbyshire County Council. Although she retained her single title Miss White was the wife of Bert (Herbert John) Dimmock who had been born in Oxfordshire and died in October 1964, not long after which she suffered a partial stroke.

It was doubtless the combination of her poor health, the age of the senior staff and the pressing need for improved standards in equipment and curriculum which ultimately forced Miss White to close her school. An undated letter announcing the closure was sent to all pupils' parents who received it on 23 January 1965 - the day after the subject was published in the local paper. The last day of the last term occurred on 14 July 1965. Miss White died on 16 July 1974, aged 80.

More information (this section)

^[7] Schools There's a section that discusses a few key milestones in the development of English State Education, as well as short descriptions of Matlock Schools
^[8] A magazine article about Matlock Lido is elsewhere on this website
^[9] Florence Nightingale was the local heroine. There's a photograph of her her on-site and a great deal of other information.
^[10] There's also a brief biography of Florence Nightingale.
^[11] Charles White Snr advertised in Kelly's 1891 Directory of Bonsall