Matlock Bath: The terror of the crusher cliff

Front page DET January 10, 1966

Matlock Bath landslide

EDITH Wilkinson had just served Sunday lunch at her home in Hazel Bank, on the edge of the picturesque Derbyshire town of Matlock Bath, 40 years ago, when rumblings from the huge nearby cliff face indicated all was not well.

But neither she, nor her joiner husband, Arthur, could have imagined the disaster which was to follow.

Within minutes they were standing, shocked and shivering, in the roadway as their home collapsed like a pack of cards under the tremendous weight of tons of rock which had come crashing down in a landslip from the 80-feet high limestone cliff face at the end of their back garden.

Next door, their neighbour, Joyce Botham, had a similar lucky escape. She had wondered why her pet Alsation dog, Tanya, had been whimpering and crying all night.

As her house began to crack, she grabbed her 14-month-old baby son and ran to safety. Minutes later, her home also disappeared in a cloud of dust and rubble.

Her husband, Arthur (39), had been away on business and, when he returned home and found the road blocked by police, he feared the worst until his boss broke the news that, though his home was no longer standing, his wife and son were shocked but safe.

With the busy A6 road to Manchester just below, it was a miracle no-one was killed or hurt as the cliff face came tumbling down.

Four other houses were damaged, cracks appeared in the A6 roadway and, within 24 hours, the slip had moved another 10 feet, causing worries that more homes may be destroyed.

Police formed a cordon around the area, closing it to traffic at Cromford, while firemen stood by because of the risk from damaged gas mains.

Several hours later, terror hit again when another landslip occurred as a 200-ton section of the cliff face suddenly broke away and crashed down towards other homes.

The enormous boulder ended up in a back garden at Matlock, stopping just inches short of the back door. So big was it that the Derby Evening Telegraph carried a front page picture of a reporter standing dwarfed by the rock, with the caption “Rock garden with a difference”.

When the drama began, Arthur and Edith Wilkinson were just about to sit down to their Sunday lunch. When he heard the rumblings, Arthur promptly called the local council who suggested they get out without delay.

So, with their steaming food on the table and no time even to put on outdoor clothes, the couple raced out into the January cold.

Then, as they stood in the roadway, they watched in horror as their home disappeared before their eyes, engulfed by falling rocks.

Mrs Wilkinson said at the time: “The two houses fell as if they were made of paper. As we left, windows were cracking and doors were being forced from their hinges by the pressure. We have lost all our possessions.”

The two families were housed overnight in an old people’s home while the local authority made arrangements to find them accommodation.

Another family affected by the landslip was Mr and Mrs Harry Laighd and their sons, Peter (16) and John (10), whose cottage was one of the most seriously threatened buildings in Hazel Bank. They were ordered to leave as soon as the danger became apparent.

Work was soon under way to clear the rubble.

Within 24 hours, explosives experts were called in to scale the cliff to blast over-hanging boulders which were threatening to cause a second landslip and crush two more houses.

The fall was thought to have been caused by torrential rain the previous month. The land where the flattened houses stood was owned by Derbyshire Stone Ltd and county surveyor John Russell was meeting representatives of the company to decide what action would be taken.

Do you remember the January 1966 landslide at Matlock Bath? Were you affected by it? Did you have to be rehoused? Write to us at Bygones with your experiences at the address on page 2.

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