Matlock owes much of its development to the Victorian interest in hydropathy – the treatment of ailments with water therapies. Many of the town's grand buildings, now used for a variety of other purposes, were formally hydropathic hotels.
The man who brought water treatment to Matlock was the eccentric industrialist John Smedley. It was he who built Riber Castle which dominates the hilltop above the town.
At the centre of Matlock is Hall Leys Park, on the banks of the Derwent. The park provides a lovely setting for recreational activities, including bowls, miniature golf, tennis, a miniature railway, children's play area, paddling pool and boating lake.
On Boxing Day Hall Leys Park is the starting point for a boisterous raft race along a two mile stretch of the River Derwent.