Menu for Christmas Dinner, Smedley's Hydro, Matlock

The first hydropathic (water treatment) establishment on Matlock Bank in the town of Matlock, Derbyshire, was opened in 1851 by Ralph Davis. John Smedley took it over in 1853 and considerably expanded the number of clients and the buildings over the next twenty years. In the 1920s and 1930s the business declined as the popularity of hydropathy decreased. The Smedley's Hydro building was requisitioned by the War Department during the Second World War. There was a short-lived revival of the hydropathic business after 1945. The buildings and grounds were eventually bought by Derbyshire County Council in 1956 as its main administrative centre.