County Hall, Grade II listed administrative building in Matlock Town, England
County Hall is a four-story stone structure with distinctive sash windows arranged in eleven sections, topped by a tower added during the 1885 expansion. Connected to the main building is a Winter Gardens section built in 1901, linked by a two-story bridge that spans over Smedley Street.
It started in 1867 as Smedley's Hydro, a health resort founded by entrepreneur John Smedley, before becoming the county administrative center in 1955. This shift from a wellness facility to government headquarters marked a major change in the building's purpose.
The entrance hall displays a stained glass window featuring figures representing health and well-being, a reminder of what the building once stood for. This artistic detail shows how the place was valued as a center for recovery and care long before its current role.
It is conveniently located on Wellington Street in the heart of Matlock and easy to find. Since it remains an active administrative building, you can appreciate its exterior and general layout while visiting the town center.
A two-story bridge links the main building across the street to the Winter Gardens section built in 1901, an unusual solution for connecting two parts of the complex. This overhead passage is a striking feature that shows how the building was expanded without interrupting street access.
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