Riber Castle

Riber Castle stands on a 200-metre hill above Matlock in Derbyshire’s East Midlands. Built in 1862 for the industrialist John Smedley, the gritstone house was nicknamed ‘Smedley’s Folly’ because water had to be hauled up the slope by pulley. After Smedley died in 1874 his widow remained until 1892, then the building became a boys’ prep school until the 1930s. The future architectural historian John Summerson attended the school in the early 1900s and later called the castle an architectural monstrosity. During the Second World War the Ministry of Defence stored food there before it stood empty for decades. From the 1960s until 2000 the castle housed a wildlife park with British and European animals. Growing criticism of animal welfare led to its closure, and the building fell into ruin. Plans to convert it into flats repeatedly failed in the 21st century until conversion work finally began in 2023. The renovation is due for completion in autumn 2024, when private apartments will occupy the restored shell. The castle and nearby Matlock appear as key locations in Shane Meadows’ film Dead Man’s Shoes. Visitors today see the gritstone walls rising above the hilltop, the remains of animal enclosures scattered across the grounds, and sweeping views over Matlock and the Derwent Valley. The hillside path still carries the marks of the old pulley tracks used to haul materials upward.