Riber Castle
Encyclopedia
Riber Castle is a 19th century Grade II listed country house situated in the hamlet
of Riber
on a hill
overlooking Matlock, Derbyshire
. It was built by John Smedley
in 1862 as his private home. His wife lived in it until her death.
It is built of gritstone
from a local quarry
(Derbyshire
is well-known for its quarrying) which was pulled up the 200 metre high hill by a series of pulleys.
After the death of Smedley's wife, the castle became a boys' school until this became financially unsustainable in the 1930s. With the coming of WWII the Ministry of Defence used the site for storage. The MoD left following the war and the castle remained unused until the 1960s.
From the 1960s to September 2000 it was home to a wildlife park
, to British and European Fauna. Riber Castle Wildlife Park or "Riber Zoo", as it was known, was eventually sold by the owner, but they were unable to sell it as a going concern, and so the park eventually closed. The park was criticised heavily for the treatment of the animals kept there, and the closure was not without controversy.
Activists also released several Lynxes from Riber zoo which escaped into the wild, sightings of the animals lead to locals coining the nickname "The beast of Lumsdale".
It is currently in disrepair, although there are plans to turn the shell into apartments which received planning consent on 15 March 2006. At this time there are no floors or roof to the castle building, and the remnants of the zoo are clear, with footpaths, enclosures and buildings still present. Access to the site before 2006 was securely restricted, until the perimeter fence was unwired to provide unrestricted access to the site, which later became a commonly used footpath. However, recently developers have added a second (more secure) fence, boarded up all entrance points and have manned security onsite.
The castle and the town of Matlock are key locations in the Shane Meadows
film Dead Man's Shoes.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Riber
Riber
Riber is a hamlet in the Derbyshire Dales, lying within the boundaries of the town of Matlock. It is situated high on a hill overlooking the town and also Matlock Bath....
on a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
overlooking Matlock, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. It was built by John Smedley
John Smedley (industrialist)
John Smedley is the name of four generations of owners of Lea Mills, near Matlock, Derbyshire. The most famous of these was John Smedley , born Wirksworth, Derbyshire.-Lea Mills:...
in 1862 as his private home. His wife lived in it until her death.
It is built of gritstone
Gritstone
Gritstone or Grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for paper and for grindstones to sharpen blades. "Grit" is...
from a local quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
(Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
is well-known for its quarrying) which was pulled up the 200 metre high hill by a series of pulleys.
After the death of Smedley's wife, the castle became a boys' school until this became financially unsustainable in the 1930s. With the coming of WWII the Ministry of Defence used the site for storage. The MoD left following the war and the castle remained unused until the 1960s.
From the 1960s to September 2000 it was home to a wildlife park
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, to British and European Fauna. Riber Castle Wildlife Park or "Riber Zoo", as it was known, was eventually sold by the owner, but they were unable to sell it as a going concern, and so the park eventually closed. The park was criticised heavily for the treatment of the animals kept there, and the closure was not without controversy.
Activists also released several Lynxes from Riber zoo which escaped into the wild, sightings of the animals lead to locals coining the nickname "The beast of Lumsdale".
It is currently in disrepair, although there are plans to turn the shell into apartments which received planning consent on 15 March 2006. At this time there are no floors or roof to the castle building, and the remnants of the zoo are clear, with footpaths, enclosures and buildings still present. Access to the site before 2006 was securely restricted, until the perimeter fence was unwired to provide unrestricted access to the site, which later became a commonly used footpath. However, recently developers have added a second (more secure) fence, boarded up all entrance points and have manned security onsite.
The castle and the town of Matlock are key locations in the Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter, occasional actor and BAFTA winner.-Background:Meadows grew up in the Westlands Road area of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. His father was a long distance lorry driver and his mother worked in a fish and chip shop...
film Dead Man's Shoes.