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| Riber Castle | |
|---|---|
 Riber Castle in 2003 | |
  Location in Derbyshire | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Town or city | Matlock, Derbyshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°07′40″N 1°32′35″W / 53.1278°N 1.5430°W |
| Completed | 1862 |
| Client | John Smedley |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Riber Castle |
| Designated | 22 June 1950 |
| Reference no. | 1248137 |
Riber Castle is a 19th-century Grade II listed[1] country house in the hamlet of Riber on a hill overlooking Matlock, Derbyshire. It is built of gritstone from a local quarry which was pulled up the 200-metre (660 ft) hill by a series of pulleys.[2]
Known locally as "Smedley's Folly" because of the difficulty of getting water to the hill summit, it was built by the industrialist John Smedley in 1862 as his private home.[2] After Smedley’s death in 1874, his widow lived at the castle until her death in 1892.[3] The castle then became a boys' prep school until this became financially unviable in the 1930s. The architectural historian John Summerson attended the school in the early 20th century.[4] While he enjoyed his time at the school, the building's architecture had lesser appeal; he described the castle as "an object of indecipherable bastardy – a true monster".[5] With the coming of World War II the Ministry of Defence used the site for food storage.[6] The MoD left following the war and the castle remained unused until the 1960s.[3]
From the 1960s to September 2000 it was home to a wildlife park, containing British and European fauna. The late 20th century saw increasing criticism of the treatment of animals at the zoo and it closed in 2000.[2][3]
Plans to turn the shell of the castle into apartments repeatedly failed in the 21st century.[2][7][8][6] However, in 2023, conversion work on the castle began, with plans for enabling development in the grounds.[9] Completion of the castle renovation is planned for the autumn of 2024 and apartments have been listed for sale.[10][11]
The castle and the town of Matlock are key locations in the Shane Meadows film Dead Man's Shoes.[12]
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