The Walker family (of Walker's Hotel) ran Matlock Bath's Ferry and Lovers' Walk for most of the nineteenth century. Walker's ferry was included as a highlight of special railway pleasure trips to Matlock Bath^[1], especially as it provided access to the Lovers' Walks on the opposite bank which the Walkers also leased. Mrs Hannah Ratcliffe (née Walker) was the last of the family to be involved^[2]. Pleasure boats were also available to hire, as shown just behind the children in the above picture although the boats in the foreground look like racing skiffs belonging to the boat club. It is difficult to say whether the young man standing behind the children is their father or just an older sibling - he looks rather young to be a father.

Behind the four young people is what looks like a washing line strung across the river. This was the wire ferry rope that stretched out about six to seven feet above the river and was attached to concrete posts. The wire was at that height to allow rowing boats to pass underneath. From it a chain "strop" with a ring on hung down for for the ferryman to pull on - there was no underwater chain to assist the ferryman. However, with the river's height varying considerably according to the rainfall and the season, it proved to be a simple method to get people across the water^[3]. The ferry itself is the small boat that is slightly upstream.In earlier times the rope had been made of hemp (see The Ferry and the River Derwent).

After Mrs. Ratcliffe's death, in November 1896, Matlock Bath council took over the lease of both the ferry and the Lovers' Walks and they were able to expand the promenade from the Jubilee Bridge to include much more of the walks. At one of the council meetings in 1900 it was reported that "the figures of the council's boating property which has now been taken over four years were read. They showed a 50 per cent increase in takings over several of the preceding summers, and as much as 35 per cent over the record of any previous year. The Council have added another ferry across the river^[4]". This lower ferry, for which permission granted in 1900, was below the New Bath Hotel "and access to and from the main road^[5]". A third ferry operated, at one time, from close to the railway bridge behind the Midland Hotel.