Riber Castle at Matlock Built in the mid 19th century, Riber Castle sits high on a hill, overlooking Matlock and much of the surrounding area. It was built by John Smedley, a local textile manufacturer and founder of the Smedley's hydros in Matlock itself. Riber castle was built as a residence for himself, to his own design, and of local stone. It remained unoccupied for many years, hence it's present state, but the site was acquired by a group of zoologists in the 1960's who developed it as a nature reserve for rare British and European wildlife, open to the public. Unfortunately the nature reserve is closed now.