The building was never a real castle - it was built in the 19th century by local industrialist John Smedley as his country house. After the death of Smedley and his wife it was used as a boys’ school, during WWII it was a storage facility, and in the 1960s it became a wildlife park. I remember going to Riber Zoo as a kid. The zoo eventually closed in 2000 and has been empty since. There are plans afoot to turn it into apartments.
The view of Riber from the Matlock road is very impressive - the black ruins dominate the skyline and the fields are spread out below it like a green patchwork quilt.
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