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| Stoney Middleton lies at the foot of Middleton Dale, a spectacular cliff-lined valley which has been much affected by quarrying. The village centre lies just off the main A623 road which thunders through both the dale and the village. There is a church, which is mostly 18th Century although the tower was built by Joan Eyre to commemorate her husband's safe return from Agincourt in 1415, and the remains of what are reputed to be Roman baths. Clustered along the main road near the former toll bar, now a fish and chip shop, there is a shop and a pub called The Moon.
Just out of the village is 'Lover's Leap' where, in 1762 the jilted Hannah Baddaley flung herself off the clifftop, only to be saved by her voluminous skirts, which acted as a parachute. Sadly, she died of natural causes only two years later, still unwed.
Below the cliff is the Lovers Leap Cafe, a favourite haunt of local climbers, and higher up the valley, at the foot of Middleton Dale, the scenery is dominated by Windover Buttress, home of some of the most spectacular rock climbs of the area. There are also several important pot-holes in this dale, notably Carlswark cavern.
Stoney Middleton has a well-dressing in late July.
The upland area to the south of Middleton Dale has been mined extensively for Fluorspar and resembles a moonscape. It is well worth a visit just to see this scene of desolation. |
Nearby Places of Interest| Chatsworth House and Park | Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, in the Peak District. Home of the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish Family. Build by Bess of Hardwick. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisioned here. The greatest house of the region and set in a large park. | | Eyam Hall | Eyam Hall is a fine 17th Century Hall in the Plague village of Eyam, Hope Valley, which is still in the hands of its original builders, the Wright Family. It is open to the public and also has a small set of craft workshops attached. | | Eyam Museum and Plague Village | Eyam Museum and the Plague Village, Eyam, give a history of the tragic 1665-6 visit of the Bubonic Plague to this village in the Derbyshire Peak District. | | Longshaw Estate and Country Park | The Longshaw Estate covers Grindleford, Millstone and Bole Hill, Hope Valley, Derbyshire. Once the shooting estate of the Dukes of Rutland, now owned by the National Trust. | | Monsal Head | Monsal Head, a famous Derbyshire Peak District beauty spot with a magnificent view down Monsal Dale and up the Wye valley. | | Monsal Trail | The Monsal Trail is Derbyshire Peak District cycle trail which follows the path of the former Midland Railway from Wye Dale to a point beyond Bakewell, mostly following the River Wye. |
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