Elton is a village and civil parish in the

Derbyshire Dales Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 71,116. Much of it is in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent. The borough borders ...

district of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England, and lies within the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

. Its nearest towns are

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...

and Matlock. Elton is on a hillside overlooking a rock formation known as

Robin Hood's Stride Robin Hood's Stride (also known as Mock Beggar's Mansion) is a rock formation on the Limestone Way in Derbyshire close to the village of Elton. The nearest town is Bakewell, to the north. The popular tourist spot can be accessed via the Limes ...

. It lies on the division between gritstone and limestone countryside and there are examples of buildings and walls constructed with both types of stone in the village. It is a popular destination for cyclists and tourists.

History

The area used to be known for

lead mining Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...

. An

Iron Age fort A hillfort is a type of earthworks (engineering), earthwork used as a fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or I ...

, Castle Ring, is near the village. Elton was mentioned in the

Domesday book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in 1086 when it was owned by

Henry de Ferrers Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and in about 1040 inherited his father's ...

.''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. p.744

Geography

Elton is on a hillside overlooking a rock formation known as

. It lies on the division between gritstone and limestone countryside and there are examples of buildings and walls constructed with both types of stone in the village. The nearest towns are

and Matlock. At above sea level, Elton is less sheltered from the wind than settlements at lower elevation, and it therefore has a reputation for being cold. The highest point on Elton Moor, known as Blake Low, is above sea level; at this location is Elton Common

trig point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they a ...

(TP3057). There is an interpretation board here that explains how the landscape has changed from the past mining activities and points out the effects on a scarred adjacent field. It shows notable points of the Peak District that can be seen from this viewpoint, including

Kinder Scout Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau and national nature reserve in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands; t ...

and

Mam Tor Mam Tor is a hill near Castleton in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England. Its name means "mother hill", so called because frequent landslips on its eastern face have resulted in a multitude of "mini-hills" beneath it. These landslips, which ...

, some distance away. It states how this is one of the best viewpoints of the Peak District.

Sport

Elton has a playing field that doubles up as a football field for the football season and a cricket field for the cricket season. Elton Cricket Club has a policy that only villagers may join the team. In recent times the team have finished twice runners up in the Longstone League and Orme Shield. After new management in 2006 Elton Football Club rose from division 8 to division 4 of the Chesterfield Sunday League, winning the division 7 title in 2008 and the Hutson Cup in 2007. The 2008–09 season produced a Derbyshire Junior Cup semi-final appearance.

Transport

Hulleys of Baslow Hulleys of Baslow is a bus company based in Baslow, Derbyshire, England. History The origins of Hulleys can be traced back to 1914 when Henry Hulley purchased a Ford Model T taxi. In 1921 a bus was purchased to operate a service from Bakewe ...

provide a bus service (route 172), linking Elton and the surrounding villages to the towns of

and Matlock. There are a total of 9 journeys to Matlock and 8 to Bakewell (Monday–Saturday). The village has seen an improvement to daytime services, generally at hourly intervals, although in recent years, council-funded evening and bank holiday services have been completely withdrawn. There has been no Sunday service for many years.

Tourism

The

Limestone Way The Limestone Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in Derbyshire, England. It runs for through the White Peak of the Peak District National Park, from Castleton south to Rocester over the county boundary into Staffordshire. The trail ...

, a long-distance ancient trade route which lies just to the east of the village, and the many footpaths leading to and from Elton make it a popular place for hikers. Elton also attracts a large number of cyclists, particularly at the weekends, with events regularly routed through the village. The 19th-century Duke of York is a Grade II listed

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. The unchanged interior from the 1940s makes the "Duke", as it known locally, a tourist attraction in its own right. It is on the

Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is th ...

's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

Education

Elton Church of England Primary School was built in Victorian times. It usually has no more than thirty students. Over recent years the interior has been refurbished with modern equipment and furniture. At the end of primary school life, most students will move to Highfields School in Matlock, or sometimes

Lady Manners School Lady Manners School is an English secondary school located in Bakewell, a market town in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District ...

in Bakewell. The school has recently undergone extension into the old School House next door.

Amenities

There are no shops in the village (the nearest is in

Winster Winster is a village in the English Derbyshire Dales about from Matlock and from Bakewell at an altitude of approximately . It was formerly a centre for the lead mining industry. The village lies within the Peak District National Park and T ...

, ) but Elton has a small post office, church, school, village hall and a sports field.

References

External links

Elton, Derbyshire Village Website

Peak District Online: Elton
{{authority control Villages in Derbyshire Towns and villages of the Peak District Derbyshire Dales