Elton is a village and civil parish in the

Derbyshire Dales Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Derbyshire, England. The district was created in 1974 as West Derbyshire; the name was changed to Derbyshire Dales in 1987. The council is based in the town of Matl ...

district of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, England, and lies within the

Peak District The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...

. Its nearest towns are

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known for Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, Derbyshire, River Wye, 15 miles (23 km) south-west of Sheffield. It is the largest se ...

and Matlock. Elton is on a hillside overlooking a rock formation known as Robin Hood's Stride. 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; it has symbol Pb (from 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, lead ...

. An

Iron Age fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

, 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

in 1086 when it was owned by

Henry de Ferrers Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Normans, Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest of England, Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and i ...

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

Geography

Elton is on a hillside overlooking a rock formation known as Robin Hood's Stride. 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 station is usually set up by a map ...

(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 (United Kingdom), 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 Distric ...

and Mam Tor, 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 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 Rights of way in England and Wales, footpath in Derbyshire, England. It runs for through the White Peak of the Peak District National Park, from Castleton, Derbyshire, Castleton south to Rocester ...

, 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 Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

. 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, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. History The organisation was founded on 16 ...

National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors The National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors was a register of public houses in the United Kingdom with interiors which had been noted as being of significant historic interest, having remained largely unchanged for at least 30 years, but us ...

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 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, Derbyshire, 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 N ...

, ) 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