INTRODUCTION

Anyone describing Stoney Middleton as a quiet and peaceful place will likely attract strange looks from those who have only driven through the village along the busy main road. But for those who have taken the time to explore the back streets of this fascinating old village, a different view will prevail.

The A623 from Chesterfield to Chapel-en-le-Frith divides the village in half, with the houses clinging to the hillside where any space can be found. On the village’s western side, the cliffs rise almost vertically, and this is where aspiring mountaineers come to test their skills. Further to the east, the land begins to flatten out a little. However, Stoney Middleton’s High Street is said to be the steepest in the country. It was the main route through the village before the present road along Middleton Dale was opened in 1840.

LOVER’S LEAP

Lover’s Leap is a prominent limestone cliff that overhangs Middleton Dale. It acquired its name after an incident in 1762, when a young woman by the name of Hannah Baddaley attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself over the cliff top. Her lover, William Barnsley, had jilted her, and she had decided to end it all. Miraculously, her billowing petticoats acted like a parachute on the way down, until they were caught in brambles protruding from a ledge. This saved her life, and all she suffered were a few cuts and bruises. However, this story does not have a happy ending: Hannah died two years later of natural causes, still unmarried. The details of this event are recorded on an information board outside the former Lover’s Leap Café, now a restaurant that marks the location of the leap.

INDUSTRY

Industry has played an important part in the village’s life ever since the Romans discovered lead here. Stoney Middleton has, at one time or another, been involved in businesses as diverse as lead mining, smelting, quarrying, boot, and candle making. Today, quarrying on a large scale is carried out on the outskirts of the village.

ROMAN BATHS

The Roman Baths in The Nook still have warm thermal springs, where Roman soldiers once liked to bathe. Although there is no irrefutable proof, Roman coins have been found nearby. Stoney Middleton was undoubtedly rich in lead, and the Romans surface mined and smelted the ore wherever deposits could be found, so that they may have been actively involved close to the village.

For many years after the Roman occupation, the springs, with a constant temperature of 63 degrees, attracted the infirm. Lord Denman had the medieval bathhouse demolished and rebuilt to increase its use amongst his tenants and employees. The Parish Council and the Peak Park Planning Board have restored the building.

LORD THOMAS DENHAM

Stoney Middleton Hall, hidden behind the church, was the home of the Denman family for many years. Thomas Denman, who acquired the hall following the death of his uncle, became Lord Chief Justice of England in 1832, a position he held for 18 years. Part of the hall gardens have now been converted into an attractive housing development.

ST. MARTIN’S CHURCH

St Martin’s Church is set in a delightfully secluded square, surrounded by picturesque cottages and a stream running alongside. Like the thermal springs, the church is dedicated to the Patron Saint of Cripples and Soldiers. It has a 15th-century tower at the front leading into an octagonal church that is one of only two in the country.  

THE VILLAGE

The construction of the road through Stoney Middleton in the 1840s created the need for a new Toll House. It was built in an octagonal design to match the church. After it was no longer used for its original purpose, it was converted, in the mid-1920s, into a fish and chip shop, which it remains today. It is now a Grade II listed building, the country’s only fish and chip shop to hold this distinction.

Alongside is the Grove Garden, which the Grove family gave to the community for relaxation purposes. Look carefully after passing the garden, and you will see a small waterfall partially hidden away amongst the vegetation. Lennon’s Boot Factory, the last safety boots manufacturer in this country, is to the rear. Further up the steeply rising hillside is the Wesleyan Reform Chapel.

 Behind the Village Cross stands the Moon Inn at the foot of High Street. It was initially called ‘The Old Moon,’ before it was moved across the road to its present site. Consequently, it was called ‘The New Moon’ before adopting its present name. In coaching days, the ‘old’ pub was the principal posting station between Manchester and Sheffield, where horses were changed.