Elton

Elton is one of the coldest places in Derbyshire. This isn’t surprising, given that it sits at an altitude of 900 feet, with no shelter from the cold north and east winds. This must raise the inevitable question as to why the village was built in such an exposed position. The facts that lead was in plentiful supply, as was water, were probably the major factors behind the location of the village.

Interestingly the village is set on a division in the underlying rocks: to the north is limestone and to the south is gritstone. This produces an unusual effect with gritstone vegetation on one side (e.g. oak trees) and limestone on the other (e.g. ash trees). The houses too reflect the division, some of limestone, some of gritstone, or a mixture of both. This is nowhere more apparent than along the main street, where The Old Hall, which for many years acted as a Youth Hostel before being turned into a private residence, is built of girtstone. In contrast, Greenacres Farm, which is just across the road, is built of pure limestone.

 The surrounding area contains traces of barrows, Bronze or Iron Age enclosures and hut circles, but the most visible monument is the stone circle called the Nine Stones (though in fact only four are left standing) or ‘Grey Ladies’. It is another Bronze Age monument connected with the Portway, and is probably the most impressive in the area.