Wetton

The village gives its name to Wetton Hill, a ‘reef knoll’ formed from the ancient remains of a coral reef, and Wetton Mill, on the River Manifold, both in the care of the National Trust. Wetton Mill, which closed down in the mid-19th-century, was sympathetically restored by the National Trust as a museum piece. There is a café on site, a very welcome sight for those walking the Manifold Valley Trail. There is also a car park, campsite and a picnic area for those who would rather cater for themselves.

There are many burial chambers or mounds in the area, including those on Wetton Hill itself, at Wetton Low, and at Long Low, some 2 km southeast of the village. On Wetton Low, 1 km south of the village, some of the burial mounds contained bones dating back to at least 1600 BC. Ecton Hill is covered in the remains of old lead mines worked by the Duke of Devonshire. His profits from the mine were used to build the Crescent at Buxton.

Easily accessible from Wetton is the ominous-sounding Thor’s Cave, situated 360 feet above the River Manifold. Though the cave is not deep, the entrance is huge, some 60 feet high, a sight which is clearly visible for several miles. The stiff climb up is well worth the effort for the spectacular views, all framed by the great natural stone arch. The acoustics, too, are interesting, and conversations can easily be carried out with people far below. Ancient bones and implements have been found here dating back 10,000 years. The openings at the bottom of the crag on which the cave sits are known as Radcliffe Stables and are said to have been used by a Jacobite as a hiding place after Bonnie Prince Charlie had retreated from Derby.

The Parish Church of St Margaret is partly 14th century, though most of it dates from around 1820. In the churchyard is the grave of Samuel Carrington who, along with Thomas Bateman of Youlgreave, found evidence that Thor’s Cave was occupied in ancient times. Carrington also excavated the fields close to Wetton, where he was schoolmaster in the mid 19th century, and found an abandoned village, though neither he nor his friend Bateman could put an age to the settlement.