Middleton-by-Wirksworth
Encyclopedia
Middleton-by-Wirksworth is an upland village lying approximately one mile NNW of Wirksworth
, Derbyshire
, formerly known for its lead
mines and high quality limestone
quarries, including the remarkable underground quarry site at Middleton Mine. ‘The Middleton Mine is so remarkable because it networks underground for approximately some 25miles with tunnels on three different levels running under Middleton Moor to the Hopton Wood quarry works at the other side of the hill below Ryder Point Works’.
The attraction towards Middleton-by-Wirksworth becoming a village had much to do with the fact that it is one of the few Derbyshire villages in the limestone area that has a ‘perched’ water table due to the impervious volcanic rock and shale formations within its topology. The availability of water was the incentive behind it becoming a choice of settlement. Middleton formed originally in the Saxon times as a small farming hamlet which settled around a very high spring.
The former Cromford and High Peak Railway
passes close by the village. The local quarries were linked to this line by a short branch spur, Killer's Branch, part of which now forms the track bed of the Steeple Grange Light Railway
. The branch line was operational until the late 1960s.
In the 1970s, the disused track bed of the Cromford and High Peak Railway and some surrounding land were purchased in by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak Park Planning Board, who then worked collaboratively to turn the former railway into the 17-mile High Peak Trail for walkers and cyclists. Middleton Top lies near the southern end of the trail, which starts at High Peak Junction
. There is a car park and visitor centre at Middleton Top, where cycles may be hired.
Middleton Top Engine House houses a preserved steam engine formerly used to haul trains up the 700-yard long 1-in-8 (12.5%) gradient of Middleton Incline. The engine, built by the Butterley Company
of Ripley in 1829, still runs for demonstration purposes and is occasionally open to the public.
and his wife Frieda rented Mountain Cottage, which stands below the B5023 road on the NW side of village as the road descends towards the Via Gellia
. Lawrence also reputedly spent time at Woodland Cottage on the opposite side of New Road. While living in Middleton during the bitter winter of 1918-19, Lawrence wrote the short story A Wintry Peacock (published in 1921), which is set in the immediate locality.
Wirksworth
Wirksworth is a small market town in Derbyshire, England, with a population of over 9,000.The population of the Wirksworth area including Cromford, Bolehill and Middleton-by-Wirksworth is about 12,000. Wirksworth is listed in the Domesday Book in 1086. Within it is the source of the River...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, formerly known for its lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mines and high quality limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries, including the remarkable underground quarry site at Middleton Mine. ‘The Middleton Mine is so remarkable because it networks underground for approximately some 25miles with tunnels on three different levels running under Middleton Moor to the Hopton Wood quarry works at the other side of the hill below Ryder Point Works’.
The attraction towards Middleton-by-Wirksworth becoming a village had much to do with the fact that it is one of the few Derbyshire villages in the limestone area that has a ‘perched’ water table due to the impervious volcanic rock and shale formations within its topology. The availability of water was the incentive behind it becoming a choice of settlement. Middleton formed originally in the Saxon times as a small farming hamlet which settled around a very high spring.
The former Cromford and High Peak Railway
Cromford and High Peak Railway
The Cromford and High Peak Railway in Derbyshire, England, was completed in 1831, to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge -Origins:...
passes close by the village. The local quarries were linked to this line by a short branch spur, Killer's Branch, part of which now forms the track bed of the Steeple Grange Light Railway
Steeple Grange Light Railway
The Steeple Grange Light Railway is a heritage railway at Wirksworth in Derbyshire, UK. It uses industrial locomotives and rolling stock from disused mines, quarries, and steelworks around the country.-The line:...
. The branch line was operational until the late 1960s.
In the 1970s, the disused track bed of the Cromford and High Peak Railway and some surrounding land were purchased in by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak Park Planning Board, who then worked collaboratively to turn the former railway into the 17-mile High Peak Trail for walkers and cyclists. Middleton Top lies near the southern end of the trail, which starts at High Peak Junction
High Peak Junction
High Peak Junction, near Cromford, Derbyshire, England, is the name now used to describe the site where the former Cromford and High Peak Railway , whose workshops were located here, meets the Cromford Canal...
. There is a car park and visitor centre at Middleton Top, where cycles may be hired.
Middleton Top Engine House houses a preserved steam engine formerly used to haul trains up the 700-yard long 1-in-8 (12.5%) gradient of Middleton Incline. The engine, built by the Butterley Company
Butterley Company
Butterley Engineering was an engineering company based in Ripley, Derbyshire. The company was formed from the Butterley Company which began as Benjamin Outram and Company in 1790 and existed until 2009.-Origins:...
of Ripley in 1829, still runs for demonstration purposes and is occasionally open to the public.
Literary connection
In 1918-19, D. H. LawrenceD. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
and his wife Frieda rented Mountain Cottage, which stands below the B5023 road on the NW side of village as the road descends towards the Via Gellia
Via Gellia
Via Gellia is a steep sided wooded 'dry' valley and road in Derbyshire.It is probably named after Phillip Eyre Gell in a mock Latin style; he was responsible for building the road through the valley, and the Gells claimed Roman descent...
. Lawrence also reputedly spent time at Woodland Cottage on the opposite side of New Road. While living in Middleton during the bitter winter of 1918-19, Lawrence wrote the short story A Wintry Peacock (published in 1921), which is set in the immediate locality.
External links
- Notes on the Cromford and High Peak Railway
- Middleton Top Countryside Centre (Derbyshire County Council)
- Downloadable .pdf and .txt files of the entire text of A Wintry Peacock
- British Geological Survey page on Middleton Mine
- British Geological Survey page on 'White Walls' with aerial photo showing the many stone-walled field enclosures surrounding the village.
- Village website with details of annual festival, archive photos and historical background.
- Aerial photo of village looking E towards Dene Quarry, Cromford.
- A genealogy of the Brooks family of Middleton by Wirksworth
