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Elton
Known as Eltune in the Doomsday Book, the village of Elton stands 950 feet above sea-level on an east-west plateau three quarters of the way up a bleak north facing hillside.
This stone-built White Peaks village bears testimony to an unusual geological feature which can be plainly seen in the architecture of its old buildings, many of them built in the 17th & 18th centuries as Elton stands on what geologists call a strata boundary. This differing geological structure has resulted in both gritstone and limestone being used for the buildings of the village. The result is that the buildings on the north side of Main Street are constructed of gritstone, whilst those on the opposite south-side of the street are built of limestone!
Elton is not yet a mecca for tourists and therefore remains rather unspoilt. The area is well known by those partaking in Peak District Walking. Elton has one pub and one cafe. Much of the time the pub remains closed, - and will only open its doors at the sound of approaching customers, - and the cafe only opens at weekends,- and then only during the summer months! For a visitor stepping off a Hulley`s bus outside the Duke of York today it is like stepping back into the past for the village seems almost untouched by time.
Directly opposite on the other side of Main Street stands the square tower of All Saints Parish Church, surrounded and almost submerged by the tall elms and stately yews which stand sentinel guard around the perimeter of the churchyard. The current building was erected in 1812, the much older St.Margaret`s Church having been demolished in 1800 when illegal lead-mining beneath the church, (as also at Brassington) weakened the structure and caused the spire to fall and crush the building.
Dozens of ancient footpaths criss-cross through the Parish, and the increasingly popular Limestone Way passes through the outskirts of Elton from south-east to north-west following the old pack-mule trading route of The Portway, which pre-dates the Roman occupation. There are tremendous views to the north, the most striking overlooking the rocky fortress of Mock Beggar Hall, or Robin Hood`s Stride as it is more commonly known, with the Portway climbing like a white snake up towards Cratcliffe Rocks and winding beside the old yew tree, one of two that mark the entrance to the `Hermits Cave`. This part of Elton is popular for Peak District Climbing with a variety of challenges set out for any climber.
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