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Stoney Middleton
Stoney Middleton sits along the main A623 Chesterfield to Chapel-en-le-Frith road at the foot of Middleton Dale. The stone dwellings rising steeply on either side of the dale as if stacked one on top of the other and along the valley bottom road which winds its way upward beneath towering limestone cliffs, towards Foolow and Eyam. Many see Stoney Middleton as an old industrial village that has little to offer in the way of aesthetics, but just outside the village lies wonderful views and countryside that is enjoyed by walkers, cyclists and climbers alike.
The notable Royal Oak stands almost opposite the octagonal Toll House which was built late in 1840 to collect dues from travellers on the new turnpike road. It is still taking money from travellers today, but in this case in return for a fabulous portion of the best fish and chips around. Directly beneath the high limestone cliffs alongside the main road, is the famous `Lovers Leap' Cafe, haunt of walkers and rock climbers for generations. This marks the place where in 1762 a jilted local girl, Hannah Baddeley, leapt from the eighty foot cliff. Amazingly she saved by her billowing petticoats as she landed among brambles and suffered only cuts and bruises. Opposite the cafe stands the ancient Rock View with the stream running through the garden of Len Marsh and his wife who came here from Grindleford 40 years ago.
The character of the village is enhanced by the recent addition of a landscaped garden area and seating beside the toll-house, with a wooden footbridge across the brook nearby. The surrounding environment has also had a welcome face-lift with the thinning out of the dense woodland and vegetation which flanks the roadside further up the dale beyond the petrol station, and the right turn to Eyam. Although Stoney Middleton is still an industrial village, it is packed with charm and character that attracts visitors from far and wide.
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