MIDDLETON-BY-WIRKSWORTH

Upland village lying approximately 1 mile NNW of Wirksworth, Derbyshire, formerly known for its lead mines and high quality limestone quarries.
The 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.
Middleton Top Engine House (grid ref SK 275 552) houses a preserved steam engine formerly used to haul trains up the 700-yard long 1-in-8 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.

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External links

External links

★ [1] Notes on the Cromford and High Peak Railway

★ [2] Middleton Top Countryside Centre (Derbyshire County Council)