Stoney Middleton - Engraving of ‘The Dale’ (360x480) by Francis Chantrey

Sir Francis Chantrey's engraving of ‘The Dale’ in Stoney Middleton captures a scene far removed from today's busy A623 thoroughfare, but nevertheless so timeless as to be immediately familiar. It does however predate the arrival even of the first photographers, as it is believed to date from around 1819.

Chantrey was primarily a sculptor; he was born at Norton (then in Derbyshire) in 1781, elected to the Royal Academy in 1818 and knighted in 1835. He died in 1841 and was buried in Norton.

For those who like a taste of Then and Now, see this viewpoint overlaid with a modern one of The Dale today. The bridge over the stream is no longer there, but the convenience of having one's own personal transport draw up to the door doesn't change... watch the horse on the left replaced by a modern ‘horseless carriage’!

(Information provided by Rosemary Lockie)