Stanton by Dale


Stanton by Dale is a village and civil parish in the south east of Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 505. It lies south of Ilkeston and north of Sandiacre. Since 1974 it has been part of the Erewash borough. The village is halfway between the cities of Derby and Nottingham, being 6.9 miles, as the crow flies, from each city.

Early history

Mentioned in the Domesday Book Survey of 1086, Stanton-by-Dale is believed to derive its name from stone quarrying in the area.
During the 13th and 14th centuries the church and much land in the parish was owned by nearby Dale Abbey. After its dissolution in 1538, the Abbey's property in Stanton was granted to the Babington family. In Elizabethan times, this was sold on to Michael Willoughby of Risley. Many local buildings contain stone which originated as part of the Abbey.
St Michael's Church dates from about 1300, although it is not certain whether there was an earlier church on this site. The tower is fifteenth century.

Stanton and the Ironworks

became Lord of the Manor in the eighteenth Century, eventually selling the parish to the Stanton Ironworks Company.
Only workers at the Ironworks, a major local employer which dominated the area for over two centuries, were allowed to live in Stanton owned properties. In later years these houses were all painted 'Stanton Green', a colour still evident in the village.
Stanton Ironworks became an international company as Stanton & Staveley, was nationalised as part of British Steel Corporation, de-nationalised and sold eventually to the French Saint-Gobain company. Production ceased at the works in 2007. It is commemorated throughout the UK and further afield by the many thousands of manhole covers and concrete street lamp standards bearing the words ’Stanton’ or ’Stanton and Staveley’.