| The centre of this picturesque village has barely changed from its 19th century heyday, when small mills were at the heart of a thriving community. The place name of Delph is derived from the Old English word 'Delf', meaning a quarry and refers to the bakestone quarries which lay at the lower end of the Castleshaw Valley just north of the village. The bakestones were quarried as tiles up to three quarters of an inch thick and used to bake oatcakes and muffins. |