Hilton, Derbyshire

Hilton was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as belonging to Henry de Ferrers[2] and being worth ten shillings.[3] Although ancient, it has undergone a great deal of development.

The new estate was created on the site of the former MoD depot by St. Modwen Properties;

1993 – Development agreement granted over 280-acre (1.1 km²) MOD site.

2000 – Acquisition of MoD's remaining freehold interest.

2004 – Acquisition of water authorities former sewage works.

Many well-known house builders have contributed to the development including Redrow (which also included one of their Debut By Redrow developments aimed at first-time buyers and people starting over), McLean, Persimmon, Bryant and Wimpey.

In 2006 St Modwen built a warehouse for Daher on their industrial estate but this was destroyed by fire in early 2007. This has since been rebuilt.

Wakelyn Hall in 1865

Hilton was the birthplace of Herbert Massey who authorised the Great Escape. He was born at what is now Hilton House Hotel and is commemorated with a blue plaque on the wall of the hotel – it was supplied by the Hilton and Marston History Group.

Hilton also has a small retail site which is home to Tesco Express, The Hilton Fish Bar, Hilton Brook pub, Jhoots Pharmacy, Domino's Pizza, a tanning salon and Scoffield Stone estate agents. Adjacent to the retail site is an Aldi supermarket introduced in 2016 after years of speculation. Aldi first applied to build a store at Hilton in 2009. The plans were rejected, but new plans were submitted, with the results in September 2012.[4] As of 29 November 2013, construction was completed and the store is now open.

There are two old village pubs: The Old Talbot and The Kings Head are the village's original pub, both on Main Street. Hilton House Hotel is a Georgian-built family home but converted into a hotel in the 1960s and currently run by proprietors Laura and Adam Ellis. The hotel is licensed for civil weddings and has a sizeable function room, 10 bedrooms and public bar. A fourth pub, The Hilton Brook, part of the Generous George chain, completes the village's drinking establishments.

Generally the buildings are new; exceptions include the Old Talbot Inn, the Wesleyan Chapel and Wakelyn Hall and others around Main Street. Mary, Queen of Scots allegedly stopped here briefly on her way to imprisonment at Tutbury Castle.[5]

Hilton has expanded into a large commuter village populated by people working for Toyota, Rolls-Royce, JCB and Bombardier or commuting to Derby, Nottingham or the West Midlands. The current school is being expanded and other local services are struggling to cope with the increased population.

Hilton is home to many larger businesses including a large car supermarket, Hilton Garage, Don Amott Leisure Kingdom (seller of caravans, motorhomes and camping equipment) and Talbot Turf (provider of turf to the landscaping, domestic and sports market). Talbot Turf have been sole provider of resurfacing work on many large-scale projects including Derby County FC, Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Stadium.[6]

Hilton has a football club called Hilton Harriers AFC.[7] It has 20 teams for the 2008/9 season. Over 250 children play for Hilton Harriers teams in the Burton and Derby Leagues. The Hilton Harriers First Team currently play in the Central Midlands Football League. Hilton also has several other football teams: Hilton Athletic, Hilton House AFC and Hilton old biddies. Hilton Cricket Club run nine teams from Kwik Cricket upwards. Its junior section provides training and matches for some 150 young people. The three senior teams play in the Derbyshire County Cricket Leagues.[8]

As well as traditional clubs and societies such as the Women's Institute, Rotary Club, Scouts, Guides and Hilton Gardening Club, Hilton also has a thriving community of smaller special interest groups. There is a small local book club, Hilton Dog Walkers group and also a local history group. The Hilton Amateur Theatrical Society (H.A.T.S) has been performing pantomimes and other plays at the village hall for over twenty years.[9] The village also recently took flight on the Internet thanks to the village community forum.[10] This has so far helped to raise awareness of issues in the village such as poor broadband provisions and also the planned expansion of the village in future, as well as allowed residents to discuss issues more openly and across a broader audience.