Hatton, Derbyshire

Geography

Hatton is about half a mile north of Tutbury, Staffordshire with the River Dove running between the two villages and creating the County boundary; the river is crossed by a listed bridge. It has a population of 2,690 and is mainly residential.

The village has excellent transport links. It is close to the A50 road which links the M1 and M6. The A50 used to pass across the northern edge of the village, but was bypassed in May 1995 by the 6 mile £19million Hatton, Hilton and Foston Bypass. The former route is now the A511, which passes through the village from Tutbury. Tutbury and Hatton railway station is on the Nottingham to Crewe line. Services are provided by East Midlands Trains. The station was originally closed in the Beeching cuts in the 1960s, but was re-opened in the 1980s (like other previously-closed rural stations) due to public demand. Local bus services are provided by Arriva who link Hatton with the market towns of Burton-upon-Trent and Uttoxeter, and Trent Barton who link with Derby and Burton-upon-Trent.

The village is within the district of South Derbyshire District Council and County of Derbyshire County Council. The local MP was Heather Wheeler in March 2015.

Environment

The land adjacent to the River Dove is home to 'Thistley Meadow'. This community nature reserve has gone from strength to strength over recent years through the dedication and hard work of local residents. From this southern part of the village there are excellent views across the river to Tutbury Castle and the long horizon beyond adds to the open panoramic views from the bridge. Towards the northern part of the village there is a good network of footpaths and bridle ways which can be used to navigate round the village or used as a link to the neighbouring villages of Hilton and Marston-on-Dove; or even further beyond into the less populated villages of South Derbyshire which link Hatton with the open farmland that reaches up towards Ashbourne and the Peak District National Park. Heathland and pasture are the dominant environmental features and this balances well with the residential and commercial aspects of the village.

Economy

Local employers include Nestlé who have a historical presence in the village due to the surrounding farmland, which supported a strong dairy farming industry, and proximity to rail transport. Nestlé's factory is labelled by the company as their Tutbury factory. Until the late 1970s the factory had its own private siding, which gave access to milk trains. The factory since has developed into a major coffee producer, the sole United Kingdom facility producing the Dolce Gusto range, and also Nescafé, which is also made in Hayes. During 2012 the company are starting to expand production and will be making a multimillion-pound investment over the next couple of years to establish further the site.

The village has a famous café, The Salt Box on the A511, which has won awards as the best transport café in the UK. There is no similar truck stop on the parallel A50, hence its popularity. Opposite the cafe is the Sunar Gow, Indian restaurant and nearby is the Railway Tavern pub. There is a newly built Co-op in the village, next to the train station, as well as a Post Office, two newsagents and several other village shops and food outlets.

History

Hatton was mentioned in the Domesday book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers and being worth twenty shillings. The parish church is All Saints.

It is estimated that in 1880 the village had around 500 residents. The population has since quintupled.

Notable historical residents