Hilton, Derbyshire

History

Hilton was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as belonging to Henry de Ferrers and being worth ten shillings. 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 Wimpy.

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.

Hilton also has a small retail site which is home to Tesco Express, The Hilton Fish Bar, Hilton Brook pub. This was recently extended with the addition of three new units, occupied by Jhoots Pharmacy and two locally owned businesses; a Chinese takeaway and an estate agent. (The Chinese Takeaway replaces the coffee bar)

Two old village pubs: The Old Talbot & The Kings Head plus the Hilton House Hotel are three of the villages original watering holes all on Main Street Hilton. Hilton House Hotel is a Georgian built family home formerly in the grounds of Wakelyn Hall but converted into a hotel in the 1960s and currently run by proprietors Colin & Zoe Clark. The hotel is licensed for civil weddings and has a sizeable function room, 10 bedrooms and public bar.

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.

Hilton has expanded into a large commuter village populated by people working for Toyota, Rolls-Royce 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 was the birthplace of Herbert Massey who authorised the Great Escape.

Sport

Hilton has a football club called Hilton Harriers AFC. 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 Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division. 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.

Societies

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. The village also recently took flight on the Internet thanks to the village community forum. 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.

Aldi

In 2009, Aldi applied to build a store at Hilton. The plans were rejected, but new plans were submitted, with the results in September 2012.

As of 29 November 2013 the store construction was completed and is now open.