Known as `The Gateway to Dovedale` Hartington is the most picturesque of White Peak villages boasts a wealth of attractions to the visitor and is famous for it`s Stilton cheese; indeed it held a Royal Warrant during the reign of George V for supplying the King`s Stilton! Cheese making, farming, and the tourist industry drive the village`s economy, and this is evidenced by an array of retail establishments which surround the former market square, village green, and duck - pond in the centre of the village. With the exception of Derby & Chesterfield, Hartington was the first in the County to be granted a Market Charterwhen in 1203 William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby & Lord of the Manor of Hartington was granted a Royal Charter to hold a weekly market and an annual fair.

 

The architecture which surrounds the village centre is an indigenous mixture of large, late 18th and early 19th century buildings blended with the smaller cottages of an earlier and more rustic period, achieving a pleasant balance & harmony. The one noteable exception to the limestone and gritstone buildings is the 13th century Parish church of St.Giles which commands the village from atop a small hill to the north east, where it`s imposing battlemented square tower of red ashlar sandstone stands proudly looking down over the rooftops.

 

The former Hartington railway station, about a mile and half from the village itself, is now a picnic area with toilet facilities and an information centre, held in the former signal box which was retained after the National Parks Authority bought the Ashbourne to Buxton railway in 1968. The track itself was converted into what is known as the Tissington Trail, is popular with both walkers and cyclists.

 

The Hartington Cheese and Wine Company are based at The Old Cheese Shop. This quaint stone building has been open as a shop for almost 30 years and has established a well deserved reputation for selling quality, local and national cheeses.