Yahoo News The picturesque village where time stands still less than two hours from Lancashire
Pretty stone cottages, a tranquil mill pond and an historic hall at its heart. Strolling into the village of Tissington is like taking a step back in time.
With no street lights or road markings, indeed there are barely any modern developments at all here. It makes it an idyllic spot in the midst of the Peak District National Park, and a honeypot village for visitors come the summer months. Not least thanks to its popular tearooms which opens daily for visitors next to the historic Tissington Hall.
This is also one of the most unusual villages in England. For it is one of the handful of places to have been owned by the same family for the past 500 years.
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Sir Richard Fitzherbert is the current incumbent of the historic 17th Century Tissington Hall - and it is his life's work to keep the village he owns thriving. He inherited the estate at the age of 25 from his Uncle back in 1989.
He owns all the properties in the village, well, all except for five cottages that an ancestor "lost over a game of cards" back in the 18th century. The remaining 40 cottages and 10 farms are rented out to tenants who Sir Richard says all pull together to make village life as idyllic as possible.
There are also now seven holiday lets within the village that tourists can book out to make a holiday of it in this picturesque part of the Peaks, reports Manchester Evening News. Although Sir Richard is the first to admit that owning and running a 2,000 acre village is far from as glamorous as it may sound.
He said: "We live in a Grade II star listed building in a conservation village in a National Park - so we have restrictions upon restrictions. I can hardly sneeze without permission. We are one of the very few villages that is frozen in time - that is partly because a lot of things can't change due to the planning rules.
"There are no yellow lines but perhaps there should be! We had to paint some lines ourselves because people were driving so fast through the village. Technically it's a 60mph, but we put our own signs up to say "please drive slowly" at two ends of the village. There's no street lights here, so you have to have a decent torch."
Although he has been able to host weddings at Tissington Hall in recent years - something he hopes to improve on and expand in the years to come. He said: "The village tearooms is thriving at the moment, and we've got plenty of weddings but can also do more. We first got a licence in 2003 and started with small weddings but that has morphed into a semi-permanent marquee that we can use in the grounds through the summer which seats up to 140."
The carriage house next to the hall has been converted to hold small meetings or events, and couples can even have their wedding in the dining room of the main hall which can seat 20 guests. Sir Richard added: "If they're interested in history they can even have a talk from me at their wedding."
There is still a candlemaker in the village, but the once-popular sweet shop and butchers both closed last year. Sir Richard hopes to bring new businesses to the area in time to come. Sir Richard lives at Tissington Hall with his wife Fiona, Lady Fitzherbert, their four children, five dogs and two kittens.
Currently there is one pay-for car park at the far end of the village which costs £4.50 but is operated by the Tissington Trail, not by Sir Richard. On busy days visitors simply cram along the country lanes parking for free instead, he says.
But Richard is determined to keep bringing more visitors into the village and into the Peak District in general. He's so passionate about the area that he has become the chair of the Peak District and Derbyshire Tourist Board. Next year he will also become Derbyshire's High Sheriff.
He added: "I do all I can to encourage people to come into the village. I want to encourage people to come to the Peak District, but sustainably as well. I want the businesses and all my people to thrive here. We want to put the Peak District on the map.
"When I become High Sheriff I'll be the seventh member of our family to do so, which is a great honour. One of the things I will be pushing is the hospitality side of things, and also just to be kind to people."
For people living here, they agree that Tissington is a wonderful place to live. When properties come up (which is rare) people apply for a tenancy with Sir Richard. Mervyn, 76, and Debbie King, 58, have lived here for nine years as tenants of the estate.
How to get to Tissington
Tissington Village is near Ashbourne in Derbyshire, if you're driving use the postcode DE6 1RA for sat nav.
For those opting for public transport, the 442 Bus runs from Buxton to Ashbourne six times a day, and as Sir Richard notes: "it's one of the prettiest routes of the country. It goes through all the villages. I wave at the bus drivers every day when they come through the village as I'm so pleased to see them."
The Tissington Trail now runs on what was once the railway line to the village. This is now a popular walking and cycling route. The full route is 13 miles running from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay, with Tissington a stop off along the way.
The Tissington tearooms open daily from 10.30am to 5pm.
