Tissington - Page
1 - Village Views
w/e 27 May 2007
All
this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
Any book or travel guide about Derbyshire worth its salt is bound
to mention Tissington Village, some three or four miles north
of Ashbourne. One particular tome that I possess describes it
as "the loveliest village in Derbyshire" and another
as "a gem, too beautiful for its own good". So just
what is it about the village that attracts hordes of visitors
every year? Well for one thing, it could be the triangular green
crossed by a stream - the ice cream van is only a temporary feature!
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Then, overlooked by stone built buildings, there's the village
pond, replete with resident waterfowl whose number has recently
increased by at least eight.
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And on the elevated ground overlooking the green is St Mary's
Church. Although extensively restored, it still retains some
of its Norman origins and indentations around the stonework of
the south doorway arch bear witness to the sharpening of arrowheads.
This dates from the fourteenth century when all able-bodied men
were required by royal decree to practice their skills with the
long bow on Sunday afternoons. Targets were set up in the churchyard
and spare bows and arrows were stored in the church.
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Another attraction in the village is the ancestral home on the
Fitzherbert family, Tissington Hall. The Fitzherberts have lived
in Tissington Hall for over 500 years although this Jacobean
building only dates from the seventeenth century. The earlier
Hall stood on the opposite side of the road. The family headed
by the ninth Baronet, Sir Richard Fitzherbert, now opens up the
Hall several times during the year for pre-booked groups to enjoy
a guided tour of both the Hall and the gardens. Further details
and dates of the open days can be found on the Tissington Hall website.
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Not all the buildings in Tissington though are as grand as the
Hall although some of the cottages with their lovely well-tended
gardens are just as desirable for those with more modest ambitions.
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There are also a number of family run shops in the village including
the White Peak Farm Butchery which was doing a brisk trade in
sausage rolls, black puddings and Cornish (Derbyshire variety
of course) Pasties. The sign on the lintel above the door
proclaims that it is a licensed slaughterhouse - I trust that
only relates to animals as the shop also sells local beef, pork,
lamb and home produced bacon.
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It's not in every village that you see a scantily clad lady watching
an organic lawn mower but I did wonder if this sheep was earning
a stay of execution by keeping the grass short. It was only a
few steps from the butcher's!
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But attractive as the village is, it's probably none of the above
that entice coach loads and cars full of visitors to Tissington
towards the end of May each year. Nor is it the fare on offer
at the Old Coach House adjacent to the Hall on Rakes Lane that
can be enjoyed under cover or outside in the open air on the
wide grass verge. This year we met people from as far away as
Shrewsbury and Birmingham and others had probably travelled even
further. It is of course the Well Dressings that grace the village
from Ascension Day. The dressings last for about a week and there
were still lots of people about in the village several days later
on Tuesday when all these images were captured and if, like them,
you would like to see the wells then click below.
Click for Tissington
- Well Dressings
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