Sutton on the Hill is a quiet, detached, peaceful village situated 8 miles west of Derby, 2 miles north west of Etwall. It lies in a sheltered spot by Longford Brook, with a church standing above the village on a hill.
Sutton on the Hill village is scattered around a number of lanes but it has no shop, no post office, no pub, no regular bus service, no school, all of which makes it difficult to form a closely knit community. It's population has remained fairly constant throughout the last two centuries. In 1801 it stood at 125 inhabitants and was the same number in 1991.
Sutton village school closed down in the early 1970`s, through a lack of pupils. The school building is now used for a variety of daytime activities.
The family of Chetham once held the manorial rights to the parish and Humphrey Chetham, founded the Chetham Hospital and library in Manchester. It is now the Buckstons, formerly of Bradbourne Hall that own the attractive gothic hall, which was formerly the vicarage, built in 1819.
A cheese factory was built here in Sutton, as in other local villages, in 1875, but closed down due to competion and the building is now private houses. There was also a water mill, again now privare housing. The dried up mill pond and water courses are still visible. Longford Brook provides some good trout fishing.
The church at the top of the hill is called St Michaels and is a familiar landmark amongst a scattered argricultural comunity. It contains a 14th century tower with a spire that was rebuilt in 1841. A few other parts are 14th century like the aisle arcade, but mostly, the church was rebuilt in 1863. It contains an unusual monument, to a Judith Sleigh, who died in 1634, in that, instead of an effigy, it is a standing coffin carved in black stone with its handles.
