This large village stretches for over a mile along the old Great North Road and gave its name to the famous cheese.  Cooper Thornhill landlord of The Bell Inn brought the cheese from Leicestershire to Stilton in the 1730’s where it was loaded onto stage coaches heading to London.  It quickly became popular and known as Stilton Cheese in the fashionable gentlemen’s clubs and coffee houses.  The village’s connection with the cheese is celebrated every May with a “cheese” rolling competition. 

The Angel, the Talbot, the Stilton Cheese and The Bell Inn, with its magnificent hanging sign and associations with Dick Turpin are the only survivors of 12 inns and public houses which served travellers and locals in the height of the coaching period.

Stilton has been developed in recent years but it retains many fine property and features such as the village pump.  The oldest parts of the church date from the 13th Century but relics suggest earlier religious building on or near the site. 

The village has a good range of local amenities including a school, shops and post office, a village hall, sports ground and pavilion and a golf course.  It is connected to neighbouring villages by footpaths through rolling countryside which are popular with visitors.