ASTON-ON-TRENT
INFORMATION
Where is it? – Aston-on-Trent is located off the A6 from Derby to Shardlow (SK413295).
What to do? – Visit All Saints Church, with its oak lych-gate, considered to be one of the best in Derbyshire. It was erected in memory of James Holden, a former Rector of Aston; take a walk around the village; enjoy a relaxing walk along the Trent and Mersey Canal to Weston-on-Trent and back.
Where to eat? – The Malt Shovel, recently refurbished and now known as The Malt and the White Hart Inn are both situated in the centre of Aston-on-Trent and well worth a visit.
Other places to visit – Enjoy a visit to Melbourne a fascinating little town with a wealth of historic buildings, a famous country house with formal gardens, one of the finest Norman churches in the country, a lovely 20-acre pool where you can feed the ducks, or just rest awhile and admire the scenery. Melbourne Hall once the home of Victorian Prime Minister, William Lamb is open on a limited basis, the gardens most of the summer months. For full opening details please ring 01332 862502 or visit the website – www.melbournehall.com; Shardlow with its picturesque canal port; Elvaston Castle Country Park which is set in 200 acres of parkland with an ornamental lake, extensive gardens, stony grottoes, rock archways and other interesting features. The park is open daily.
PROFILE
The land in the area is very fertile and in the 17th century was described by historian Philip Kinder as the ‘The Granary of Derbyshire.’ Domesday Book makes reference to Weston having ‘ten carucates of land’ (the amount of tillable land) and the availability of a ferry boat, all of which stress the importance of the place. At that time Weston was the chief manor of the estate including Aston, Shardlow and Wilne. Now Aston is the larger and busier of the two villages. It lies on Derbyshire’s side of the River Trent, which divides the county from Leicestershire.
In recent years the village has grown considerably in population and nearly all of its inhabitants of working age commute to work. However, this has not stopped it from developing an excellent community spirit, with a significant number of thriving organizations operating in the village. Fundraising for a large number of causes has been particularly successful over the last few years.
ASTON HALL
Aston historically has close links with Weston-on-Trent, for until the middle of the 17th century the Lords of the Manor were the Roper family who lived at Weston Hall. Financial difficulties led to the sale of their estate to Robert Holden, who set up a home at Aston Hall, where the family lived for upwards of 250 years. After passing through the hands of Colonel Winterbottom, the hall was purchased by Nottinghamshire County Council for use as a specialist hospital for patients with learning difficulties. It is no longer a hospital and the hall and administration block have been converted into apartments.
ASTON LODGE
The second most important house in the village used to be Aston Lodge. It was for many years the home of the Bowden family, who were lace manufacturers. When one of the Bowden’s daughters got married, a red carpet 400 feet in length was laid from the lodge to the altar steps. The house was taken down in the 1930s and, together with the grounds, has been replaced by a modern development and sports field. All that remains are the water tower and stables, now converted to housing and known as Lodge Mews.
CONSERVATION AREA
The centre of the village has been designated as a Conservation Area. At the heart of this is a triangular block of land, around a small attractive village green, on which stands an old pump. It is here that the annual well-dressings are held. There are several interesting properties around the triangle. Number 16 The Green, with diaper brickwork, unusual for this part of the county, has WCM 1690 on a date stone and on the opposite side of the road is the former smithy.
VILLAGE CENTRE
There are two shops, including a post office and also two pubs, The Malt (formerly the Malt Shovel) and the White Hart Inn. Further along the road the Old School House, paid for by the Holdens’ of Aston Hall, now a private house displays the Holden family crest – a moor cock rising sable. A replacement school has been built, and the Methodist Chapel moved to a new site. An eye-catching Victorian shelter that once housed a pump, now keeps bus users dry on Derby Road.
NORTH OF THE VILLAGE
On the north side of the village, the brickyard and plaster pits for many years represented the most important industry other than farming. Most of the older houses in Aston have been built using bricks from the works, which remained in operation until the early 20th century. Production at the plaster pits, situated behind the brickworks, lasted for approximately 150 years before coming to an end between the two World Wars.
ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH
All Saints’ Church is described by a former rector as ‘a sort of history in stone.’ It has a Saxon base and Norman windows and is surmounted by Reformation battlements and pinnacles with various other styles of architecture in between. The oak Lychgate is considered to be one of the best in Derbyshire. It was erected in memory of James Holden, a former Rector of Aston.
BOMB RAID
In 1940, when German planes were attempting to bomb Rolls-Royce, a decoy set up a short distance from the village by three old age pensioners produced first-rate results. From a small dug-out, the men operated a light visible from the air, which the German pilots mistook for their target and released 200 high explosives and incendiary bombs which fell on open land. The pensioners returned elated and unharmed, the only damage being to some greenhouse windows at Shardlow.
