Walk 5 : 1.7 miles

Aston on Trent History Walks

Number 5 (‘Short & Sweet 1’ Long Walk Wood.)

• From the Lychgate pass the Heritage Centre,(1) take the path to the right of

All Saints’ Church(2) Take the steps down, turning right to join Hall Drive.

• In 50yds turn right following the track beside Beech trees;. To your left is

• Aston Hall;(3) to your right the Bull or Donkey Field.(4) The path emerges onto Willow Park Way.

• Turn left, then the next right into Maple Drive.

• Between houses 20 & 22 take the narrow track into Long Walk Wood (5), following any of the main tracks in the same south-westerly direction. The tracks eventually merge into one path where you exit the wood onto a wide track. Turn left onto the track

• In 75yds at the corner of the wood turn left to follow a track along the edge of a large field. In front of you is Richmond Retirement Village

• At the top of the field (house No.36 in front of you), turn right following the same field path along a hedge. In 250yds on the left a gap in the hedge up one step leads to a gravelled pathway into Richmond Village grounds.

• Turn right and follow the path downhill as you enter Middle Wood(6) keeping to the path as it veers left through the trees.

• Pass through a large gate by a stone wall and, keeping left, in 40 yards follow the path to emerge between houses into Willow Park Way.

• Continue in the same direction passing Mulberry Way, then the Bowling Green

• Continue along Willow Park Way till you turn right onto Weston Road(7).

• Follow the road past Chellaston Lane(8) on your left, then past Hilton Gardens and Bulls Yard(9)

• Further along we come to the Village Shop.(10)

• At the end of Weston Road turn right to arrive back at All Saints’ Church.

We hope you enjoyed your walk.

Find more at www.astonontrenthistory.org.uk

Items of Historic Interest – Walk Number 5

1. All Saints’ Heritage Centre The Heritage Centre replaced a small church hall in a poor state of repair. Construction took place during 2010/11 adding width and length to the original building. It now provides a fully equipped meetings room for village groups & external bookings. It is also home to the extensive Aston History Archives. It was officially opened by William Tucker, Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, on the 3rd May 2011.

2. Aston Church All Saints’ Church has its origins in Saxon times, but its present structure has developed over many centuries dating back to Norman times. Visible architecture includes Early English, Gothic, Decorated, Perpendicular and Gothic Revival. The last major sympathetic restoration took place in 1837. The tower contains six bells, the oldest dated 1590, and are rung for services by a team of village residents.

3. Aston Hall Built in 1735 for Robert and Elizabeth Holden. The Holden family purchased the Aston Estate in 1648 and remained in residence until the death of Edward Anthony Holden 1877. In 1898 the Holden family sold the Hall and estates to William Dickson Winterbottom. Upon the death of Dickson in 1924 the entire estate passed into the hands of Nottingham Corporation who established a ‘Colony for Mental Defectives’ (as was the terminology). The estate remained as a hospital, including a period during the First World War when the Hall became an Auxiliary Red Cross Hospital. In 2015 Richmond Retirement Villages purchased the grounds. The Hall itself now contains a number of private apartments.

4. Donkey/Bull Field The field which lies between Aston Hall Drive and Weston Road was part of the Hall Estate and takes its name from when it was used for grazing. The Aston Local History Group has documents showing the existence of a spring in this area. Villagers would fetch water from this spring before the introduction of mains water which took place in the early 1920s.

5. Long Walk Wood This delightful, cool, green wood was created for the pleasure of walking amongst the great variety of deciduous and coniferous trees, wild flowers and ferns in their seasons. Before the introduction of a main roadway between Aston and Weston the path through this wood was a much-used route for villagers moving between the two settlements.

6. Middle Wood A small wood situated on the south side of the original Hall Gardens which during the Holden ownership of the Estate contained an ice-house used to store ice obtained during winter from the nearby lake/fish pond.

7. Weston Road/Lawrence Lane The route between Aston and Weston was substantially changed in 1786 when a new road was laid out in the direction as we know it today. It was initiated by the Holdens of Aston Hall who wished to enhance their privacy by discouraging villagers from using the Long Walk Wood route. In its original form the first part of the improved access to Weston was Lawrence Lane and headed towards Chellaston.

8. Chellaston Lane On some old maps and documents Chellaston Lane was shown as Pit Lane being the main access to the farms of Hill Top, Rectory and Marsh Flatts and to the Chellaston Gypsum Mines. Many Aston men were employed at the farms and mines and this was their way to work.

9. Bulls Yard A small row of cottages situated between Posey Lane and Hilton Gardens. Bulls Yard takes its name from the family who occupied the dwellings for a number of generations. The 1911 Census Return records George Bull as a coal merchant living with his mother Ann and brother Charles, a gypsum miner

10. Village Shop A long established business which for many years has provided a valuable service to the village community. The shop occupies a building which formerly was part of the Home Farm yard. The shop was originally situated in the building across the drive entrance and until recent times was run by the Clulow family.

We hope you enjoyed your walk.

Find more at www.astonontrenthistory.org.uk