Aston-on-Trent History Walk No.10 - Shardlow: 18th Century Port

The Aston-on-Trent Local History Group have produced a series of local walks to highlight the heritage of Aston-on-Trent, a cosy village whose records of settlement date all the way back to before the Norman Conquest in the 11th Century, and the surrounding area.

Walk No.10 is predominantly flat, easy walking. Most of the Aston-on-Trent walks use countryside paths at points along the route, so please be mindful of weather and ground conditions when planning a walk.

Below are some of the key points of interest to keep an eye out for:

• Aston Cursus
  • A Neolithic earthwork dating to around 3500 BC around which now sits a patch of uncultivated land, roughly one acre in size, and the site as a whole is a Listed Scheduled Monument. The Cursus would have taken the form of two parallel ditches and would have been used for traditional ceremonial purposes, such as the veneration of ancestors.
• Shardlow Inland Port
  • Shardlow was at one time the largest inland port in the country, with coastal barges coming across the Trent to Shardlow to unload goods to be shipped further inland. Much of the port’s warehouses and storage has been converted into housing.
• Shardlow Heritage Centre
  • Carrying out the same important work as Aston’s own centre, the Shardlow Heritage Centre is an important source of all the information for the local history of Shardlow and is worth a visit on your walk. Discover the history of Shardlow’s port itself as well as the canal, crossings and cargo more broadly.
• St. James’ Church
  • Constructed in 1883, St. James Church was built to provide the village of Shardlow with its own church and yard for services. Before then, villagers from Shardlow would travel via the canals to Aston to attend Church services. Coffins would even be sent via canal boats to Aston for funerals!
• Shardlow Hall
  • Shardlow Hall was constructed for Leonard Fosbrooke, who was twice appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire, in 1684 and was lived in by his family for 5 generations. In 1911, the Hall became a school, before later being converted into offices and a nursery.

Please visit the Aston-on-Trent Local History Group‘s page for the route directions, as well as more information on key points along the route.

A PDF of the walk can be accessed at the Aston-on-Trent Parish Council‘s website or via the download file button below.