Aston-on-Trent History Walk No.2 - North Aston

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.2 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:

• The Pump
  • Erected in 1870, this shelter formerly housed the water pump that supplied the village, until Aston-on-Trent was connected to the water mains in the 1920s. Following that, it was used as a shelter for a bus stop, but now adorns the village as monument piece.
• The Green
  • Within the centre of the village lies The Green, a quaint green space that previously served as the venue for many village functions such as the annual fair. There is a display of the village crest standing on The Green, presented by the Women’s Institute. Some of the older cottages that surround The Green date back to the 18th Century.
• The Old School House
  • The old school served Aston-on-Trent for over a century, before a replacement was eventually built on Long Croft to better accommodate students in 1984. The costs for the construction of the original school building were provided by the Holden Family of the local Aston Hall, and their crest still adorns the building to this day.
• Brickyard Plantation
  • The Brickyard Plantation, also known simply as Aston Brickyard, a nine-acre site of mixed woodland and grassland on the northern side of the village that serves as a nature reserve. The site was formerly a gypsum mine in the 18th Century and played a key part in the local production of bricks, before the Derby Brick Company opened up new sites in the area and demand helped the businesses survive until the 1960s. After its closure, the Brickyard would eventually become a refuse tip until it was capped with clay. The Brickyards Plantation that exists today is a result of the hard work of the local villagers, who are responsible for much of the work in planting the trees to regreen the area.
• The Tramway
  • The former tramway was a light railway that helped serve the Aston brickmaking industry and connected the Brickyard gypsum mine to a wharf along the Trent and Mersey Canal, operating from 1812 until the early 1900s. Under Derby Road – the main road through the village that passes by many of the points on this walk – is a tunnel in which the tramway actually ran.

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.