Aston Rowant

Toward the end of the 17th century a large Roman vessel, containing five smaller ones, was found at Kingston Blount.[2] In 1971 a hoard of late seventh- and early eighth-century silver coins called sceattas was found on the Chiltern escarpment, near where the A40 road crosses the Icknield Way. In 1972 the hoard was reported to total 175 coins,^[3] by 1994 the total was 350, and either case it was then the largest single find of sceattas in Britain.^[4] A Coroner's Court determined that the coins are treasure trove, and the British Museum then acquired the hoard.^[3]

The hoard is believed to have been hidden in either AD 710^[4] or 710–15.^[3] Only about a quarter of the coins were from Anglo-Saxon mints in Britain. The remainder are from mainland Europe, mostly from Merovingian mints around the mouth of the Rhine. The owner may therefore have been a Frisian merchant travelling along the Icknield Way.^[4]

Manor

In 1055 the

The oldest parts of the Church of England parish church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul are the north and south walls of the nave, which are Norman and from around 1100. The chancel was rebuilt late in the 13th century^[5] in the Decorated Gothic style.^[6] The Decorated Gothic bell tower and north and south aisles were added in the 14th century. In the 15th century natural light in the church was increased by the addition of a window in the north wall and a clerestory above the nave,^[5] both of which are Perpendicular Gothic.^[6]

The church tower had a spire until 1811, when some of the stonework of the tower parapet fell off and the spire was removed during the tower repairs. In 1831 the Perpendicular Gothic roof of the nave was replaced with a new flat one.^[5] The chancel was renovated in 1850 and its present east window was inserted in 1856. In 1874 the north aisle was extended westwards by one bay to provide a chamber in which an organ was installed. The architect E.G. Bruton restored the building in 1884.^[6]

The tower has a ring of six bells.^[5] The oldest is the fourth bell, which Roger Landen of Wokingham,^[7] Berkshire cast in about 1450.^[8] Ellis I Knight of Reading^[7] cast the second, third and tenor bells in 1625.^[8] John Warner and Sons of Cripplegate,^[7] London cast the fifth bell in 1873^[8] and the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the present treble bell in 1975,^[8] completing the current ring of six.

Social and economic history

Aston Rowant was a large

The village school was founded in or before 1833 as a National School for girls, and in 1844 its present premises were built and it became a mixed school.^[5] In 1931 it was reorganised as a junior school and in 1951 it became a Church of England school.^[5][10]

The single-track Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway was built in 1872 and opened Aston Rowant railway station about 1⁄2 mile (800 m) from the village. The Great Western Railway operated the line until nationalisation in 1948. British Railways withdrew passenger services in 1957 and closed Aston Rowant goods yard in 1961. The track has since been dismantled.

The railway station appears in four feature films:

• The Captive Heart (1946)
• My Brother Jonathan (1947)
• My Brother's Keeper
  (1948)
• Portrait of Clare (1950)

Excerpts of these films can be found at The Watlington Branch Line YouTube Playlist.

Amenities

Aston Rowant Cricket Club^[11] plays in the Home Counties and Cherwell Leagues. Its ground covers a quarter of the gap between Aston Rowant and Kingston Blount (known as Kingston, locally) and serves both villages' cricketers. Kingston can be reached by direct path or road and has another sports ground next to its allotments.^[12] Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, on the Chiltern escarpment, is partly in the parish.

References