Steeple Aston

Coordinates: 51°55′41″N 1°18′32″W / 51.928°N 1.309°W / 51.928; -1.309
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Steeple Ashton, Wiltshire.

Steeple Aston
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBicester
Postcode districtOX25
Dialling code01869
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteSteeple Aston oxfordshire
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire
51°55′41″N 1°18′32″W / 51.928°N 1.309°W / 51.928; -1.309

Steeple Aston is a village and

2011 Census recorded the parish population as 947.[1] The village is 108 metres (354 ft) above sea level. The River Cherwell and Oxford Canal pass 1 mile (2 km) east of the village. The river forms part of the eastern boundary of the parish. The parish's southern boundary, 1⁄2 mile (800 m) south of the village, also forms part of Cherwell District's boundary with West Oxfordshire
.

History

The earliest evidence of occupation in the area is an

Bishop of Bayeux was overlord of the manor of Steeple Aston.[2]

The

Almshouses which Brasenose College founded in the 1660s. In South Side, Grange Cottage is early 17th century and Manor Farm House is late 17th century.[5]

Church and chapel

Parish church of SS Peter & Paul

The

Perpendicular Gothic alterations, and the architect John Plowman restored it in 1842.[5] The parish church is the source of the Steeple Aston Cope, an important piece of 14th-century embroidery now on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London.

The church

Sanctus bell, cast in 1701 by Henry Bagley II,[9] who had foundries in the Northamptonshire villages of Chacombe and Ecton.[8]

Steeple Aston had a small number of

Primitive Methodist preachers and were well-attended despite uproarious organised protests.[2] A Methodist chapel in South Street was opened in 1852. It was used for worship until 1968 when it was converted into a private residence.[2]

Governance

Steeple Aston has a

Cherwell District Council and has two councillors.[10] For Oxfordshire County Council the village is in the Deddington ward.[10] The parish is in the Banbury Parliamentary constituency.[11]

Transport

Steeple Aston lies east of the

A4260 road between Banbury and Oxford. To the east it is linked with Bicester by the B4030. About 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the village is Heyford railway station providing a rail link to Banbury, Oxford and Birmingham. The nearest motorway access is via junctions 9 or 10 of the M40
.

Amenities

Steeple Aston village has one

public house. The Red Lion opened in 1903 and is controlled by Hook Norton Brewery.[12] It previously had another pub, The White Lion, which opened in 1870. There is also The Holt Hotel public house on the edge of the parish on the A4260 main road about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of the village. The village has a village shop and post office, school, pre-school, village hall, and a sports and recreation club and sports pitch. Annual parish events include the Whit Races, and the spring and summer flower shows.[13] A mobile library also calls at the village on alternate Thursdays.[14]

The Steeple Aston Players used to be an amateur dramatic group that regularly performed plays in the village hall.[citation needed] Steeple Aston Village Archive (SAVA)[15] holds annual talks and exhibitions and has produced CDs and books, all on the subject of the village's history. In September 2013, SAVA moved into its new Village History Centre adjacent to the Village Hall, which is open every Saturday morning or by appointment. Steeple Aston Cricket Club is an inclusive[clarification needed] village side with players aged between 10 and 59, playing against surrounding villages. In the last ten years, the club has won two thirds of its matches. In 1988 parts of the village were designated a conservation area.[13] On the edge of the village was the narrow-gauge Beeches Light Railway owned by Adrian Shooter.

Ford Model T on Beeches Light Railway

Education

Samuel Radcliffe, principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, founded a primary school in Steeple Aston in 1640 along with a pair of almshouses

Steeple Aston has one school, Dr. Radcliffe's

The Warriner School, Bloxham near Banbury.[18]

Parish magazine and website

Steeple Aston Life, which was first printed in August 1973,[19] is a monthly magazine delivered freely to all residents and sold at the village shop.[13] There is also a parish website.[20]

In popular culture

Early in

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, George Smiley
, after a disagreeable dinner, contemplates selling up and leaving London to live in the country and thinks to himself: "Steeple Aston sounds about right."

References

  1. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Crossley et al. 1983, pp. 21–44
  3. Cherwell District Council
    .
  4. ^ "Holt Hotel". Haunted Hotels.
  5. ^ a b Sherwood & Pevsner 1974, p. 788.
  6. ^ Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, Banbury branch
  7. ^ Steeple Aston Bellringers
  8. ^
    Central Council for Church Bell Ringers
    . Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  9. ^
    Central Council for Church Bell Ringers
    . Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  10. ^ a b c "Councils". Steeple Aston Online. Steeple Aston PArish Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008.
  11. ^ "Welcome Pack" (PDF). Steeple Aston Parish Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2009.
  12. ^ The Red Lion Steeple Aston
  13. ^ a b c Steeple Aston Online – 'About Our Village'
  14. ^ "Public and Voluntary Services". Steeple Aston Online. Steeple Aston Parish Council. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
  15. ^ Steeple Aston Village Archive
  16. ^ Dr. Radcliffe's Church of England Primary School
  17. ^ Principals of Brasenose Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Dr Radcliffe's CE Primary School: The Warriner Partnership
  19. ^ Steeple Aston Life CD[dead link]
  20. ^ Steeple Aston Oxfordshire

Sources and further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Steeple Aston.
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