Ashton under Hill
Encyclopedia
Ashton under Hill is a village and civil parish
in the Wychavon
district of Worcestershire
in England
. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 743, about five miles south-west of Evesham.
The author, Fred Archer, lived in Ashton-under-Hill at Stanley Farm. He wrote a series of popular books about tales of country life. The books described life in the village between the years 1876 and 1939.
The village church, St Barbara's is reputedly the only church in England dedicated to St Barbara who is alleged to afford protection from lightning strikes. In 2005, villagers celebrated the 900th anniversary of the church.
Paris - Ashton Under Hill is a 5 house hamlet located above the village with fantastic panoramic views over the surrounding hills. Paris is said to be the most wanted place to live in Worcestershire.
The school Bredon Hill Middle
is located in Ashton under Hill, as is Ashton under Hill First. Ashton is also near to the local villages of Aston Somerville
, Beckford
, Elmley Castle
, Hinton on the Green and Sedgeberrow
.
Ashton under Hill once had a railway station, belonging to the Midland Railway
(later part of the LMS
), and situated on a lengthy loop line, branching off the Bristol
to Birmingham
main line at Ashchurch
, passing through Evesham
, Alcester
and Redditch
, and rejoining the main line at Barnt Green
, near Bromsgrove
. The loop was built to address the fact that the main line bypassed most of the towns it might otherwise have served, but it took three separate companies to complete.
The loop officially closed between Ashchurch and Redditch in June 1963, but poor condition of the track had brought about withdrawal of all trains between Evesham and Redditch earlier, in October 1962, being replaced by a bus service for the final eight months. Redditch to Barnt Green remains open on the electrified Birmingham suburban network.
Ashton under Hill station house still stands as a private residence.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Wychavon
Wychavon
Wychavon is a local government district in Worcestershire, England. Its council is based in Pershore. Other towns in the district include Droitwich Spa, Evesham and Broadway. The district extends from the south-east corner of Worcestershire north and west...
district of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill
Bredon Hill
Bredon Hill is a hill in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Evesham in the Vale of Evesham. The summit of the hill is in the parish of Kemerton and it extends over parts of eight other parishes...
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 743, about five miles south-west of Evesham.
The author, Fred Archer, lived in Ashton-under-Hill at Stanley Farm. He wrote a series of popular books about tales of country life. The books described life in the village between the years 1876 and 1939.
The village church, St Barbara's is reputedly the only church in England dedicated to St Barbara who is alleged to afford protection from lightning strikes. In 2005, villagers celebrated the 900th anniversary of the church.
Paris - Ashton Under Hill is a 5 house hamlet located above the village with fantastic panoramic views over the surrounding hills. Paris is said to be the most wanted place to live in Worcestershire.
The school Bredon Hill Middle
Bredon Hill Middle School
Bredon Hill Middle School is a non-denominational mixed gender middle school in Ashton under Hill, Worcestershire. The school's catchment area encompasses the surrounding villages of Ashton under Hill, Broadway , Bredon , Cropthorne, Eckington , Elmley Castle, Overbury, and Sedgeberrow, with the ...
is located in Ashton under Hill, as is Ashton under Hill First. Ashton is also near to the local villages of Aston Somerville
Aston Somerville
Aston Somerville is a small village approximately south of Evesham, Worcestershire, England. More information including books on the Somerville family, a pamphlet on the village and St Mary's Church can be found here:...
, Beckford
Beckford, Worcestershire
Beckford is a small village on the main Cheltenham to Evesham Road, five miles north-east of Tewkesbury, on the Worcestershire - Gloucestershire border, England....
, Elmley Castle
Elmley Castle
Elmley Castle is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, in England, United Kingdom. It is located on the north side of Bredon Hill 4 kilometres south east of Pershore in the local government district of Wychavon.- Amenities and history :...
, Hinton on the Green and Sedgeberrow
Sedgeberrow
Sedgeberrow is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, about south of Evesham. It stands beside the River Isbourne, a tributary of the River Avon.-History:...
.
Ashton under Hill once had a railway station, belonging to the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(later part of the LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
), and situated on a lengthy loop line, branching off the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
main line at Ashchurch
Ashchurch
Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England. The parish was originally called Eastchurch, due to its position east of the parish and town of Tewkesbury, and had a population of 6,064 at the 2001 UK census.The former Ashchurch Parish covered...
, passing through Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
, Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
and Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
, and rejoining the main line at Barnt Green
Barnt Green
Barnt Green is a village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire, England, located immediately south of Birmingham, with a population at the 2001 census of 1,733.-Origins:...
, near Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
. The loop was built to address the fact that the main line bypassed most of the towns it might otherwise have served, but it took three separate companies to complete.
The loop officially closed between Ashchurch and Redditch in June 1963, but poor condition of the track had brought about withdrawal of all trains between Evesham and Redditch earlier, in October 1962, being replaced by a bus service for the final eight months. Redditch to Barnt Green remains open on the electrified Birmingham suburban network.
Ashton under Hill station house still stands as a private residence.