Astley, Shropshire
Encyclopedia
Astley is a small village
and civil parish in Shropshire
, England
. The official 2001 census
recorded 454 people living in the parish and 116 in the village itself.
The village lies near to (and between) the A53
and A49
roads.
Upper Astley is a hamlet on the A53 about half a mile to the South of the village of Astley. There is a public house
there - the Dog in the Lane.
of 1086 as a small settlement, with no church, but with a manor, and was called "Hesleie". Back then it was part of the Baschurch
Hundred
.
The village of Astley today is scenic and quaint, and consists of a number of old dwellings of architectural
interest. For this reason a Conservation Area
covers almost the entirety of the village, including all of the dwellings there. Astley Conservation Area was designated in 1988 and covers and area of 23.5 hectare
s/57 acre
s. It is currently being reviewed and the boundaries may soon be altered slightly. The Conservation Area is centred around the church of St Mary's which dates back to the 12th century. During the medieval era the area was partly administered by nearby Haughmond Abbey
(now a ruin).
The oldest existing dwelling is Church House, built in the early 17th century. Church Farmhouse is thought to be 18th century and Firs Farmhouse is dated 1760. There are a number of substantial Victorian era
houses too, with large, landscaped gardens and grounds. The village therefore has a great number of fine mature trees.
The most impressive dwelling in Astley today is Astley House, originally a small 18th century country house set within its own ornamental grounds. The house and its gardens were remodelled in the 19th century and the house grew in stature greatly. The main part of the building is now in the form of a Classical
temple, in a Corinthian
style. The coach house flanking the main building is also in the style of a Greek
Doric
temple with a portico
in antis.
Nearby is a monument to King George IV
(the famous Prince Regent
of the time) which too is in an ancient Roman
/Greek fashion. The grounds of Astley House extend quite some distance and are similarly landscaped to a high order.
Astley House, Church House, Church Farmhouse and the Firs Farmhouse are all listed buildings. There are a number of other interesting old dwellings and outbuildings in a village that has grown slowly over time (despite development continuing apace nearby, notably in Battlefield
. The village is effectively by-passed by the A53
and A49
roads, although there were plans in the 1980s to re-route the A53 closer to the village in a wider scheme of road building north of Shrewsbury. Fortunately this did not happen, instead the new A5124
"Battlefield Link Road" was built closer to Shrewsbury in the late 1990s.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, 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...
. The official 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
recorded 454 people living in the parish and 116 in the village itself.
The village lies near to (and between) the A53
A53 road
The A53 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury in Shropshire.-Route of Road:The A53 begins in the centre of Buxton off the A6 road, before meeting the A515 road at a roundabout. Out of the town, it has a junction with the A54 road before...
and A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
roads.
Upper Astley is a hamlet on the A53 about half a mile to the South of the village of Astley. There is a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
there - the Dog in the Lane.
History
The village was featured in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as a small settlement, with no church, but with a manor, and was called "Hesleie". Back then it was part of the Baschurch
Baschurch
Baschurch is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies in North Shropshire, north of Shrewsbury. Population: 1,475 . The village has strong links to Shrewsbury to the south-east, Oswestry to the north-west, and Wem to the north-east. Baschurch is twinned with the town of Giat...
Hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
.
The village of Astley today is scenic and quaint, and consists of a number of old dwellings of architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
interest. For this reason a Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
covers almost the entirety of the village, including all of the dwellings there. Astley Conservation Area was designated in 1988 and covers and area of 23.5 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s/57 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s. It is currently being reviewed and the boundaries may soon be altered slightly. The Conservation Area is centred around the church of St Mary's which dates back to the 12th century. During the medieval era the area was partly administered by nearby Haughmond Abbey
Haughmond Abbey
Haughmond Abbey at Haughmond Hill in Shropshire, otherwise known as the Abbey of Saint John the Evangelist, was founded in about 1100 AD. A statue of St John with his emblem can be found carved into the arches of the chapter house. His image also appeared on the Abbey's great seal.-History:The...
(now a ruin).
The oldest existing dwelling is Church House, built in the early 17th century. Church Farmhouse is thought to be 18th century and Firs Farmhouse is dated 1760. There are a number of substantial Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
houses too, with large, landscaped gardens and grounds. The village therefore has a great number of fine mature trees.
The most impressive dwelling in Astley today is Astley House, originally a small 18th century country house set within its own ornamental grounds. The house and its gardens were remodelled in the 19th century and the house grew in stature greatly. The main part of the building is now in the form of a Classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
temple, in a Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
style. The coach house flanking the main building is also in the style of a Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
temple with a portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
in antis.
Nearby is a monument to King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
(the famous Prince Regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
of the time) which too is in an ancient Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
/Greek fashion. The grounds of Astley House extend quite some distance and are similarly landscaped to a high order.
Astley House, Church House, Church Farmhouse and the Firs Farmhouse are all listed buildings. There are a number of other interesting old dwellings and outbuildings in a village that has grown slowly over time (despite development continuing apace nearby, notably in Battlefield
Battlefield, Shropshire
Battlefield is a village north of Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire, England.The village is today split between three parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.-Battle of Shrewsbury:...
. The village is effectively by-passed by the A53
A53 road
The A53 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury in Shropshire.-Route of Road:The A53 begins in the centre of Buxton off the A6 road, before meeting the A515 road at a roundabout. Out of the town, it has a junction with the A54 road before...
and A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
roads, although there were plans in the 1980s to re-route the A53 closer to the village in a wider scheme of road building north of Shrewsbury. Fortunately this did not happen, instead the new A5124
A5124 road
The A5124 is a road in Shropshire, England, that forms part of the northern section of the Shrewsbury by-pass. It is better known locally as the Battlefield Link Road....
"Battlefield Link Road" was built closer to Shrewsbury in the late 1990s.
See also
- Upper Battlefield,
- Bings HeathBings HeathBings Heath is a small village in Shropshire, England.It lies on the A53 near to the village of Astley. It is in the parish of Astley....
, - Haughmond HillHaughmond HillHaughmond Hill is a small, shallow hill in the English county of Shropshire. It is covered by woodland for the most part, although there is an open cast quarry in use. Its proximity to the town of Shrewsbury has meant that it has become something of a forest park, with guided paths, car parking...
, - HadnallHadnallHadnall is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies on the A49, some 9 km north-north-east of Shrewsbury. The Welsh Marches Line runs just outside the village and there was once a railway station. Today, Hadnall has a primary school, a successful village shop, a pub and a two...
, - HarlescottHarlescottHarlescott is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne to the east and Ditherington to the south...
, - SundorneSundorneSundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the Shrewsbury by-pass at Sundorne Roundabout and heading east...
, - UffingtonUffington, ShropshireUffington is a village in the English county of Shropshire. It lies between Haughmond Hill and the River Severn, 3 miles east from the town centre of Shrewsbury, at .Uffington is home to a church and a pub, the Corbet Arms...
.