Astley Cross is a village in 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...

, 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...

, located on the outskirts of Stourport-on-Severn

Stourport-on-Severn

Stourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of North Worcestershire, England, a few miles to the south of Kidderminster and down stream on the River Severn from Bewdley...

. The village lies 1 miles (1.6 km) south of the centre of Stourport, just east of Dunley

Dunley

Dunley is a village, and a civil parish , in the administrative district of Malvern Hills in the county of Worcestershire, England....

 and southeast of Areley Kings

Areley Kings

Areley Kings is a Worcestershire village on the River Severn 10 miles north of Worcester in the picturesque area of the Wyre Forest. The area is featured in the Domesday Book and many historical places of interest are open to visitors...

. The village of Astley Cross lies on Areley Common (B4196), a thoroughfare connecting Stourport to Holt Heath.

History

The locality of Astley Cross was mentioned at least as early as 1854, when John Noake described the area in the third volume of his book, The Rambler in Worcestershire. Noake described the landmarks, houses, bridges, and roads in the area, including Redstone Lane (which still exists). Noake believed that the body of Arthur, Prince of Wales

Arthur, Prince of Wales

Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England. As he predeceased his father, Arthur never became king...

had been brought through the area on Areley Common upon the prince's death in 1502.

In 1900, the Incorporated Church Building Society granted the village of Astley Cross moneys to build a mission church. Today, Astley Cross is the site of the Astley Cross Inn.