Aston is a village about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Witney

Witney

Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....

 in West Oxfordshire

West Oxfordshire

West Oxfordshire is a local government district in north west Oxfordshire, England including towns such as Woodstock, Burford, Chipping Norton, Charlbury, and Witney ....

, 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 also 3.3 Miles (5.3 km) from Ducklington. The village is part of the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney. The southern boundary of the parish is the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

.

History

Until the 19th century Aston was a township in the ancient parish of Bampton

Bampton, Oxfordshire

Bampton, also called Bampton-in-the-Bush, is a village and civil parish in the Thames Valley about southwest of Witney in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Weald....

. In 1866 the civil parish of Aston and Cote

Cote, Oxfordshire

Cote is a hamlet about south of Witney and north of the River Thames in West Oxfordshire, England. Cote is part of the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney...

 was separated from Bampton. In 1931 Aston and Cote was united with Chimney

Chimney, Oxfordshire

Chimney is a hamlet on the River Thames near Shifford Lock, south of Witney in Oxfordshire. It is part of the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney....

 were united to form the civil parish of Aston Bampton, which was merged with Shifford

Shifford

Shifford is a hamlet in the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney in Oxfordshire, England. It is on the north bank of the River Thames about south of Witney.-History:...

 in 1954 to form the parish of Aston Bampton and Shifford. The parish was later renamed Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney.

Parish church

The Church of England parish church

Church of England parish church

A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...

 of Saint James was built in 1839 with only a low squat tower and one bell. Later a spire and second bell were added. The Gothic Revival architect

Gothic Revival architecture

The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...

 Joseph Clarke

Joseph Clarke (architect)

Joseph Clarke, FRIBA was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in London, England.-Career:In 1839 Clarke exhibited an antiquarian drawing with the Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture. Clarke was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in...

 restored the building in 1862, even though it was only 23 years old at the time. The architect H.G.W. Drinkwater

Harry Drinkwater

-Career:Drinkwater was a pupil of William C.C. Bramwell in Oxford 1860-65 and then assistant to the Gothic Revival architect G.E. Street 1865-73. After a year as a Royal Academy travelling student Drinkwater began independent practice in Oxford. Drinkwater was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute...

 made further alterations in 1885-89.

The present six bells were supplied by John Taylor & Co.

John Taylor Bellfounders

John Taylor & Co, formerly trading as Taylors, Eayre & Smith Ltd and John Taylor Bellfounders Ltd, and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry, located in Loughborough in the United Kingdom.The company manufactures bells for use in...

 of Loughborough

Loughborough

Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...

 in 1883, the two original bells being taken in part exchange. Two brass plates in the church commemorate the names of local clergy & churchwardens at the time of the bells' dedication and benefactors who contributed to the cost, the balance of which was raised by public subscription. In 1992 the bells were restored and re-hung by White's of Appleton

Appleton, Oxfordshire

Appleton is a village in the civil parish of Appleton-with-Eaton, about northwest of Abingdon. Appleton was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Manor:...

 following two years of local fund-raising.

In 1857 Aston, Cote and Shifford were made part of the ecclesiastical parish of Bampton Aston. It now forms part of the united benefice of Bampton with Clanfield.

Pottery

Aston Pottery was founded in 1990 and now employs 40 people producing over 120 different patterns on 45 different shapes. It has recently expanded and now has a Country Cafe, which serves hot and cold food made from locally sourced ingredients.