Church Micro 4677...White Ladies Aston Traditional Geocache
Church Micro 4677...White Ladies Aston
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Please do not attempt at night due to the close proximity of elderly neighbors. There is NO TURNING in this narrow lane so please park either at the end of the lane or at the end of the footpath to the north.
The small village of White Ladies Aston lies in farming country south of the Worcester to Stratford up-on-Avon road about 5 miles from Worcester. It is bounded by the villages of Stoulton to the south, Peopleton, Upton Snodsbury to the east, Churchill and Broughton Hackett to the North and Spetchley to the West.
The church is situation to the North of this attractive little village on the eastern side of the main street. In the southern part of the village is Aton Moat (Formally Moat Farm) still retaining its original part moat. Nearby is Aston Hall with its fine Chimney stack and timber framing.
At the time of the doomsday book the settlement was part of the extensive manor of Northwick, then owned by the bishop. It seems to have been part of the bishop’s possessions even as late as the 17th century when it was temporarily in the hands of civilians during the commonwealth. Thereafter it was restored to the See of Worcester unit 1860 when. on the death of Bishop Pepys, it was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Part of the manor was held by the Cistercian nuns of Whiteladies, Worcester – Hence the origin of the name as the nuns wore white or undyed habits.
There are scant remains still of the nunnery within the confines of the Worcester Royal Grammar School. The name of the village has been Eastune in 977, Estune in 1086, Ason Episcopi in 1247 and Whitladyaston in 1481. Ason Episcopi was often used even until the 19th Century.
The church lies within a secluded churchyard to the north of the village approached via a yew tree lined path. Entrance is via a timber porch of 1864 to a Norman doorway into the south side of the nave. The western wooden tower has an elegant splay-footed spire, the main timbers of which are as old as the ‘Mary Rose’, ie. circa 1545. The chancel roof is slightly lower than the nave and on the north side there is an aisle of 1861 and an adjoining vestry to the east. The stones are a mixture of uncoursed lias rubble with Cotswold dressings on the corners.
The Victorian work stands as a contrast, it being coursed lias stone. The west wall of the nave was rebuilt in 1861 with a pair of widely spaced lancets and a small quatrefoil window above. Three buttresses support this wall.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication.
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list
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