Cold Aston
Encyclopedia
Cold Aston is a village
and civil parish
in Gloucestershire
, England
, approximately 30 km (18.6 mi) to the east of Gloucester
. It lies in the Cotswolds
, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
.
of 1086 as Estone, the name coming from the Old English ēast + tūn meaning "eastern farmstead or estate". By the mid 13th century, the village was known as Cold Aston. It was occasionally called Great Aston, to distinguish it from the nearby hamlet
of Little Aston. From the 16th century, the name Aston Blank took hold, the suffix "Blank" possibly deriving from the Old French
word blanc, meaning "white" or "bare". In 1972, the parish officially became known as Cold Aston again.
of the district of Cotswold
, represented by Councillor
s Sheila Jeffery and Len Wilkins, and by Charles Alfred Richard Gillams, all members of the Conservative Party
. Cold Aston is part of the constituency of Cotswold
, represented at parliament
by Conservative MP
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown. It is part of the South West England
constituency of the European Parliament
.
, a range of hills designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. It is approximately 30 km (18.6 mi) to the east of Gloucester. It is approximately 21 km (13 mi) east of its post town
Cheltenham and about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) west of Bourton-on-the-Water
. Nearby villages include Turkdean
, Notgrove
, Clapton, Naunton
and Lower Slaughter
.
church dedicated to St Andrew. Its walls incorporate Saxon
stonework and the original church on this site may have been built in around AD 904. Much of the present church was restored
in 1875.
The village pub, The Plough, is a 17th century Grade II listed building. It is the only pub between the three villages of Cold Aston, Turkdean and Notgrove. The pub's landlord claims that it is residence to a ghost
named Old Harry.
for children from the age of 4–11. In 2007, the school had 62 pupils.
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
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 Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, 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...
, approximately 30 km (18.6 mi) to the east of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. It lies in the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
.
Toponymy
The village was recorded as Eastunæ between 716–43. It was listed 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 Estone, the name coming from the Old English ēast + tūn meaning "eastern farmstead or estate". By the mid 13th century, the village was known as Cold Aston. It was occasionally called Great Aston, to distinguish it from the nearby hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Little Aston. From the 16th century, the name Aston Blank took hold, the suffix "Blank" possibly deriving from the Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
word blanc, meaning "white" or "bare". In 1972, the parish officially became known as Cold Aston again.
Governance
Cold Aston is part of the Bourton-on-the-Water wardWards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of the district of Cotswold
Cotswold (district)
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire in England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester....
, represented by Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s Sheila Jeffery and Len Wilkins, and by Charles Alfred Richard Gillams, all members of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Cold Aston is part of the constituency of Cotswold
Cotswold (UK Parliament constituency)
The Cotswolds is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, represented at parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
by Conservative MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown. It is part of the South West England
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
constituency of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Geography
Cold Aston is in the county of Gloucestershire and lies within the CotswoldsCotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, a range of hills designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. It is approximately 30 km (18.6 mi) to the east of Gloucester. It is approximately 21 km (13 mi) east of its post town
Post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of...
Cheltenham and about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) west of Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. Nearby villages include Turkdean
Turkdean
Turkdean is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 30 km to the east of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
, Notgrove
Notgrove
Notgrove is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 28.5 to the east of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:The village was recorded as Natangrafum between 716–43...
, Clapton, Naunton
Naunton
Naunton is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It is situated in the Cotswolds, an area of outstanding natural beauty ; approximately 6 miles west of Stow-on-the-Wold and 12 miles east of Cheltenham....
and Lower Slaughter
Lower Slaughter
Lower Slaughter is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, located in the Cotswold district, south west of the town of Stow-on-the-Wold....
.
Landmarks
The village church is a NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
church dedicated to St Andrew. Its walls incorporate Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
stonework and the original church on this site may have been built in around AD 904. Much of the present church was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1875.
The village pub, The Plough, is a 17th century Grade II listed building. It is the only pub between the three villages of Cold Aston, Turkdean and Notgrove. The pub's landlord claims that it is residence to a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
named Old Harry.
Education
The village has one primary school, Cold Aston Church of England Primary School, a voluntary controlled schoolVoluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
for children from the age of 4–11. In 2007, the school had 62 pupils.