10. ASTON.
(O.S. 6 in. xxi. N.W.)
Ecclesiastical
(1). Parish Church of St. Mary stands on
high ground W. of the village. It is built of
flint with stone dressings; the roofs are covered
with lead The Chancel and Nave are of c. 1230,
the West Tower was added late in the 14th or
early in the 15th century, and towards the end
of the 15th century the church was repaired and
re-roofed, and windows were inserted. It was
again restored in 1850 and in 1883, when a
North Vestry, North Aisle, and South Porch
were built, and the walls re-faced with flint.
Architectural Description—The Chancel
(28½ ft. by 13½ ft.) has in the N. wall the jambs
and rear arch of a 13th-century lancet window,
and in the S. wall two 16th-century windows,
repaired. The E. window is modern. The
chancel arch, with capitals much mutilated to
admit the rood screen, is probably of the 16th
century. The Nave (45 ft. by 22 ft.) has few
original details; the N. arcade and the S.
windows are modern, but the walls are probably
of the 13th century. The Tower (16½ ft. square)
is of two stages, and retains the original arch
opening to the nave, a repaired W. doorway,
and a large traceried window above it, also
original. The windows of the bell-chamber
have wood frames and mullions. The Roofs
of the chancel and nave are of the 15th century,
and low pitched.
Fittings—Bells: six, 2nd and 3rd by Miles
Gray, 1629, 5th 1629, re-cast 1840. Brass:
on floor of nave, of John Kent and his wife,
1592, with inscription. Communion Table:
17th-century. Glass: in the W. window, a
little white and gold glass, 15th-century.
Piscina: in the chancel, large, double, divided
by a central pillar, with single drain, c. 1230.
Plate: includes cup, cover paten, and paten,
of 1571: and cup of 1612. Pulpit: octagonal,
panelled oak, c. 1630. Screen: a good example
of c. 1520, with head tracery.
Condition—Good; much modern work.
Secular
(2). Aston Bury, house and moat, about a
mile S.E. of the church. The house is three-storeyed, built of red brick in the second half
of the 16th century, on the site of a mediæval
building, of which some of the walling remains;
the roofs are tiled.
It is a fine example of an Elizabethan house,
and the external walls remain practically intact;
the detail of the chimneys is unusually rich,
and there are two good 16th-century staircases.
The plan is rectangular, with two projections on the S. front, and a modern addition
on the S.W. There are two chimney stacks at
each end of the house, and two more near the
inner angles of the S. projections; the circular
shafts are moulded in various designs, twisted,
honeycombed, zig-zag, etc., and have moulded
caps with projecting spurs, and octagonal bases;
one pair on the W. has been re-built, the
second pair restored at the top, and many of the
spurs have been renewed.
The North Elevation, is unbroken; in the
17th century the four gables were made curvilinear, the original lines being visible on the
brick facing; the windows have double splayed
brick jambs, square lintel's, and moulded oak
frames with mullions and transoms. Above
the ground floor windows is a moulded string-course, and above the first floor windows a deep
brick cornice. The third storey windows are
in the gables. The South Elevation has two
large projections which contain the staircases;
they are of the same height as the main building
and have pointed gables corbelled at the feet;
old windows in the staircases have been opened
recently and the brickwork restored. The flint
rubble walling of the original building can be
seen in situ in the base of the N. wall and in
the centre of the S. front, where it comes up to
the lintels of the ground floor windows. There
is also a built up arch in clunch, and indications
of other arches. Flint rubble has been re-used in the S. projections, and clunch stones,
probably quoins, in the S.E. wall.
Interior—During the 18th and 19th centuries
the internal plan of the building was much
altered, but it is now being restored to its original condition as far as it can be ascertained. The
main entrance in the centre of the N. front
retains only one original door post. The old oak
door, repaired, is now in the porch. The hall
on the E. has an original wide four-centred
brick fireplace. There are rooms E. and W. of
the hall, and the kitchen at the extreme W.
has a large open fireplace and an original doorway and oak door. In the cellar directly below
the hall is a well. The plan of the first floor
has been altered, and the attic, now divided by
partitions, has old passages on both sides, and
two four-centred brick fireplaces. The staircases in the projecting wings are of solid oak,
and have wide moulded handrails, and turned
balusters; the E. staircase has obelisk finials;
the W. staircase has pierced newel finials and
mouldings of different detail from the other.
Both are in excellent preservation. The
panelling and most of the internal fittings have
been recently inserted.
The moat consists of three disconnected ponds;
during recent excavations a brick wall was
discovered which may have formed the revetment to the island.
Condition—Of house, good. Of moat, poor.