Ashton under Hill
| Ashton under Hill | |
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  Ashton under Hill |
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| Population | 743 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | SO974379 |
| – London | 90 miles (140 km) |
| Civil parish | Ashton Underhill |
| District | Wychavon |
| Shire county | Worcestershire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EVESHAM |
| Postcode district | WR11 |
| Dialling code | 01386 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Hereford and Worcester |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
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Coordinates: 52°02′N 2°01′W / 52.04°N 2.01°W
Ashton under Hill is a village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire in England. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 743, about five miles south-west of Evesham.
Historically part of Gloucestershire, it was transferred to Worcestershire under the Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931.
The author Fred Archer lived in Ashton at Stanley Farm. He wrote a series of popular books about tales of country life. The books described life in the village between the years 1876 and 1939.
The village church, St Barbara's is reputedly the only church in England dedicated to St Barbara who is alleged to afford protection from lightning strikes. In 2005, villagers celebrated the 900th anniversary of the church.
Paris is a 5 house hamlet located above the village with panoramic views over the surrounding hills.
The school Bredon Hill Middle is located in Ashton under Hill, as is Ashton under Hill First. Ashton is also near to the local villages of Aston Somerville, Beckford, Elmley Castle, Hinton on the Green and Sedgeberrow.
Ashton once had a railway station, belonging to the Midland Railway (later part of the LMS), and situated on a lengthy loop line, branching off the Bristol to Birmingham main line at Ashchurch, passing through Evesham, Alcester and Redditch, and rejoining the main line at Barnt Green, near Bromsgrove. The loop was built to address the fact that the main line bypassed most of the towns it might otherwise have served, but it took three separate companies to complete.
The loop officially closed between Ashchurch and Redditch in June 1963, but poor condition of the track had brought about withdrawal of all trains between Evesham and Redditch earlier, in October 1962, being replaced by a bus service for the final eight months. Redditch to Barnt Green remains open on the electrified Birmingham suburban network.
Ashton under Hill station house still stands as a private residence.
References
External links
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Media related to Ashton under Hill at Wikimedia Commons - Ashton under Hill community site
- Bredon Hill Middle School web site
- Ashton [-under-Hill] in the Domesday Book