other: Aston (disambiguation)

Aston is an Inner-City area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham City Centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.

History

Aston was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as "Estone", having a mill, a priest and therefore probably a church, woodland and ploughland. The Church of SS Peter & Paul, Aston was built in medieval times to replace an earlier church. The body of the church was rebuilt by J. A. Chatwin during the period 1879 to 1890; the 15th century tower and spire, which was partly rebuilt in 1776, being the only survivors of the medieval building.

The ancient parish of Aston (known as Aston juxta Birmingham) was large. It was separated from the parish of Birmingham by AB Row, which currently exists in the Eastside of the city at just 50 metres in length. It was partly included in the borough of Birmingham in 1838, and a further part, Saltley was added in 1891. The Aston Urban District offices, constructed in 1882, were located on Albert Road. An Aston Manor urban sanitary district was formed in part of the parish. In 1894, under the Local Government Act 1894, the parish was split up, with Castle Bromwich, Erdington and Water Orton becoming separate parishes, as did Aston Manor. The Aston parish now was entirely within Birmingham. Aston Manor was granted the status of municipal borough in 1903, and was then annexed to Birmingham in 1911, along with Erdington. Castle Bromwich and Water Orton remain outside Birmingham's city limits to this day.

Besides the church and Aston Hall, Aston village consisted of few houses, taverns, farms, a mill and Aston Furnace. The Holte almshouses completed in 1656 and a fine Georgian rectory which were demolished despite objections when Aston Expressway was constructed.

The Grand Junction Railway was built in 1837 although Aston railway station was not built until 1854. A branch from Aston to Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield was opened later, this eventually became part of the Cross-City Line.

On October 5, 1892, Victoria Road Baths were opened by the Aston Local Board. They consisted of first and second class swimming baths and first and second class private baths for men and women. Several hundred spectators could be accommodated in a spectators' gallery in the first class bath. During the winter months, a floor was fitted over the first class swimming baths so that the area could be used for gymnastic training. In 1911, it was taken over by the Birmingham Baths Committee.

Old buildings which became popular within Aston included the Aston Hippodrome and the Bartons Arms public house. Gospel Hall on Park Lane was opened in 1892 and demolished in the 1970s to be rebuilt at the top of Park Lane in 1979. The original hall had a seating capacity of 73. Another meeting place was the Ellen Knox Memorial Hall which was next door to The Midland Vinegar Brewery. The brewery was owned by The Midland Brewery Company was built around 1877. It was located on Upper Thomas Street. The brewery was a three storey brick building with rounded corners and semi-circular windows. The roof was slated. Other industry that was located in Aston include the Premier Motor Works which produced cars during the early 20th century. The works were situated at the junction of Aston Road and Dartmouth Street. On Miller Street was a tramcar depot which had a storage capacity of 104 tramcars. It opened in 1904.