Alton, Staffordshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alton is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is famous for the theme park Alton Towers, built on the site of Alton Mansion (also named Alton Towers) owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury and designed by Augustus Pugin.
The village is located on the eastern side of the Churnet Valley and contains numerous buildings of arcitectural interest. The Round-House, Alton Castle (now a Catholic youth retreat centre), St Peters Church, The Malt House, St Johns Church and of course Alton Mansion.
Alton was served by a railway station which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on July 13, 1849.
The chained oak in Alton is made famous by the ride Hex at Alton Towers and the legend involving the Earl of Shrewsbury.
The village is home to seven public houses, including 'The Talbot', 'The Bulls Head', ' The Royal Oak', 'The Bridge House', 'The White Hart', 'The Blacksmiths Arms' and 'The Lord Shrewsbury' (formerly The Wild Duck, now wrongly named. Should have been the 'Earl of Shrewsbury').
