Steeple Aston

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steeple Aston is a village in the north of Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It is on the River Cherwell, and in the Cherwell district.

Nearby places are Middle Aston (to the north), Upper Heyford and Lower Heyford (to the east, on the other side of the river), Rousham (to the south), and Steeple Barton (to the west).

The Church is St Peter and St Paul and is to the north of the village. Although the village is called Steeple Aston, the church has a tower. Steeple can often mean a steep place, which incidentally is also appropriate for parts of Steeple Aston. Aston is a common name, usually meaning eastern farmland or estate. Steeple Aston was known as Estone in 1086, and by 1220 when the Steeple affix had been added, as Stipelestun.

There are two pubs in the Village. The Red Lion has been recently taken over by the Hook Norton Brewery Company. In addition to a decent pint of "Hooky", a guest beer is usually on tap, and there is also a conservatory dining room serving lunch and dinner. The White Lion is an independently run single-room pub which is non-smoking, has a pool table, games such as chess, backgammon, and Aunt Sally in the beer garden. It serves food, including a curry night on Wednesdays, and also holds a traditional meat raffle on Sundays.

There is also a thriving Village shop and Post office, a primary school and pre-school, a village hall, and a Sports and Recreation club and sports pitch. Annual highlights of village life include the "Whit Races", and the spring and summer flower shows.