Population 1,226 (2011) Region West Midlands Sovereign state United Kingdom Shire county Staffordshire | OS grid reference SK073422 Country England Local time Monday 7:53 AM | |
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District Staffordshire Moorlands Weather 6°C, Wind S at 16 km/h, 94% Humidity Points of interest The Smiler, Alton Castle, Ripsaw | ||
Alton is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England. The village is noted for the theme park Alton Towers, built around the site of Alton Mansion (also named Alton Abbey or Alton Towers), which was owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury and designed by Augustus Pugin. In the 1914 map by Whiston, there were copper works in the village.
Map of Alton, UK
The village is located on the eastern side of the Churnet valley. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and contains numerous buildings of architectural interest; the Round-House, Alton Castle (now a Catholic youth retreat centre), St Peter's Church, The Malt House, St John's Church and Alton Towers.
Alton was served by the Alton railway station which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on 13 July 1849 and closed in the 1960s.
The chained oak in Alton has been made famous by the ride Hex at Alton Towers and the legend involving the Earl of Shrewsbury.
The village was 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, renamed The Lord Shrewsbury; 'Lord' is an acceptable form of oral address for an Earl). The Talbot and The Lord Shrewsbury closed in 2008.
For those who believe in ghosts, Alton is also considered to be among the most haunted villages in Staffordshire. In particular, the ghost of a figure wearing a top hat and riding a horse has allegedly been sighted numerous times wandering through the fields around the village. During the lifetime of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, the village was known as Alverton.