Sovereign state United Kingdom Postcode district GL54 Dialling code 01451 | Post town CHELTENHAM Civil parish Cold Aston | |
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Cold Aston (also known as Aston Blank) is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, approximately 30 km (19 mi) to the east of Gloucester. It lies in the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Contents
Map of Cold Aston, Cheltenham, UK
Toponymy
The village was recorded as Eastunæ between 716–43. It was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Estone, the name coming from the Old English ēast + tūn meaning "eastern farmstead or estate". By the mid 13th century, the village was known as Cold Aston. It was occasionally called Great Aston, to distinguish it from the nearby hamlet of Little Aston. From the 16th century, the name Aston Blank took hold, the suffix "Blank" possibly deriving from the Old French word blanc, meaning "white" or "bare". In 1972, the parish officially became known as Cold Aston again. Some think that the name "cold" is derived from the Saxon word which refers to a former settlement - in this case probably referring to a disused Roman camp or rest place for use when travelling the Fosse Way. It is fairly certain, contrary to common modern thinking, that the word "Cold" has no link to a meteorological reference.
Governance
Cold Aston is part of the Bourton-on-the-Water ward of the district of Cotswold, represented by Councillors Sheila Jeffery and Len Wilkins, and by Charles Alfred Richard Gillams, all members of the Conservative Party. Cold Aston is part of the constituency of Cotswold, represented at parliament by Conservative MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown. It is part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.
Geography
Cold Aston is in the county of Gloucestershire and lies within the Cotswolds, a range of hills designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is approximately 30 km (19 mi) to the east of Gloucester. It is approximately 21 km (13 mi) east of its post town Cheltenham and about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) west of Bourton-on-the-Water. Nearby villages include Turkdean, Notgrove, Clapton, Naunton and Lower Slaughter.
Landmarks
The village church is a Norman church dedicated to St Andrew. Its walls incorporate Saxon stonework and the original church on this site may have been built in around AD 904. Much of the present church was restored in 1875.
The village pub, The Plough, is a 17th-century Grade II listed building. It is the only pub between the three villages of Cold Aston, Turkdean and Notgrove in May 2013 re-opened after an extensive refurbishment. It now also offers accommodation. The pub's landlord claims that it is residence to a ghost named Old Harry.
Education
The village has one primary school, Cold Aston Church of England Primary School, a voluntary controlled school for children from the age of 4–11. In 2007, the school had 62 pupils.