A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



ASTON 



Easttun, Estone (li cent.) ; Aschton, Estona (siii 



The parish of Aston has an acreage of 2,070 acres, 

 of which 1,007! are arable land, 6 + S| acres 

 permanent grass and 122$ acres wood.' The height 

 of the parish above the ordnance datum is for the 

 most part from 200 ft. to 300 ft., but rises in the 

 centre to over 300ft., the highest point (315 ft.) 

 being by the church. The River Beane forms the 

 eastern boundary of the parish and separates it from 

 Benington. A branch road from the Great North 

 Road to Benington passes across the centre of the 

 parish and through the village, where a network of 



is the residence of the present lord of the manor, 

 Mr. Vernon A. Malcolmson, and his wife, the 

 Hon. Mrs. Malcolmson. The house is built of 

 brick. Thin 2-in. bricks, rising about loj in 

 to every four courses, are used throughout ; the 

 north front, however, up to the string over the 

 windows of the ground floor, and parts of the back, 

 are faced with flints, no stone being visible except a 

 built-up arch on the outside, nest the hall fireplace. 

 In plan it is a parallelogram, 1 14 ft. long by 32 ft. 

 wide, running east and west. On the north front is 

 the main entrance, and on the south front are two 



projecting v 



eithcj 



rn 



:uftw»r t t I 



lanes branch off to north and south. The village lies 

 in the centre of the parish, with the church of 

 St. Mary and the manor-house on the west. In the 

 north of the parish is the hamlet of Aston End. In 

 the south-east is Frogmore Hall, a modern red brick 

 house surrounded by a park, the property of Mr. G. B. 

 Hudson, M.A., D.L., J. P., formerly M.P. for the 

 Hitchin division of Hertfordshire, and now the 

 residence of Major H. F. Low. Aston House, with 

 a small park, is the residence of Mr. F. W. Imbert- 

 Terry, and Barelegh chat of Lady Jane van Koughnet. 

 Aston Bury, the ancient moated manor-house, is 

 supposed to have been built by Sir Philip Bolder 

 about 1540-;. Until recently it has been used 

 as a farm-house, but has now been restored and 



»S:it it (i from Bd. of Agric. (1905). 



taining a fine oak staircase, 

 and angle quoins a 



All the window openings 



Above the upper floor 



windows on the north front runs a heavy moulded 

 brick cornice, cut off abruptly without returns at each 

 end of the building. Above the cornice is the long 

 tiled roof, broken by four curved gables, in which are 

 windows which light the attic room. The ends of 

 the main building have curved gables, broken by a pair 

 of chimneys on either side of each gable. One pair of 

 chimneys has been twice rebuilt, once in the 1 8th 

 century and again recently, this time in exact 

 imitation of the other three, which are fine examples 

 nf mi m^ """jlded brickwork, having octagonal 

 ular shafts, richly diapered or 

 A large 



noulded bas 

 wisted, and 

 ittic window 

 ind in the 



ictagonal capitals „. 



occupies the upper part of each gable, 



ivest gable are two tiny 



indowi at 



