The Astons History Project
Past Exhibitions:
2022 Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee (right)
2019 "Our 25th Anniversary Exhibition - 1994-2019"
An 'illustrative' exhibition to mark the completion of the Whitwell-Page Archive Room project.
2018 "We will remember them:" Armistice and end of WW1.
2014 "We will remember them:" Centenary of the start of WW1.
2011 "Our History Archive"
- The Curry Slides, a display and digital presentation, plus the original glass lantern slides from the 1890s
- The Village Millennium Photo Albums.
- The Village News Archive (1968 - to date, and including the setting up of the village website www.theastons.net).
- The Slade Letters (19th century correspondence between Australia and the Astons).
2010 "Art in the Astons"
An exhibition of village art dating from the 18th to the 21st century – mostly on loan from village residents.
2004 "The Astons through the ages"
A village history exhibition, to celebrate the Diamond Anniversary (1944) and Ruby Anniversary (2004) of the Village Hall.
2001 "The Village Hall Re-opens"
An exhibition in collaboration with the Village Hall committee to celebrate the re-opening of the refurbished Village Hall.
2000 "Millennium Exhibition"
An ambitious comprehensive display of our Archive as part of the villages’ Millennium Celebrations.
1997 “Now and Then : 1897 to 1997” (our first exhibition).
An exhibition to celebrate the purchase of the village recreation ground in 1897 - displaying the ‘Curry Slides’ of village scenes taken on glass lantern slides in the 1890s, alongside photos taken of the same scenes in 1997.
Astons History Project publications: Contact: astonshistory94@gmail.com
'A history of the Aston Tirrold and Aston Upthorpe war memorial, 1921-2021'. To mark the centenary of the unveiling of the memorial on 29th October, 1921'.
"An Astons journal: the 'diary' of Stephen Elliott and Tom Powell. 1885-1984." (2019). A fascinating, annotated transcript of this window into village life during a century of great changes - with many photos and images from our archive.
“Aston Tirrold & Upthorpe: a history.” By Lucy Fuller. (1921). A fascinating record of village life, given as a talk to the Astons Women's Institute. An Astons History Group reprint. 2005.
“Aston Tirrold & Aston Upthorpe - history and walkabout.” (2019). Road by road, house by house. An invaluable guide to our beautiful villages.
“Sir John Leigh Hoskyns’ Diary of a village.” (extracts, selected by Vivien Biggs). (2000).
“The Stockwell Players.” by Robin Sewell. (2000). An drama group who performed outdoor productions for nearly thirty years, with early appearances by Timothy West, Prunella Scales and Alan Bates. Fore-runner of the Blewbury Players.
Our "We will remember them" WW1 commemorative publications:
- Wee Joe: From Galloway to Flanders Fields.
- Astons fallen soldiers. (our 16 village soldiers)
- The Astons Home Front: the role of women during WW1.