| Little Aston | |
  Little Aston shown within Staffordshire |
|
| District | Lichfield |
|---|---|
| Shire county | Staffordshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire | |
Little Aston is an affluent area of the district of Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. At the last UK census there were 935 homes in the village, well over 10% of which are multi-million pound properties [1]. The area is locally known as an enclave of footballers and successful businessmen [2].
Contents |
Location And Boundaries
Little Aston is located in the very south of Staffordshire, a considerable distance from the industrial areas for which the West Midlands were once most famous. It has close links with nearby Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, as it is part of the West Midlands Conurbation. Little Aston is contained within four corners, formed by local landmarks. These are, Blake Street Station rail bridge in the South-East, the end of lands owned by Aston Wood golf club to the North-East, a naturally flowing stream to the North-West and an Anglican church, in the South-West.
Famous Residents
The village's reputation for attracting highly-paid celebrities has been well earned.
- Peter Schmeichel, voted the greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century[3], lived with his family in the village.
- Double league cup winning international goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich, owned one of Little Aston's numerous mansions during his time at Aston Villa football club.
- Graham Taylor OBE, premier league and England football manager, also resides in the village.
- Premier league and international footballer, Ugo Ehiogu, lived in Little Aston during his English career.
- Captain of the Irish football team and former 'Player of the Year', Mark Kinsella, owned one of the village's mansions while playing for West Bromwich Albion.
- Liam Ridgewell, winner of the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup, lives in the village and plays for local premier league team, Birmingham City.
- Trevor Eve, double Laurence Olivier Award winning actor, and star of 'Waking The Dead', also lives in Little Aston.
In addition, double FA Cup winning football manager Ron Atkinson, and platinum album selling singer Tony Christie, frequent the village's golf clubs.
Residences
Little Aston's small community is divided between 4 main areas. These are Little Aston Park, Little Aston Lane, Forge Lane and the Little Aston Hall Estate.
Little Aston Park
Located in the south of the village is Little Aston Park. Often referred to as Millionaire's row[4], it contains around 100 uniquely designed houses. It also contains one of the village's golf clubs, Little Aston Golf Club, and St.Peter's Church. The park is built around the historic, rhododendron lined Roman Road It's private roads and gated entrances are maintained by LAPRA (Little Aston Park Residents Association), to which home-owners contribute.
Little Aston Lane
At the heart of the village is Little Aston lane. Running opposite expanses of fields and the grounds of Aston Wood golf course, the lane consists of around 50 large, detached houses, of individual architect design. A newly constructed, landscaped recreation area also runs parallel to the lane. In addition to the lane's own housing, it also contains the entrance to The Grove. A cul-de-sac within Little Aston lane, The Grove contains around 30 large, detached homes, similar to those on the lane itself. Little Aston's village hall is also on the lane, providing services and facilities to the small community.
Forge Lane
Running out of the Little Aston Park and into the surrounding countryside is Forge Lane. It is lined by around 40 detached and semi-detached houses, situated on both sides of the road. The village's Little Aston Primary School is located on the lane and appropriate speed limits operate to ensure the safety of children walking to and from the school. Forge lane also contains the entrance to Little Aston's recreation site, a large area of landscaped grassland, popular for dog walking and sports activities. In addition to this, the entrance to Little Aston's Vicarage is also in the lane, which has been the home of many of the village's Vicars.
Electoral Ward
It is one of Lichfield's electoral wards, but is separated from the city by open country. It has closer links with Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, and is part of the West Midlands conurbation.
Parish
Little Aston was for a long time a part of the parish of Shenstone, until St Peters Church was built at the expense of, and on land donated by, Edward Swynfen Parker Jervis. The new church designed by architect G E Street, was consecrated in 1874.
Commerce And Education
It has two golf clubs: the championship Little Aston Golf Club and the new Aston Wood Golf Club. There is also an official Stratstone Ferrari and Maserati dealership which took over from the old Evans Halshaw Porsche dealership. A private BUPA hospital is located on the former Little Aston Hall's estate and Little Aston also features the Midlands foremost Residential Estate Little Aston Park. Little Aston also has its own primary school Little Aston Primary School
