Ashley: Newcastle Way and Historic Buildings

Ashley can be explored for trip planning through two distinct themes: the Newcastle Way across the sandstone ridges, and the architectural history of several churches and houses. The trail offers a connection to the landscape; the buildings have their own dates, heritage classifications and design features. Both perspectives help you understand Ashley through specific interests, rather than reducing the place to a single theme.

Newcastle Way and the Sandstone Ridges

The Newcastle Way runs across Ashley’s sandstone ridges and is part of a route approximately 40 km long. The approximate distance refers to the entire route; the sandstone ridges are the specific landscape feature along the Ashley section. The route is marked with blue discs bearing a pit wheel symbol, yellow arrows and oak signposts. The colour, symbol and material describe different features of the waymarking. For navigation, the route distance answers a different question from the markers: the approximate number of kilometres gives a sense of the overall route, while the colour, symbol and material distinguish the waymarks used.

Two Churches, Different Histories

Two churches with similar names can be distinguished by their features. The Church of St John the Baptist in Ashley is a listed parish church with Grade II* status. Our Lady & St John the Baptist is the current church; it opened in 1823. Fr James Egan designed its distinctive exterior and its ceiling. It is also an early example of a small Catholic church built after the Catholic Emancipation Act. For the first church, its parish function and heritage status are specified; for the second, the focus is on its opening year, design and historical context.

Dated Buildings and Architectural Details

The Congregational Chapel in Ashley is dated 1841, while the attached school dates from 1868. The dates therefore refer to two different parts of the building. The chapel’s gabled façade faces the street; its features include a dentilled eaves cornice and a round-arched window with its original shutters. This makes it possible to consider the dates and the form separately: the years place the chapel and school in time, while the façade details describe the design of the chapel. There are 27 years between the two dates.

The building Nos 48 and 49 (Cottage of Content) is listed Grade II. The pair of cottages probably dates from the 17th century; today, it forms a single dwelling. Here, a tentative date and the building’s present form come together. Ashley Farmhouse retains largely intact timber framing. The houses therefore stand out for different features: the Cottage of Content for its probable date and its present form as one house, and Ashley Farmhouse for its surviving timber framing.

Discover more destinations: Kinver, Rolleston-on-Dove, Stafford, Eccleshall, Loggerheads, Ecton, Brewood, Perton

For the main travel overview: Staffordshire.