Ashley: Sandstone Ridges and Historic Architecture

The Newcastle Way runs across the sandstone ridges of Ashley. Churches, chapels, cottages and a historic farmhouse provide tangible architectural points of reference for the local history.

Along the Newcastle Way across the sandstone ridges

The Newcastle Way runs across Ashley’s sandstone ridges and forms part of a route approximately 40 km long. Blue discs bearing a pitwheel symbol, yellow arrows and oak signposts help with navigation along the way. These markings give the route a clearly recognisable appearance and help hikers plan their walk using the signs provided.

The approximate route length is a useful guide for planning your day. Ashley offers specific points of connection for this, without limiting the trip to a single way of experiencing it.

Churches, chapels and listed buildings

The Church of St John the Baptist is one of the historic points of reference in Ashley. The parish church is listed at Grade II* and is a cultural landmark of the village.

The Congregational Chapel is dated to 1841, while the adjoining school dates from 1868. Particularly characteristic is the gabled façade facing the road, with its toothed eaves cornice. It is complemented by a round-arched window with its original shutters. Details such as these make the chapel interesting even for travellers who want to discover historic architecture not only through dates, but also through façades, materials and preserved design elements.

Another distinctive building is Nos 48 and 49 (Cottage of Content), which is listed at Grade II. The Cottage of Content probably consists of a pair of 17th-century cottages and today forms a single dwelling. Ashley Farmhouse also preserves largely intact timber framing, adding another traditional architectural element to the picture of local building culture.

A place for different kinds of travel days

The present-day church of Our Lady & St John the Baptist is also one of Ashley’s historically interesting buildings. It opened in 1823; its distinctive exterior and its ceiling were designed by Fr James Egan. At the same time, it is considered an early example of a small Catholic church built after the Catholic Emancipation Act. Ashley therefore brings together different religious and architectural traditions.

If your travel group has different interests, you can plan a varied stay: a walk along the Newcastle Way appeals to the active side of the trip, while the churches, chapel and historic residential buildings provide opportunities for quieter discoveries. When looking for accommodation in Ashley, you should therefore first consider whether you want to focus on the route, the local architecture or a combination of both.

Compare other destinations

If you would like to consider other destinations in addition to Ashley, you can include these pages in your further trip planning: Coven, Drointon, Hilderstone, Newcastle Under Lyme, Burntwood, Uttoxeter, Alton and Burton-upon-Trent.

To the higher-level travel overview: Staffordshire.