Astley Abbotts
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Astley Abbotts is a village and civil parish in the Bridgnorth district of Shropshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 396.
It is famous for its lavender fields in the centre of the village near the church.
Astley Abbotts is a pleasant parish immediately north of Bridgnorth, straddling the B4373 Bridgnorth to Broseley road. The church in the village of Astley Abbotts is dedicated to St. Calixtus who was a Bishop of Rome martyred in the 3rd century. Inside can be found the faded remains of a 'maiden's garland', a heart-shaped wooden frame decorated with gloves, cloth and ribbons. Such garlands were once the fashion to commemorate maidens who died before marriage. The one at Astley Abbotts has a ribbon-like piece of paper saying, in still legible handwriting, that it commemorates Hannah Phillips who drowned while crossing the Severn on the eve of her wedding.
Nearby is Stanley Hall, a magnificent, red brick, building with a gabled end and incorporating traces of a possibly earlier sandstone building. The grounds, which open occasionally under the National Gardens Scheme, are extensive and well tended. Unfortunately the house is not open to the public as many believe it is one of the finest in the county.
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