Aston Hall

Aston Hall is a country house, which has served as a hospital, then a school, and is now in domestic use. It was built between 1789 and 1793, with subsequent additions (now demolished) and significant alterations in the late 20th century. The design is attributed to Robert Mylne, reportedly based on drawings by James Wyatt. The house is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a low-pitched slate hipped roof largely hidden by an eaves parapet. Stone stacks are visible in the roof slope to the left and right. It displays a Greek Revival style, influenced by French architecture, and currently presents an L-shape following the demolition of the rear section of an 18th-century house and late 19th-century yellow brick service ranges located to the north and east.

The house is two storeys high, featuring a moulded eaves cornice and a cill band. The west front has a 3:1:3 bay arrangement, with the central bay flanked by attached fluted giant Ionic columns and pilasters. Corner pilasters are ornamented with oval swagged medallions and round-headed niches on the ground floor. Glazing bar sash windows are present throughout, with most ground floor windows being replacements from the late 20th century. A central entrance, previously featuring a late 19th-century Doric porch (demolished around 1980), now has late 20th-century glazed doors under a plain segmental tympanum. The south front is composed of three bays, each delineated by pilasters that mirror the ornamentation on the corner pilasters of the west front. The ground floor features tripartite glazing bar sashes with plain segmental tympana. The north front is a late 20th-century reconstruction using rendered brick, scored to imitate ashlar, with tripartite sash windows on the ground floor. A previously internal back wall now has late 20th-century glazing bar sashes inserted, and a 19th-century Doric porch has been brought from Kilhendre Hall, Dudleston (now demolished).

The interior has undergone considerable alteration in the late 20th century, but retains numerous original features. The most notable of these is the main staircase, which rises in one flight and returns in two, with a fine cast-iron balustrade and a galleried landing, although the original cupola and octagonal lantern have been removed. An entrance hall leads to two three-bay rooms, decorated with restrained Grecian stucco friezes and original and early 19th-century carved marble fireplaces. Upstairs, fireplaces are mainly 19th century or later, but many are said to retain their original cast-iron grates. Panelled doors are found throughout the house. The house is set within a large and attractive park, featuring a substantial lake immediately to the west.