HERITAGE OPEN DAYS 2024

The National Trust are currently organising Heritage Open Days for 2025.    They will be held from Friday 12th September to Sunday 21st September 2025.   This year the theme is “architecture”.

We will be opening the William Layne Reading Room on Aughton Lane, Aston on Friday 12th September from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 21st September from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Come and discover our local history through documents, maps and photographs.   Visitors can browse our albums showing the changes over the years in Aston, Aughton, Swallownest, Fence and Ulley.   We also have albums of information about local men who died in the two World Wars and the results of recent research into mining fatalities in local collieries.

You can also see the results of our research into the graves in Aston churchyard, including photographs.   Display cabinets show the history of mining, education, churches, chapels and notable people.

We are also collecting a pictorial history of the villages and if you have any photographs of local people, places and events, please bring them along, we would love to see them and copy them for our albums.

Our local history books will be on sale.   They make ideal presents.

Directions
The William Layne Reading Room (S26 2AN) is about one mile from junction 31 on the M1.   Leave the roundabout on the dual carriageway signposted Sheffield A57 and immediately turn right onto the B6067 signposted Aston.   Follow the road through Aston village and at the junction with shops facing you, turn right (signposted Rotherham).    There is a car park on the left (2 hours restricted time parking) and the Reading Room is opposite the car park.   Parking is also available on side streets.