Halton-with-Aughton

Coordinates: 54°04′34″N 2°45′40″W / 54.076°N 2.761°W / 54.076; -2.761

Halton-with-Aughton
Viking Cross in Halton churchyard
Halton-with-Aughton Halton-with-Aughton shown within Lancashire
Population	2,360
OS grid reference	SD502648
Parish	Halton with Aughton
District	City of Lancaster
Shire county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LANCASTER
Postcode district	LA2
Dialling code	01524
Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Morecambe and Lunesdale
List of places: UK • England • Lancashire

Halton-with-Aughton is a civil parish located three miles east of Lancaster, England on the north bank of the River Lune. The main settlement is the village of Halton-on-Lune, commonly just called Halton, in the west and the parish stretches to the hamlet of Aughton in the east. It has a population of 2,360.^[1]

Halton

The village consists primarily of modern housing, amongst which can be found a number of 17th and 18th century buildings. The 19th century Textile Mills once harnessed the power of the Lune. Earthworks on Castle Hill show evidence of an 11th century Norman motte & bailey castle. In the churchyard of St Wilfrids stands the Halton Cross believed to have been carved by Norsemen over 1,000 years ago.

Halton Castle was situated in the village of Halton. Halton was an important Anglo-Saxon manor held by Earl Tostig, the brother of King Harold before the Norman Conquest. It is likely that a motte and bailey castle was constructed on the site in the late 11th century. However Halton’s prominence was lost in the 12th century when favour shifted to Lancaster, and Halton Castle was abandoned. Only earthworks now remain and it is privately owned with no public right of way.

Halton railway station was on the opposite bank of the river from the village, linked by a narrow toll bridge. The station closed in 1966, but the station building and part of one platform survive beside the cyclepath along the disused "little" North Western Railway.

Aughton

Aughton was known as 'Actun' in the 1086 Domesday Book, meaning a place where oak trees grow. A riverside hamlet by the River Claughton, it is made famous every 21 years when the gigantic Aughton Pudding is baked over a celebratory weekend. The pudding is reputedly the world’s largest. Aughton consists mainly of stone cottages and a church on Aughton Road.

References

External links

• St Wilfrids Church