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North Anston & South Anston
These areas are situated in the south east of the borough of Rotherham. North
and South Anston seemed to be lumped together generally as Anston these days which seems to cause some confusion with Aston.
There are some Roman remains, that of a Romano-British farmstead at Smarston Hill Wood, south of Anston Church. Finds in the domestic refuse indicate that there was probably a smithy
here as well as the farm.
The name Anston is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Litelanstan. It is probably derived from 'an stan' or one stone rather than An's ton (town or farmstead). Long long ago standing
stones were used to mark the ridgeway tracks and later the drovers' roads. Where the one stone is these days is a mystery. I have also found another authority that contends that the
village was named for Athelstan, King of the West Saxons in the Tenth Century, other authorities reckon it refers to the quarrying which has long taken place in the area. North Anston
is that part north of the Worksop Road, and yes you've guessed, South Anston is south of the Worksop Road. The villages consist of large later Twentieth Century housing estates
convenient for Rotherham, Sheffield and Worksop. Anston Hall is still in existence, but considering that I have passed it many times I know zilch about it. This information is from
Alison:-
"Anston Hall was where the squire of Anston lived, the house had been an opticians for a while during the 80's and 90's."
Also from Alison:-
"Anston had people living their who worked in the Anston Stones lime stone quarry. This stone was used to build part of the House of Commons. The stone from the quarry was carried by boat on the Kiveton canal from the station crossing in Kiveton, where on the path next to the canal is some information about the carrying of the stone down to London. There are still some odd cottages and farms about that testify that the rural life which has now gone."
David has added:-
"..., but the bit on Anston about the opticians is wrong. The opticians that Alison is thinking about used to be in the old Vicarage, which is on Ryton Road and not Anston Hall which is on Quarry Lane."