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[Having been involved in The Calor Village of the Year and seen Steeple Aston become proud winners for 2007 I would love to know why you decided to live here. For me, I was born here in the 1940's and took my living from here and the villages around for nearly 40 years before retiring 7 years ago. To me Steeple Aston is part of me but it has changed over those decades. Some things for the better and some not. I can't imagine living elsewhere but often wonder why you pick Steeple Aston to be your home. Please let me know. Richard]

Having been involved in The Calor Village of the Year and seen Steeple Aston become proud winners for 2007 I would love to know why you decided to live here.  For me, I was born here in the 1940's and took my living from here and the villages around for nearly 40 years before retiring 7 years ago.  To me Steeple Aston is part of me but it has changed over those decades.  Some things for the better and some not.  I can't imagine living elsewhere but often wonder why you pick Steeple Aston to be your home.  Please let me know.  Richard

Not so much a decision as a sequence of events - I married into the village! I left home at 16 to join the Army and then my parents moved while I was abroad (but I found out where they had moved to  ). I thus felt I had no allegiance to anywhere in particular. When I met Anne as a result of a pen-pal request on Radio Caroline, and then married her, Steeple Aston had been her home for many years so eventually became mine. We had lived in Colchester, Guildford, Kirknewton (nr Edinburgh), Winchester, Berlin and Church Crookham (nr Aldershot) before she was able to return to her home at Cherry Trees. For many reasons I have not been able to play much of a part in the life of the village but still consider it to be my home. It is now "where I come from" and where I will remain.

We stumbled accross Steeple Aston when looking to move out of London.  We had planned on moving no further than Thame and reducing the mortgage - we did neither! Having looked through hundreds of details sent by numerous Estate Agents we decided to view the house thinking we were wasting everyone's time really.  When looking at other villages we had found them dead and souless, however when arriving in Steepe aston we took a drive as we were early.  I remember driving up Paines Hill to Middle Aston. Tosh and I looked at each other and said that this village has a life about it, something made it buzz.  Once we saw the house, now Bladeone House, we were hooked and that was that.  Moving here has been the best thing we have ever done (except the children).  Steepe is vibrant, friendly, open, beautiful. It immediately felt like home and I can't imagine ever wanting to move away.

I lived in Steeple Aston 1978-1981 while working in the fire brigade on RAF Upper Heyford. I lived in the cottage just to  the left of the White Lion. I have very fond memories of my time spent living in the village.

Jeff T.
North Pole, Alaska

I came up to north oxon from the west country at 19 and lived and worked at Wiggington over near Chippy. I moved round various parts of oxon but kept being drawn back this way. Me and Tom then rented a cottage in Steeple Barton when we first go together which was followed by a move back to Abingdon and then Kidlington. We both wanted to get back to village life with more space and green around us and also to move well before the children got to secondary school age. Having found the house here it took a while to get moved in but was the best move we`ve done. 

As Amanda says the village has a buzz and life about it that would be very hard to find any where else. The children settled in very quickly making lots of friends and with Dr Radcliffes and the Warriner we couldn`t have made a better choice as far as schools go - both proving to be excellent and are suiting our respective children very well.

We don`t intend moving from here for a very long time I love the whole area round here

We lived for 30 years in Chesham and saw it change from a market town to a mini-Pinner.  Couldn't face retiring there, so over a period of 5 years we spent many weekends looking at villages in North Bucks/Oxon.  We found Steeple by accident - well you can't see it from many viewpoints.  Went into the church and met Barbara Johnson who sold us completely on the village.  Another thing, most people spoke to you as you passed them - elsewhere they looked down at the ground rather than meet your eye.  Lots going on as seen on notice boards and the Life, so we decided to make it our first priority.  Steeple met 14.5 out of our 15 "must haves" for retirement.  Saw Paines Cottage les than 12 hours after it had been put on the market and bought it there and then.  Never regretted it.  If you think Steeple Aston has changed look at Chesham and Amersham as retrograde examples.