Village green

A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Traditionally, a village green was often common grassland at the centre of an agricultural or other rural settlement, and was used for grazing. Some also have a pond, often originally for watering stock such as cattle.

The village green also provided, and may still provide, an open-air meeting place for the local people, which may be used for public celebrations such as May Day festivities.

The term village green evokes a grassy rural environment. However the term is used more broadly to encompass woodland, moorland, sports grounds, and even—in part—buildings and roads. The green may also be positioned away from the centre of the village, especially if the village has moved, or been absorbed into a larger settlement.

Distribution

Some historical village greens have been lost as a result of the agricultural revolution and urban development. Greens are now most likely to be found in the older villages of mainland Europe, the United Kingdom, and older areas of the United States. Town expansion in the mid-20th century led in England to the formation of local conservation societies, often centreing on village green preservation, as celebrated and parodied in The Kinks' album The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. The Open Spaces Society is a present-day UK national campaigning body which continues this movement.

Aughton, Lancashire

Coordinates: 53°32′31″N 2°54′43″W / 53.542°N 2.912°W / 53.542; -2.912

Aughton is a village and civil parish within the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, situated between Ormskirk in Lancashire and Maghull in Merseyside. It is a residential area with tree lined roads being found in all parts of the parish and with an area of 1,658 hectares. The northern part is known as Aughton village, the south-west as Holt Green and the south-east as Town Green.

Demographics and politics

According to the 2001 Census, Aughton had a population of 8,342, reducing to 8,068 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes Aughton village itself, and part of the Aughton Park estate, which is a southern suburb of Ormskirk, along with Town Green in the south-east and Holt Green in the south-west.

Aughton has its own parish council, is part of the Aughton and Downholland electoral ward for West Lancashire District Council elections and the West Lancashire constituency for the House of Commons elections.