Location: Off Belmont Church Road, Strandtown, East Belfast
First recorded: 1906–1907
Formerly known as: New Avenue No. 1
Origin of name: The origin of the name ‘Aston’ is uncertain. It may have been inspired by English place-names such as Aston in Birmingham, or selected by a developer for its respectable, genteel connotations. No local landowner or family with the name has been identified.
Background: Aston Gardens was established as a small residential street in the early 20th century. It appears in the 1907 Belfast and Ulster Street Directory under its current name, with a note that it was formerly “New Avenue No. 1.” A Belfast Telegraph advertisement from 29 August 1906 already lists Aston Gardens as an address in Strandtown. The area was part of the growing middle-class suburbs east of Belfast, and residents listed in 1907 included merchants, a grocery manager, and a chartered accountant. Several houses carried individual names, a common practice in Edwardian residential developments.
Notes: Nearby streets (such as Greenwood, Wandsworth, and Ardgreenan) feature a mix of English and Irish-derived names, suggesting no single naming convention. Aston Gardens fits into the eclectic but aspirational tone of Strandtown’s early 20th-century development.
“The application of Mr. J. Graham to name two new streets on his property situate off Belmont Church Rd. Aston Gardens and Ardgreenan Drive was declined.” (2nd August 1905).
Sources:
Belfast Telegraph, 29 August 1906 (classified advert)
Belfast and Ulster Street Directory, 1907 (listed under “Aston Gardens – late New Avenue No. 1”)
OSNI Historical Maps (4th edition, 1916–1957)