Ashford, Kent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The town of Ashford is spanning the confluence of the River Upper Great Stour, River East Stour, Aylesford Stream, Whitewater Dyke, Ruckinge Dyke and the resulting River Great Stour, in the borough of Ashford, located just south of the North Downs, in Kent, United Kingdom. Its agricultural market is one of the most important in the county.
Ashford is a relatively common English name: it goes back to Old English æscet, indicating a ford near to a clump of ash-trees.
The town is in the east of Kent and residents of East Kent, those living south of the River Medway, are called 'Men of Kent', as opposed to residents of West Kent, who are known as 'Kentish Men'.
The motto for Ashford is "With stronger faith", taken from, To Lucasta, Going to the Wars, a poem by the 17th century poet Richard Lovelace from the borough,[2] the relevant verse being [3]
| “ |
True, a new mistress now I chase, |
” |
Contents |
[edit] History
As a market town, Ashford has for centuries been a local communications hub for surrounding villages and has stood at the centre of five railway lines, (Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line, Ashford via Maidstone East Line, South Eastern Main Line, Kent Coast Line and the Marshlink Line) since the 19th century and with the opening of the International Passenger Station is now an important European communications centre, with new lines running between London and the Channel Tunnel (via the Channel Tunnel Rail Link).
The Borough of Ashford lies on the eastern edge of the ancient forest of "Andredsweald" or "Anderida". This originally stretched as far west as Hampshire and formed the basis from which the Weald is formed.
It is likely that the town originates from an original settlement established about 893AD, although a Roman road passed through here from the iron making area to Canterbury. It is listed in the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, as having a church, two mills and a value of 150 shillings, under its original Saxon name of "Essetesford" (or "Eshetisford," "Esselesford", "Asshatisforde", "Essheford"[4]). The manor was owned by Hugh de Montford, Constable of England at the time. Writer Philpot believed Essetesford stood for "ash trees growing near a ford", while Lampard, a 16th century local historian, suggested that it meant "a ford over the river Eshe or Eshet", which was the old name for the tributary of the River Stour between Lenham and Ashford.
Its closeness to London has always made Kent a strong influence on the capital, and vice versa. Thus by the end of the 16th century Cade (of Cade’s Rebellion) was credited by William Shakespeare in Henry VI, part 2 as being from Ashford. The play includes an Ashford butcher called "Dick" who looks forward to removing officialdom after the rebellion and says: first thing, let’s kill all the lawyers.
Ashford’s importance as a growing agricultural and market town was confirmed in 1243 when it was incorporated, and by the end of the 16th century it had risen to become an important market town, primarily for livestock. The market was held in the High Street until 1856 when local farmers and businessmen relocated to Elwick Road and formed a market company that claims to be the oldest surviving registered company in England and Wales. There is still a regular street market in the town, although the market company has relocated outside the town and is used by some 5,000 farmers.[5]
Parts of the parish church date from the 13th century but was substantially restored in the 15th century with many alterations since. In 1638 a free grammar school was founded here, it was built on the churchyard’s west side, and remained there until 1846, now used as a museum.
The Joint Services School of Intelligence was based at Templer Barracks in Ashford, until the barracks were decommissioned in 1997 and then demolished to make way for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.[6] In 1982, Prince Andrew, Duke of York was involved with the "School".
[edit] Ashford today
Essentially a modern town, little is left of the old Ashford, apart from some half-timbered buildings in Middle Row and around the churchyard in the town centre. A number of old buildings were removed to make way for the controversial ring road around the centre, built in the early 1970s. Three modern shopping centres are located in the town: Park Mall, County Square and the new Designer Outlet. Bank Street and High Street are traffic-free shopping thoroughfares. As of 2005, Ashford is adding about 800 new homes each year.
[edit] Administrative Divisions
At the top level, Ashford comes under the South East region of England, which is represented in the European parliament as the South East England constituency. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green with a 36.8% turnout.
The Ashford Parliamentary constituency incorporates the towns of Ashford and Tenterden, plus 35 surrounding villages. The 2005 election saw the Conservative Damian Green returned to his seat increasing his share of the vote to 51.6%. The turnout was 65%.
The County authority for Ashford is Kent County Council. Elections for this council are held every four years. Ashford Borough elects 7 out of the 84 seats. The election in May 2005 returned 5 Conservative councillors in the following wards; Ashford Central, Ashford Rural South, Ashford Rural East, Ashford Rural West and Tenterden. The Labour and Co-operative Party candidate won the Ashford South ward and the Liberal Democrat candidate won Ashford East.[7]
Using the same boundaries as the parliamentary constituency, Ashford Borough Council is the next level of government. Out of the 43 seats on the Council, 19 of these are elected from the 14 wards in the town of Ashford. In the May 2003 election, 7 Conservative, 4 Labour, 4 Liberal Democrats and 4 Independents Councillors were elected from the Ashford town wards.
Although all the surrounding villages have representation at a Parish level, only the Stanhope parish within the town of Ashford has a Parish Council.
[edit] Communications
[edit] Roads
Ashford was one of the towns that became a hub when the roads were turnpiked in the second half of the 18th century. Today it is on the M20 motorway which offers easy access to London, Maidstone and Folkestone, with junctions 9 and 10 serving Ashford. The A20 runs almost parallel with the motorway, and the A28 allows access to Canterbury and Tenterden. Also leaving Ashford are the A251 for Faversham and the A2070 for Romney Marsh and Hastings.
Operation Stack on the M20 is the bane of Ashford. Usually implemented in response to industrial action in Calais, it brings Ashford to a halt several times each year. The Operation Stack of 29th November 2006 is estimated to have cost the town £2 million. Local and central government have spent 12 years studying the problem without making any progress towards a solution.
In the 1970s the A292 Ashford Ring Road was created around the town centre and is well known for being popular with boy racers. The Ring Road was conceived to relieve traffic congestion along the previous main thoroughfare through the town centre, the narrow East Hill. There is work under way to convert the Ring Road to two-way operation to minimise the "race track" feel and help bring the isolated town centre back into the rest of the area.[8]
There are plans for a fast link between the town centre and the suburbs and main amenities, creating an alternative to the car called "SMARTLINK".
[edit] Railways
The South Eastern Railway opened its main line from London to the town on 1 December 1842, and by 7 February 1844 trains were running through to Dover. The importance to the town of the railway, however, was when the company established its locomotive works here. The railway community had its own shops, schools, pubs and bathhouse, and much of the area retains the look of a "railway town" (like Swindon or Crewe), however the works closed in 1981.
Ashford became a junction with a line to Margate that was opened in 1846; in 1851 the Marshlink Line to Hastings was opened, and on 1 July 1884 the final connection, from Maidstone, was made.
When the Channel Tunnel was opened on 6 May 1994, the new Ashford International station began operating. It now serves the high-speed rail link that began service in 2003 carrying the Eurostar from England to the continent, with stops in London, Ashford and then on to Brussels, Lille, Paris and connections to the rest of Europe. It is planned that direct services to Brussels will be withdrawn and that frequencies to Paris will be reduced when Ebbsfleet International railway station, in Dartford, opens late in 2007. Local firms, residents and politicians are amongst those seeking a less drastic change in the Eurostar timetable.
With the introduction of domestic train services along the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between St Pancras railway station, Stratford International station in East London and Ashford, it is expected to pull the outer limits of the London commuter belt to the town and beyond, as travel time from Ashford to London is reduced from 83 to about 37 minutes.
[edit] Air
London Ashford Airport is based at Lydd, approximately 17 miles (27 kms) from Ashford, with regular flights to Le Touquet, France by Lydd Air. There is a small airfield located at Headcorn (17 miles (27 kms) by road, but only 13 minutes on the main Ashford to London railway) west of Ashford) at which there is an aviation museum and a parachuting centre. London Gatwick Airport, the nearest fully international airport is 58 miles (94 kms) from Ashford.
[edit] Future development of the town
Ashford is one of the fastest growing areas in England, with rapid growth in the population and the infrastructure needed to support the town. (For the development of the M20 motorway around Ashford, Junction 10 and the new Junction 10a see the M20 development article).
In 2004 Regional Planning Guidance for Ashford set out plans to deliver over 13,000 homes by 2016. Overall, the area has the capacity to deliver a total of 31,000 new homes and 28,000 new jobs by 2031.[9] New housing estates are planned, in particular the area of Cheeseman's Green, to the east of the town.
The towns ring road, with the town centre sitting as an island, in 2007, after thirty years as a one way system, is being converted back to a two-way operation, costing £10m. [10] The new road will have a two-way route with narrower carriageways and a 20mph speed limit. [11]
[edit] Geography
[edit] Climate
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average max. temperature °C (°F) |
7.1 (48) |
7.2 (48) |
9.9 (52) |
12.1 (56) |
15.9 (61) |
18.7 (66) |
21.3 (70) |
21.6 (70) |
18.4 (66) |
14.5 (59) |
10.3 (52) |
8 (50) |
13.8 (59) |
| Average min. temperature °C (°F) |
1.5 (39) |
1.3 (39) |
2.8 (41) |
4.3 (43) |
7.3 (46) |
9.9 (52) |
12.2 (57) |
12.2 (55) |
10.1 (54) |
7.2 (48) |
3.9 (45) |
2.6 (41) |
6.3 (46) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) |
72.0 (2.8) |
44.7 (1.8) |
53.5 (2.1) |
50.8 (2.0) |
45.3 (1.8) |
51.8 (2.0) |
47.1 (1.9) |
55.9 (2.2) |
65.3 (2.6) |
85.4 (3.4) |
78.7 (3.1) |
77.3 (3.0) |
727.9 (28.7) |
| Source: Met Office | |||||||||||||
Rainfall in the area is highly influenced by the North Downs and the High Weald. In the summer (June to September) the rainfall is more showery, falling over shorter periods and is normally more intense than in the winter (November to February), were it comes along with low pressure area frontal systems and falls over longer periods of time. [12]
[edit] Rivers
Ashford lies at the confluence of the Rivers Upper Great Stour and East Stour (along with the Aylesford Stream, Ruckinge Dyke and Whitewater Dyke) it forms the River Great Stour heading for Canterbury, Sandwich and the English Channel.
[edit] Twin towns
Ashford is twinned with -
Bad Münstereifel in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, (population 19,007) twinned since 1964. (See the German language page for Bad Münstereifel and the town's location on Multimap.)
Fougères in Brittany, France, (population 21,779) twinned since 1984. (See the French language page for Fougères and the town's location on Multimap)
Hopewell, Virginia, USA, (population 22,354) twinned since 1994. (See the town's location on Multimap)
[edit] Commerce
The hospital based in Willesborough, a suburb of Ashford, covering a large part of Kent is the William Harvey Hospital, named after the famous doctor who discovered the blood circulatory system.
The huge build-up of commercial importance of the town, as well as its strategic location, is witnessed by the number of industrial estates now opened up. They include:
- Waterbrook - 740,000 m², a key site for production, storage and distribution with freight clearance facility
- Eureka Science and Business Park - manufacturing sites and prestige office complexes
- Orbital Park - 570,000 m²
- 14 other Business Parks and Industrial Estates
Campbell Soup UK have a factory that produces Batchelor's Soup, which until 2001 was owned by Unilever.
The design award winning Ashford Designer Outlet is located within the perimeter of the town's ring road, but, like most shopping centres, is remote from the town itself.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Local tourist attractions
| Key | |
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National Trust |
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English Heritage |
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Forestry Commission |
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Country Park |
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Accessible open space |
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Museums (free/not free) |
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Heritage railway |
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Historic House |
- Ashford Borough Museum
- Ashford Green Corridor
- Brockhill Country Park
- Godinton House and Gardens
- Kent and East Sussex Railway
- North Downs Way
- Port Lympne Wild Animal Park & Gardens
- Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
- Stour Valley Walk
- Vineyards at Biddenden and Chapel Down Winery at Tenterden
- Willesborough Windmill
- Woodchurch Rare Breeds Centre
- Wye Rural Museum
[edit] Sport
- Ashford Town Football Club formed around 1880 as Ashford United and has changed names to Ashford Railway and Ashford FC before settling on the current "Town". The clubs highest league position was 18th in the Southern League, Premier Division, 1987-88 and best FA Cup performance was the 2nd round in the 1962-63, 1966-67 and 1995-96 seasons.
- Ashford Hockey Club are based at Ball Lane, Kennington and were formed in 1898.
- Ashford Town Swimming Club
- Ashford Rugby Club, based in Kennington. The club has a thriving junior section: Ashford Rugby Under 14s.
- The Tour de France cycle race travelled through Ashford, on the stage between Dover and Brighton in 1994, and is due to pass through the town again on July 8, 2007 during the stage between London and Canterbury (Stage 1 of the 2007 Tour de France).
- The Julie Rose Stadium is in Willesborough, an athletics stadium, home to Ashford Athletics Club.
- The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom, including routes through Ashford
- NCR 17 - Rochester - Maidstone - Ashford - Hythe
- NCR 18 - Canterbury - Ashford - Tenterden - Tunbridge Wells
[edit] Famous people
[edit] Arts
Ashford has housed many musicians, from Kate Bush who attended Ashford School and skiffle band Mungo Jerry founder, Ray Dorset to the organists and composers Sir Sydney Nicholson and Sir Malcolm Sargent.
Actors, Patsy Byrne (Nursie in the sitcom Blackadder II) and Mark Rylance were born in the area, with other personalities from the town including satirist John Wells from That Was The Week That Was and Bob Holness, a television presenter.
Roger Dean the artist featured on Yes' album covers, Frederick Forsyth the author of The Day of the Jackal and Dudley Pope, a writer, were born in the town.
Simone Weil the French humanist and philosopher, contracted tuberculosis and was moved to a sanatorium at Kennington in Ashford. Upon apprehending the town, she declared it 'a beautiful place to die'.
[edit] Scholars
Poets, Alfred Austin (Poet Laureate in 1896), John Fuller and philosopher Simone Weil lived in Ashford, with the later being recognised by the town's council naming a road after her.
Dr John Wallis the internationally recognised mathematician, credited by Sir Isaac Newton as being the founder of his theory of gravity was born in the town.
[edit] Sport
Ashford has recently produced many sporting athletes, from Sarah Ayton (Olympic games gold medal winning sailor) and Lisa Dobriskey (Commonwealth Gold 1500m athletics event winner) to Jamie Staff (BMX cycling World Champion and Track cycling multi medal winner).
[edit] Education
Ashford is home to several primary and secondary schools. There are also colleges located in the area along with a main library in the town (there are some local, smaller libraries). Schools and colleges are listed below:
[edit] Primary schools:
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- The John Wesley C E (Aided) Primary School is to be built on the junction of Chart Road/Cuckoo Lane, Singleton, completion expected in 2007.
- In June 2006, because there are 1,008 empty places in Ashford, Kent County Council discussed the Kent Primary Strategy proposing merging Ashford South Primary School and Oak Tree Primary School, also suggested for amalgamation are Beaver Green Infant and Hopewell Junior schools. The final proposed merger for the area is between Charing CEP School and Hothfield Village School.[13] Public consultation is expected in October 2006.
[edit] Secondary schools
- Ashford School (senior to Ashford Friars School) (Independent and boarding)
- Christ Church High School - Now being called Ashford Christ Church
- Highworth Grammar School for Girls
- The North School
- The Norton Knatchbull School for Boys
- Swadelands School
- Towers School
[edit] Colleges
- Ashford School of Art & Design (Henwood Industrial Estate and Tufton Street)
- South Kent College - Jemmett Road Campus
- South Kent College - South Ashford Campus
- Imperial College London has a major campus at nearby Wye, after it merged with Wye College, the University of London's agricultural college in 2000.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- A Travel Guide for visitors is available by viewing Wikitravel.
- History website includes maps and Photographs
- Ashford Chamber of Commerce website
- Ashford Borough Council website
- Ashford Local - News, photographs and local businesses for Ashford, Kent.
- Information website for Ashford building and construction companies
- Map of Ashford on Google Maps
[edit] References
- ^ Ashford Borough Council Census 2001
- ^ International Civic Heraldry
- ^ Bartleby.com
- ^ 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ^ goashford.com
- ^ Kings College, London
- ^ Kent Council Council Election results May 2005
- ^ Kent County Council
- ^ Government Office for the South East
- ^ Kent County Council
- ^ BBC.co.uk 9 June 2006
- ^ BBC weather
- ^ BBC.co.uk 16 June 2006
