Ashford, Kent Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Kent, and around 15 miles southwest of Canterbury, is the town of Ashford (not to be confused with the town of Ashford in Surrey!)

The origins of Ashford can be traced back to 893 AD when a settlement was established here by Saxons escaping a Viking raid. The name is derived from Old English 'æscet', meaning ash trees and 'ford', meaning shallow river crossing. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as 'Essetesford'.

In 1243 a market charter was granted to Ashford by Henry III. Early industry in the town included agriculture and pottery. During the late 13th century, St Mary the Virgin Church was built, and stands at the very centre of the town to this day, although much of the building was restored in the 15th century including the 37-metre/120ft tower. The church is Grade I listed.

From the mid-19th century the rail industry would transform Ashford. It began in 1842 with the opening of its first station. It was situated on a line between London and Folkestone. Further lines to Canterbury, Hastings and Maidstone were added, making Ashford a junction station. In 1847 the Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway. This brought hundreds of jobs into the town. To keep up with the influx of workers, an area known as Alfred Town was established just southeast of the town centre, which later became known as New Town. At its peak around 1300 people were employed by the works. The locomotive workshops would eventually close in 1962 although it wasn't until the early 1980s that the railway works closed altogether.

In 1919 a British Mark IV tank was presented to the town in recognition of its response to the National War Savings appeal. It was delivered by rail and met by a Tanks Corps Crew who drove it to St George's Square where it has remained ever since.

In 1994 work began on rebuilding Ashford's station into what would become Ashford International. This would feature two separate areas: one for domestic trains and one for trains coming to and from mainland Europe via the then brand new Eurostar. In 2003 section 1 of High Speed 1 connected London with the Channel Tunnel. In 2007 section 2 opened, along with Ebbsfleet International Station, which is situated around 35 miles northwest of Ashford. The opening of Ebbsfleet International caused a reduction in services from Ashford to Paris from 12 a day to just three, plus a daily service to Disneyland. In September 2020 it was announced that, due to a decline in ticket sales following the pandemic, both Ashford and Ebbsfleet would suspend their Eurostar services until further notice. At the time of writing (June 2022), the latest estimate is 2023 at the earliest. On a more positive note, there are frequent high speed trains running to London St Pancras, taking just under 40 minutes, so travel to the continent by rail is still possible. These trains also make Ashford a viable commuter town for those working in the capital.

Novelist Frederick Forsyth comes from Ashford.

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Filmed: 30th April 2022

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/fwR91SJAMYuoPBMp6

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 St Mary the Virgin Church
0:05 Churchyard
1:00 St Mary the Virgin Church
1:06 Churchyard
2:53 St Mary the Virgin Church
2:59 Churchyard
3:08 Tufton Street
5:10 Bank Street
10:43 High Street
11:51 New Rents
13:48 Gilbert Road
14:19 New Street
14:39 British Mark IV 'Female' Tank, No 245
15:07 St George's Square
15:28 Castle Street
15:53 High Street
23:01 North Street
25:01 Park Street