| Ash | |
|---|---|
 The War Memorial in Ash | |
  Ash Location withinKent | |
| Population | 3,365 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TR285582 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CANTERBURY |
| Postcode district | CT3 |
| Dialling code | 01304 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°16′39″N1°16′34″E / 51.2774°N 1.2761°E /51.2774; 1.2761 | |
Ash is a village andcivil parish in theDover district of eastKent about three miles west ofSandwich.
The civil parish has a population of 2,767, increasing to 3,365[1] at the2011 Census, and includes the villages of Ash,Westmarsh,Ware,Hoaden andRichborough. The Ash Level, by theRiver Stour, takes up the northern part of the parish.
Ash was once on the main thoroughfare fromCanterbury to thechannel port of Sandwich. It takes its name from the Old English æsc (ash) and shows itstoponymy in its first recorded form, Æsce, in about 1100.[2]
A variation may beEsch in 1418.[3]
Ash was once part of the Royalmanor ofWingham and having been given to theSee of Canterbury in 850 AD byKing Athelstan, it became a separate parish in 1282, one of the largest in Kent at that time.
The Harflete or Harfleet family were Lords of the Manor for many years. The family died out in the late seventeenth century.
TheGrade I listed parish church, is dedicated to St Nicholas[4] and probably built on the site of an earlierSaxon church, dates partly from the 12th century and has a 15th-century tower with a lead spire (once used as a navigation aid for ships), which now houses a ring of ten bells. It also has the best collection of medieval monumental effigies in Kent, including one to Jane Kerriel (c. 1455) which reveals a unique horseshoe head-dress.
Ash is known for itsmarket gardens, and at one time had its own brewery and organ maker. There are two vineyards nearby.
There are many medieval buildings in the village, including 'Molland House' which is named as aHistoric Building of Kent[5] and eleven of the twelve originalmanor houses. In the same lane are a number ofTudor cottages.The Chequer Inn began life as atimber-framedhall house, dating from about 1500.[6]
From 1916 to 1948 it had a station ("Ash Town") on theEast Kent Light Railway, one of Colonel Stephens' lines, which ran betweenShepherdswell andWingham.
The village has a primary school (named Cartwright and Kelsey), a prep school (named St Faiths), doctors' surgery and several corner shops.
The village is also on theMiner's Way Trail. The trail links up the coalfield parishes of East Kent.[7]
Jonathan Ackeroyd (ex-CEO Burberry)
Matilda Anne Mackarness (née Planché)
Media related toAsh, Dover at Wikimedia Commons
