- Ashford, Surrey
Ashford is a town almost entirely in the
Surrey borough ofSpelthorne inEngland , with a small part falling within Greater London. It is a suburban development situated 15 miles (24 km) west south-west of Charing Cross inLondon and forms part of theLondon commuter belt . It is often referred to as Ashford,Middlesex to distinguish it from the larger town ofAshford, Kent , but mainly because it is geographically located in the ancient County of Middlesex. Since 1965, when Middlesex County Council was dissolved, it has been administered by Surrey County Council and the London Borough of Hounslow.History
Ashford appears on the
Middlesex "Domesday" map as "Exeforde". It was held by Robert, Count of Mortain. Its "Domesday" Assets were: 1 plough, meadow for 1 plough; a separate manor in 1066, it was part of the manor of Kempton in 1086. It rendered (in total): 14s 0d. [ [http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm Surrey "Domesday Book"] ]The settlement was most likely founded in Saxon times.
Bronze Age artefacts have been found in Ashford (at 51.432708N, 0.485174W), and ahenge may have been present in Bronze Age times.The present parish church of St Matthew [http://www.stmatthewashford.org.uk] was built in 1858 with financial assistance from the "Welsh School" (now St David's School) which had just moved to Ashford. For long a village, Ashford was always associated with
Staines , its nearest neighbour.tatus
In 1894, under the
Local Government Act 1894 , Ashford became part of theStaines Rural District ofMiddlesex . [Vision of Britain - [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10107635&c_id=10001043 Staines Rural District] ] In 1930 the rural district was abolished and Ashford was added to theStaines Urban District . In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, Middlesex County Council was abolished and the urban district was transferred toSurrey . [Vision of Britain - [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10221420 Staines Urban District] ] In 1974, under theLocal Government Act 1972 , Staines Urban District was abolished and its area combined with that ofSunbury-on-Thames Urban District to create the present-day borough of Spelthorne.Ashford today
Although the town's origins are ancient, Ashford's housing stock is chiefly a mixture of
villa s andcastle -like houses built between 1930 and 1960.The
high street mainly comprises local businesses, with Somerfield,Tesco Express and Woolworths and now a Subway also present. In particular, down the highstreet there is a funeral director, many different eateries and hairdressers. The main street is also home to the Ashford Campus of Brooklands College (formallySpelthorne College ), Ashford Library and a World War 2 memorial. Ashford, in common with most of London suburbia, has very low unemployment rates. A great deal of local employment is directly related to Heathrow Airport. BP International is another major employer. Many other Ashfordians work inLondon or in theThames Valley .The town is served by
South West Trains services fromWaterloo station calling at Ashford railway station which lies to the south of theA30 road . There are many bus services provided byTravel Surrey , as well as some otherLondon Buses routes run by other operators.There are many local primary and secondary schools. There is also a further education college for ages 16 to 18; Spelthorne College which became a Brooklands College Campus in 2007.
There are active sports clubs in Ashford - Football (
Ashford Town F.C. (Middlesex) ), Cricket, Hockey, Tennis, Table Tennis, Aikido, Karate, Acrobatic Gymnastics, Sailing, Golf & Bowls. Spelthorne Elite Acrobatics club is one of the premier clubs for Acrobatic Gymnastics in the World, having won 8 World Title gold medals.Famous people from Ashford
*
Ray Dorset , singer / songwriter with 1970s chart-toppersMungo Jerry .
*Norman Willis , General Secretary of theTrades Union Congress (TUC) 1984-92 and president of theEuropean Trade Union Confederation 1991-93.
* Roger Johnson, footballer currently with Cardiff City
*Sarah Ayton , Olympic gold medal winners in theYngling sailing class2004 Summer Olympics and2008 Summer Olympics
*Sarah Webb , Olympic gold medal winners in theYngling sailing class2004 Summer Olympics and2008 Summer Olympics
* Anthony Burgess, Lord of Ashford 1914
*Bobby Davro , born Robert Nankeville, 1990s TV impressionist
* Lynda Chater, author of novels published bySimon & Schuster
*Russell Grant (astrologer and resident of Staines) became Lord of Ashford in 1996.
* Jack Swaybe , former governor in 1967References
* [http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspublications.nsf/591f7dda55aad72a80256c670041a50d/1c602ea59c869c9180256e600054b26c/$FILE/Town%20populations.pdf Population figures (PDF)]
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=11249 Ashford Henge]External links
* [http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/Destinations/AFS.htm Train Times To Ashford]
* [http://www.stdavidsschool.com Official St.David's School Website]
* [http://www.stmatthewashford.org.uk St Matthew's Church Website]
* [http://www.aboutacc.com Ashford Congregational Church Website]
* [http://www.ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Ashford Town Football Club]
* [http://www.geocities.com/ashford_sports Ashford Sports Club]
* [http://www.ashfordhockeyclub.co.uk Ashford Hockey Club]
* [http://www.ashfordcc.co.uk Ashford Cricket Club]
* [http://www.ashfordtennis.org Ashford Tennis Club]
* [http://www.aikidoryu.org.uk Ashford Aikido Club]
* [http://www.spelthorne-acrobatic-gymnastics.com Spelthorne Elite Acrobatics club]
* [http://www.brooklands.ac.uk/ashford.asp Brooklands College Ashford Campus]
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