Talk:Ashford, Kent/Comments/Sandbox
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[edit] Location
Ashford lies at the centre of many transport routes, with three rivers, two major roads and five railway lines along with three ancient footpaths passing through the area.
The ancient Saxon coastline, as defined by the Saxon Shore Way was less than 10 miles from the town, making Ashford an important town, near to the coast but raised above the marsh and coastal areas. Today the eight parishes of Aldington, Bilsington, Bonnington, Brabourne, Brook, Hastingleigh, Ruckinge and Smeeth still make up the Ashford electoral ward known as the "Saxon Shore".[1]
Ashford is just south of the chalk hills, the North Downs, which carry the old footpaths, the North Downs Way and the Pilgrims' Way and the town is just north of another old footway, the Greensand Way.
In this part of Kent the roads from London to Folkestone and Dover, the A20 road and M20 motorway, run parallel to the Pilgrims' Way and the perpendicular road, crossing in the town, running from Canterbury to Tenterden and on to Hastings follows the Pilgrims' Way and River Great Stour to the north, echoing the ancient footways.
The town lies at the confluence of the East Stour and Upper Great Stour rivers, forming the River Great Stour heading for Canterbury, making it an ideal place to locate a settlement and market.
[edit] Trains
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, London to Dover via Ashford, 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).
[edit] Commercial factors
Ashford is in an ancient prime location because of it's closeness to, the forest, rivers, the iron industry and other local settlements.
[edit] Forest
The Borough of Ashford lies on the eastern edge of the ancient forest of "Andredsweald" or "Anderida", local remnants of the forest remain in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)s at Ham Street Woods and Orlestone Forest, where the woodland is said to be more than 400 years old. The forest originally stretched as far west as Hampshire and formed the area called the Weald.
[edit] Iron
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. The Wealden iron industry is the result of a combination of the natural materials being available for the making of iron. Those raw materials are:
- ironstone
- fuel in the form of wood charcoal, usually from woods managed as coppices.
- power in the form of streams which could be dammed back into ponds to give enough water-force to work a waterwheel. All were found in abundance on the Weald in southeast England, and the medieval iron-making industry took full advantage of them. A thousand years before, however, the Romans had made full use of the brown and ochre coloured stone in the Cranbrook-Tunbridge Wells area.
[edit] Market Town
Ashford became known as a market town, the market trade probably grew because of the towns location, 15 to 20 miles from each of it's surrounding populated areas, including Tenterden, Maidstone, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone.
[edit] Demographics
- Insert the Population figures for the town between 1801 and 1921 and the Lathe or Hundred details for the Administrative Divisions section [2]
[edit] Geography (relating to Kent)
Kent forms the major part of the large peninsular it the S.E. corner of England. It is very diverse in its soils and geology, and, although the range in altitude is only from sea-level to 850 ft, at the highest point, there is a very wide range of habitats except the mountain and moorland types. The North Downs extend from the Surrey boundary at Biggin Hill to the coast at Dover, forming a ridge of high land across the county, with a steep escarpment to the south. North of this the dip slope is more gradual down to the Thames estuary, with long, deep valleys cutting into the hills. To the south there is a narrow gault belt between the chalk and the greensand ridge which runs parallel with it. The large basin of the Low Weald lies between the greensand and the dome of the High Weald, of which only a small part is in Kent, extending from Sussex along its southern boundary. Much of the county is extensively farmed, but the High Weald, the greensand, the clay-with-flints on the North Downs and the London Clay area of the Blean have large areas of woodland. There are boggy and heathy areas, limited in extent, on the Hastings Beds, the Folkestone Beds of the greensand, and on the Eocene sands and gravels in N.W. Kent. Much of the coast along the Thames estuary is uninteresting, heavy clay marshland, although there are small shell-sand beaches at Allhallows, Grain and Leysdown. Low clay cliffs with ravines occur in the N.E. of Sheppey, and clay and gravel cliffs from Whitstable for a few miles eastwards. East of Reculver, all round Thanet to Pegwell Bay, the chalk cliffs would be more interesting were it not for the concrete promenades of the resorts. Chalk cliffs also extend from Deal nearly to Folkestone. Extensive dune formations occur at Sandwich and Deal, at Romney Warren and at Camber. Greensand Cliffs south-west of Folkestone are good, and Dungeness is the largest shingle-beach in Europe. The climate of Kent is somewhat variable. Along the Thames estuary north of the Downs the average annual rainfall is about 22 inches, and in some seasons is as low as 16 inches. Humidity is low, as the area is exposed and winds are often very drying especially in spring. Although somewhat harsh in these respects, frosts are relatively rare; only in deep winter is the temperature likely to fill below 32oF. The North Downs, averaging only 600 ft. along the top of the escarpment, seem to feel the effect of altitude very much. High rainfall -- over 30 inches a year --, much low cloud, relatively high humidity and low temperatures with winter snow, are the characteristics of the climate of the top of the Downs. The Low Weald is a large Spring radiation-frost basin. The average rainfall, is about 27 inches a year, and humidity is high, as is seen from the richness of the hedgerow epiphytic moss flora. In the High Weald area we get progressively wetter, with an average annual rainfall, at Tunbridge Wells of about 33 inches. The varied habitats and climate promote a good moss flora, and to date many species of mosses have been recorded. F. Rose (in Trans. Brit. Bryol. Soc., l, pp.202-210. 1949) has divided the County into sixteen botanical districts based on natural features, and in the following description I have attempted to follow him. I have, however, defined rather smaller areas than he has, and avoided river basins in favour of other natural features. This has resulted in more districts and some differences.[3]
[edit] Richard Lovelace
Poem from which motto comes
To Lucasta, Going to the Wars
Tell me not, sweet, I am unkind That from nunnery Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind, To war and arms I fly.
True, a new mistress now I chase, The first foe in the field; And with a stronger faith embrace A sword, a horse, a shield.
Yet this inconstancy is such As you too shall adore; I could not love thee, dear, so much, Loved I not honor more.
