Borough of Ashford

Ashford is a town in the Ashford district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Great Stour at the southern or scarp edge of the North Downs, about 61 miles (98 km) by road southeast of central London and 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Folkestone by road. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 83,213. The name comes from the Old English æscet, indicating a ford near a clump of ash trees. It has been a market town since the Middle Ages, and a regular market continues to be held. St Mary's Parish Church has been a local landmark since the 13th century, and expanded in the 15th. Today, the church functions in a dual role as a centre for worship and entertainment. The arrival of the railways from the mid 19th century onwards, created a significant source of employment contributing to the town's growth as a rail hub at the centre of five distinct railway lines. The high speed rail line (HS1 High Speed 1) between London and the Channel Tunnel passes through Ashford's International Railway Station thus linking the town to Paris and other European destinations. The M20 motorway connects Ashford to the Channel Tunnel, the national motorway network (via the M25 Motorway) and to London (via the A20). Ashford has been marked out for growth in several Government plans from the 1960s onwards. In the 1970s, the construction of a controversial four lane ring road together with the multi-storey Charter House building led to the destruction of significant parts of the old town although some areas were spared and preserved. Other changes in the last 40 years include the construction of the County Square shopping centre, the redevelopment of the Templer Barracks at Repton Park, the Finberry estate to the southeast, and the award-winning Ashford Designer Outlet.

Ashford Power Station refers to any of three, engine-driven, electricity generating stations located in Ashford, Kent. Two of the stations, A and B, have been demolished, and one is an operational 21 MW peaking plant.

Ashford West railway station is a former railway station in Ashford, Kent. It was the terminus of the Maidstone Line from 1884 to 1898, constructed by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. On the formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway, passenger services were transferred to the former South Eastern Railway's Ashford station. The station buildings and infrastructure survived and was used for various purposes until the late 20th century.

St Mary's Parish Church, also known as the Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Ashford, Kent, England, dates to the late 13th century. It is a Grade I listed. There has been a church on the site since at least 1086, for one was mentioned in the Domesday Book.Cranbrook native Comfort Starr, one of the founding members of Harvard College, was a warden at the church in the early 17th century.

Curious Brewing (formerly Curious Brewery) is a brewery in Ashford, Kent, England. It was established in 2011 by the Kent-based winery group Chapel Down.

Christ Church is in the town of Ashford, Kent, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ashford, the archdeaconry of Maidstone, and the diocese of Canterbury. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Ashford International railway station is a National Rail station in Ashford, Kent, England. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern Main Line. Services are operated by Southeastern and Southern. The station opened in 1842 as Ashford by the South Eastern Railway (SER) as a temporary terminus of the line from London to Dover via Croydon. Connections to Folkestone, Canterbury and Hastings opened within ten years. It was renamed Ashford (Kent) in 1923. There have been two significant rebuilds; in the 1960s for the South Eastern Main Line electrification, and to accommodate international services in the 1990s. The station was renamed as Ashford International in 1996. International services were reduced following the completion of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the opening of Ebbsfleet International in 2007, but were partially restored before being suspended indefinitely in 2020. Domestic services along High Speed 1 to St Pancras have been running since 2009.

KMFM Ashford is an Independent Local Radio serving the Borough of Ashford and the surrounding areas in Kent, South East England. It is the Ashford region of the KMFM radio network (owned by the KM Group), containing local advertisements and sponsorships for the area amongst a countywide schedule of programming.

Highworth Grammar School is a selective secondary (grammar school) in Ashford, Kent. The school also admits boys to the sixth form. At an Ofsted inspection in June 2013, the school was rated 1 (outstanding) in all categories.Highworth Grammar School is a selective school of over 1,519 pupils, of whom over 450 are in the Sixth Form, which admits both boys and girls. The school was established in 1904 and moved to its present site in 1928. Since that time there has been a considerable amount of rebuilding and expansion. The school converted to Academy status in 2011. Pupils from the school were chosen to form part of a "guard of honour" for athletes at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, displaying artistic creations their school made to celebrate the event.The headteacher is Duncan Beer, who has been in the role since September 2021.

Ashford Green Corridors is a 47.4-hectare (117-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Ashford in Kent, England. It is owned and managed by Ashford Borough Council.This site has a lake, ponds, pollarded trees, a meadow and parkland. Birds on Singleton Lake include kingfishers.Paths and roads go through this linear site.

Ashford College is a further education college in Ashford, Kent founded in August 2014. It has been run by EKC Group since April 2020, when it was acquired from the West Kent and Ashford College corporation. Susan Bonett became Principal of the College in 2021, replacing Victoria Copp-Crawley. Its campus is situated on Elwick Road with work to expand the facilities beginning in 2022 after receiving substantial government funds.The college offers full and part-time qualifications, from vocational BTEC and NVQ Diplomas, to Access to HE courses, Apprenticeships and Higher Education programmes. The college is also an early pioneer of the T Level qualifications, with the first courses running from September 2022.The campus has a multi-media learning resource centre, engineering workshops, photography studios and darkrooms as well as commercial hair and beauty salons offering treatments to students, staff and the general public. Ashford College relocated from its original location on Jemmett Road to Elwick Road in September 2017 after a £26 million construction project. The current campus accommodates over 1000 students but will cater for an additional 250 once Phase 2 is built. A state-of-the-art recording studio was launched in June 2018, available to students and public hire. The 40-channel facility was officially opened by Eastenders star Shaun Williamson.

Norman Cycles was a British bicycle, autocycle, moped, and motorcycle manufacturer in Ashford, Kent, England. The company and its products are remembered today by the Norman Cycles Club at Willesborough Windmill, in Willesborough, Ashford. The Norman museum is in the Windmill's barn and displays some of the company's mopeds and bicycles.