Ashford shown within Surrey
| Ashford | |
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Ashford shown within Surrey |
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| Population | 25,240 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Spelthorne |
| Shire county | Surrey |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ASHFORD |
| Postcode district | TW15 |
| Dialling code | 01784 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Spelthorne |
| List of places: UK • England • Surrey | |
Ashford is a town almost entirely in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne in England, with a small part falling within Greater London. It is a suburban development situated 15 miles (24 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in London and forms part of the London commuter belt. It is often referred to as Ashford, Middlesex to distinguish it from the larger town of Ashford, 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.
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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.[1]
The settlement was most likely founded in Saxon times. Bronze Age artefacts have been found in Ashford (at 51.432708N, 0.485174W), and a henge may have been present in Bronze Age times.
The present parish church of St Matthew[1] 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.
In 1894, under the Local Government Act 1894, Ashford became part of the Staines Rural District of Middlesex.[2] In 1930 the rural district was abolished and Ashford was added to the Staines Urban District. In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, Middlesex County Council was abolished and the urban district was transferred to Surrey.[3] In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Staines Urban District was abolished and its area combined with that of Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District to create the present-day borough of Spelthorne.
Although the town's origins are ancient, Ashford's housing stock is chiefly a mixture of villas and castle-like houses built between 1930 and 1960.
The high street mainly comprises local businesses, with Somerfield, Tesco Express and Woolworths and now a Subway and a Costa Coffee 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 (formally Spelthorne 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 in London or in the Thames Valley.
The town is served by South West Trains services from Waterloo station calling at Ashford railway station which lies to the south of the A30 road. There are many bus services provided by Travel Surrey, as well as some other London 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.
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