No 4 Middle Row stands out. On one side is the John Wallis pub; on the other the ‘Mobile Cottage’, with its vivid orange shop signage. They all have the Kent Peg tiles on their roofs, but No 4 draws your attention for a number of reasons. First, its gable faces the street, facing west … More No 4 Middle Row, Ashford Town
It was a beautiful, balmy early-summer evening, last Friday: perfect for watching the sun set over the North Downs. But not before listening to some ethereal, Elysian music inside All Saints Church, Boughton Aluph, in the borough of Ashford. I had taken my two sons there for the annual Stour Early Music Festival, to listen … More Stour Early Music Festival, Boughton Aluph
At first sight, Ashford’s County Hotel on the lower High Street is a conventional 18th century building. It is three storeys tall, originally red brick but the top floor and the parapet are now hung with Kentish peg tiles. It has its original sash windows above street level and the entrance doorcase has classical … More Sharp-Shootin’ Annie at Ashford’s County Hotel
For the second time in as many months, we went to the Dering Arms in Pluckley, Ashford, last weekend. Yes, the food there is fantastic but, importantly, even my usually purely-cheese-pasta youngest will eat a slab of locally-shot venison or a rump of Kentish spring lamb if cooked by Jim Buss, Dering’s owner. In fact, … More The Dering Arms, Pluckley, Ashford
A year after we moved to Ashford, I decided to tackle our garden – 2 minutes from the town centre. It had changed little since the house was built in 1906. There had been an Edwardian summer house in the right hand corner, but it was throughly rotten and had to be dismantled. The removal … More Napoleon III and Ashford International
As it is just days away until the European Referendum, some of my posts this week will be on Ashford’s links with the wider world. Twinning really began after the Second World War as a means of fostering friendships: finding commonality and celebrating peace and reconciliation, particularly with former foes. But, as one might expect … More Ashford’s Twin and Triplet
It’s been a wet June, but it’s warming up, and I’ve been investigating someone known as the ‘Laureate of Spring’. Alfred Austin (1835-1913) was born in Headingly near Leeds. After a Roman Catholic upbringing, he joined the Inner Temple in London, and then went on to practise as a barrister on the Northern Circuit in … More Ashford’s Poet Laureate
Number 7 North Street, Ashford is a very handsome, well-maintained 3-storey business building. And has been for aproximately 700 years – though in various, very different, uses. This apparently 16th century timber-framed house (a few doors down from the Epes’ House mentioned here) has decorative bargeboards supporting the gable. The upper two floors are overhanging on … More Blacksmiths to Optometrists
Ok, I admit it: it’s not the sexiest blog post title. But this Plan is a way of working out how the Borough is going to accommodate new homes and jobs up to 2030, including, and importantly, how those policies will be used to decide planning applications. So, if you’re interested in having a say … More Ashford Council’s Local Plan to 2030
An on-off rainy morning today, but I needed to feel the wind in my hair, so took The Dog up to Wye Crown, part of the Borough of Ashford. I often drive through Crundale to get there because I like to be surrounded by fields as I’m speeding along: the space offers me freedom to … More ‘Mad Major’ Sawbridge’s Statue
Yes, really. I had a dinner party last evening and everyone commented upon my loo. I mean, the company and the food was great, and all, but my loo was the ‘stand out’ talking point. And, to be fair, it was the feature that initially swung me in favour of buying a house in Ashford: … More The Heritage Value of Lavatories*
When first we moved to Ashford, we got some chickens. We’ve had varying numbers, depending upon the habits of urban foxes; currently, we have three. Unnamed. Now I have to be endlessly inventive with eggs. This was my breakfast last Saturday. So, eggs are easy to come by in our household. And flour used … More Pledge Flour Mill, East Hill
