ASHBOURNE
is a market town in Derbyshire on the southern
edge of the Peak District National Park and
has a population on just over 7,000. The
town is probably more famed as being the
Gateway To Dovedale.
Ashbourne
was first mentioned in the Domesday Book and
in fact started out as a small Saxon village.
In medieval days it was called Essiburn. Ashbourne
became a centre of attraction in the 18th and
19th centurys as six coaching roads converged.
There have been many famous people connected
with the town including Bonny Prince Charlie,
Oliver Cromwell, Dr Samuel Johnson, Queen Victoria,
James Boswell, Izzak Walton, William Congreve,
Thomas Moore, George Eliot, and Catherine Booth
just to name a few.
In
the centre of Ashbourne is the market place
which was first granted a charter to allow stalls
in 1257. Ashbourne still operates as a market
town on
Thursdays and
Saturdays.
The
cattle
market
(which
was a hive of activity many years ago) has now
closed and new housing built in it's place. The
town was made a royal borough in 1276.
Opposite the Market Place is the Town Hall which
is also used as a Registry Office as well as
a meeting place for coffe mornings and sales,
etc.
There
are many historic places in the town. One of
the main places is Church Street
with its fine Georgian houses, old grammar school,
almshouses and
St Oswalds Church. The church tower
of St Oswalds
dominates
the town with the spire rising
to 212ft.
Queen
Elizabeth's Grammer School which was founded
by Sir Thomas
Cockayne has recently moved from 2 sites
in the town to it's current location in The
Green Road. Work started on the original building
in 1585 and
continued until 1603. Adjacent
to the grammer school is Grey House built in
the mid 18th century and across
the road is 17th century Mansion House where
Dr Samuel Johnson who was a
noted lexicographer and traveller frequently
stayed.
Along
the main street of the town (St. John's Street)
is the Green Man and Black Head Hotel with
it's famous sign high above the road which commemorates
the amalgamation of 2 coaching inns in 1825.
Also in St John's Street is the Millennium Clock
(erected at the turn of the century) which is
opposite the famous Ashbourne Gingerbread Shop
(now Birds
Bakery).
Nearby is
the quaint
area of Victoria Square which is
also
known as
the
butchery.
This has many small shops and the Horns public house. In Sturston Street there
is a plaque on the front of a small terraced
house which
indicates
the birthplace of Catherine
Booth who was the wife of the founder member
of the Salvation Army William Booth.
The
town of Ashbourne is also famous for it's annual
Royal Shrovetide
Football Game. This takes place on Shrove Tuesday
and Ash Wednesday each year starting at 2pm from
the Shaw Croft car park and carrying on until
10pm unless 'goaled'. There are three commemorative
cork filled leather balls made for the game and
on each day a famous dignitory (well known or
local)
will
throw
the
ball up. The game is played between two teams
(the Up'ards and the Down'ards) between goals
at Sturston and Clifton which are about three
miles apart. The town is boarded up for the event
as the game can be played throughout much of
the town. Prince Charles threw the ball up in
2003.
Today
Ashbourne has a new Sports and Leisure Centre
in Station Road which was officially opened in
2004. Also a new Doctors Surgery has been built
on Station Road at the entrance to the Leisure
Centre.
The
newest development in Ashbourne is on Clifton
Road where the 36 acre Nestle factory
(which closed in June 2003) was
and now is being redeveloped for Retail and
Business Units, a Hotel, a Petrol Station, Tennis
Courts,
Football Pitch, Picnic Area, Housing, as well
as the start of the Shrovetide Trial. The main
retail
outlet will be Homebase. Also a new £20m hospital
is to be built on Clifton Road behind the
disused railway.
