Ashford, Kent

Bad MÃ¼nstereifel in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, (population 19,007) twinned since 1964. (See the German language page for Bad MÃ¼nstereifel and the towns location on Multimap.)
* FougÃ¨res in Brittany, France, (population 21,779) twinned since 1984. (See the French language page for FougÃ¨res and the towns location on Multimap)
* Hopewell, Virginia, USA, (population 22,354) twinned since 1994. (See the towns location on Multimap)

Commerce

The hospital based in Willesborough, a suburb of Ashford, covering a large part of Kent is the William Harvey Hospital, named after the famous doctor who discovered the blood circulatory system.

The huge build-up of commercial importance of the town, as well as its strategic location, is witnessed by the number of industrial estates now opened up. They include:
* Waterbrook - 740,000 mÂ², a key site for production, storage and distribution with freight clearance facility
* Eureka Science and Business Park - manufacturing sites and prestige office complexes
* Orbital Park - 570,000 mÂ²
* 14 other Business Parks and Industrial Estates

Campbell Soup UK have a factory that produces Batchelor's Soup, which until 2001 was owned by Unilever.

The design award winning Ashford Designer Outlet is located wirthin the town.

Sport

* Ashford Town Football Club formed around 1880 as Ashford United and has changed names to Ashford Railway and Ashford FC before settling on the current "Town".
* Ashford Hockey Club based at Ball Lane, Kennington formed in 1898.
* Ashford Town Swimming Club
* Ashford Rugby Club, based in Kennington.
*The Tour de France cycle race travelled through Ashford, on the stage between Dover and Brighton in 1994, and is due to pass through the town again on July 8, 2007 during the stage between London and Canterbury (Stage 1 of the 2007 Tour de France).
*The Julie Rose Stadium is in Willesborough, an athletics stadium, home to Ashford Athletics Club.
*The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom, National Cycle Route (NCR) 17 - Rochester - Maidstone - Ashford - Hythe and NCR 18 - Canterbury - Ashford - Tenterden - Tunbridge Wells travel through the town.

Famous people

Roger Dean's Relayer Front Cover

*Alfred Austin (May 3, 1835 – June 2 1913) was an English poet, who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1896, died in Ashford.
*Sarah Ayton (born 9 April, 1980 in Ashford) is a British professional, Olympic games gold medal winning sailor.
*Patsy Byrne is an actress, born 13 July 1933 in Ashford. Probably the most famous of these is Nursie in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder II.
*Roger Dean the artist featured on Yes the bands album covers, was born in Ashford, 31st August 1944.
*Lisa Dobriskey, born in the town, 23 December 1983, won the Commonwealth Gold 1500m athletics event in 2006.
*Ray Dorset born on March 21, 1946, in Ashford is a guitarist, singer and founder of the skiffle band Mungo Jerry.
*Sir John Fogge - Lord of Repton Manor he restored the parish church in 13th century and, at his own expense, built most of the bell tower.
*Frederick Forsyth - (born 25 August, 1938) is a British author and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Dogs of War, The Odessa File, Icon and The Fist of God.
*Barry Fuller (born August 25, 1984 in Ashford) is a professional football player.
*Sir John Furley - one of the founders of St. John Ambulance Service.
*Bob Holness - Television presenter was born in Ashford.
*Sir Sydney Nicholson (February 9, 1875 â€" May 30, 1947) was a choir director, organist and composer, remembered as the founder of the Royal School of Church Music, died in Ashford.
*Dudley Pope (29 December 1925 - 25 April 1997) was a British writer, born in the town.
*Mark Rylance was born January 18, 1960 in Ashford and is an internationally well-known actor and theatre director.
*Sir Malcolm Sargent (29 April 1895 â€" 3 October 1967) was a British conductor, organist and composer, also born in Ashford.
*Jamie Staff, BMX cycling World Champion and Track cycling Commonwealth Games and World championship Gold medalist, was born in Ashford, 30 April 1973.
*Tom Varndell was born on 16 September 1985 in Ashford and is a professional rugby union player.
*Dr John Wallis - Internationally recognised as one of the greatest mathematicians, credited by Sir Isaac Newton as being the founder of his theory of gravity.
*Simone Weil, (February 3, 1909 - August 24, 1943) the French philosopher and mystic, died in Grosvenor Sanatorium and is buried in the town's Bybrook Cemetery.
*John Wells (November 17, 1936 - January 11, 1998) was an actor, writer and satirist born in Ashford. He began his television career as a writer on That Was the Week That Was.

Education

Ashford is home to several primary and secondary schools. There is also a college located in the area along with a library in the town. Schools and colleges are listed below:

=Primary Schools:

Ashford South Community Primary School
Ashford-Friars School (Independent)
Beaver Green Infants School
Downs View Infants School
East Stour Primary School
Furley Park Primary School
Godinton Primary School

Great Chart Primary School
Hopewell School
Kennington C of E Junior School
Linden Grove Primary School
Oak Tree Primary School
Phoenix Community Primary School

St Mary's Church of England Primary School
St Simon's of England R C Primary school
St Teresas Catholic Primary School
Victoria Road
Willesborough Infant School
Willesborough Junior School

*The John Wesley C E (Aided) Primary School is to be built on the junction of Chart Road/Cuckoo Lane, Singleton, completion expected in 2007.
*In June 2006, because there are 1,008 empty places in Ashford, Kent County Council discussed the Kent Primary Strategy proposing merging Ashford South Primary School and Oak Tree Primary School, also suggested for amalgamation are Beaver Green Infant and Hopewell Junior schools. The final proposed merger for the area is between Charing CEP School and Hothfield Village School.BBC.co.uk 16 June 2006 Public consultation is expected in October 2006.

=Secondary Schools

=
*Ashford-Friars School (formally Ashford School and Friars School) (Independent)
*Christ Church C of E High School
*Highworth Grammar School for Girls
*The North School
*Norton Knatchbull Grammar School (for Boys)
*Swadelands School
*Towers School

=Colleges

=
*Ashford School of Art & Design (Henwood Industrial Estate and Tufton Street)
*South Kent College - Jemmett Campus
*South Kent College - South Ashford Campus
*Imperial College London has a major campus at nearby Wye, after it merged with Wye College, the University of London's agricultural college in 2000.

Ashford's Population Growth

Population

In 1801, the population of Ashford and Willesborough was 2,600; in 1861 this had more than tripled to 8,800; and in 1961 the figure was 28,000. The census, for Ashford, in 1991 showed the total number of persons as 92,331 and by 2001 it had risen to 102,661. Kent Councils mid year estimated population, for 2004 is 107,700 showing substantial continued growth in the size of the town, the most growth in Kent. The County Councils population forecasts for 2011 and 2016 are 119,600 and 129,000 giving an increase of 25.2% since 2001 KCC's Strategy-based (Apr '06): Population Forecasts

The 2001 Census reported Ashford as having National Statistics
*41,450 households
*70% of residents describing their health as 'good'
*27% of 16-74 year olds having no qualifications
*an unemployment rate of 2.4% of all economically active people aged 16-74