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Oswalds Church Ashbourne
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Ashbourne is situated
in the middle of England 
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the Midlands, in the county of Derbyshire, at the southerly end of the Pennine
chain - the mountainous backbone of England.
Derbyshire is popular with tourists and locals alike for its great beauty - from the ruggedness of the Peak District in the north to the more gentle hills in the south of the county.
Want to see a zoomable map of Ashbourne then click here!
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Ashbourne itself is a charming, picturesque - predominantly Georgian - market town nestling in the gently sloping Henmore valley. Market days are Thursday and Saturday. Click here to see 24 hrs film of the Market Place on UTube |
It is surrounded by a wide rural area, beautiful scenery and picturesque villages. The nearest city is Derby, 15 miles to the south-east, but a number of small and not so small towns are well within 30 - 40 minutes drive, such as Matlock, Buxton, Leek and Bakewell. A little further afield are the cities of Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham.
Arial photos of Ashbourne - copyright G.Hobster
Points of interest are the old Kennings Garage in Dig St on the bottom right of picture 2 where Lloyds the Chemist is now, and of course QUEGS in the top right of picture 2.
(For some more fantastic aerial photographs of Ashbourne (and the surrounding area) visit Graham Hobster's home page.)
All roads may lead to Rome, but in this part of Derbyshire they all seem to lead
to Ashbourne 
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In fact in bygone days it was at the meeting point of six main coaching routes,
including the London to Manchester route. This helped to raise its prominence
in the past as a local commercial center (and also probably accounting for the
large number of pubs in such a small town!). Indeed, those days may be gone, but
Ashbourne is still the main commercial center for the large number of surrounding
villages. It's bus station, four banks, numerous shops and twice weekly general
market (Thursdays/Saturdays) attest to this. It is unfortunate that the weekly
cattle market is no more, following the completion of the new cattle market at
Buxton.
Ashbourne is also a popular stopping off and staging point for the many tourists who come to the region, and as such caters for this - indeed, tourism is extremely important not only to Ashbourne but to the county. It has many small tea rooms, restaurants and gift shops as well as specialist outdoor clothing and climbing equipment shops. Many of the visitors come to walk or cycle in the surrounding hills and mountains, (cycles can be hired locally). Maps and guide books can readily be found in many of the local newsagents and bookshops as well as the local Tourist Information Center - (tel 01335-343666)
The town itself has many historic buildings and interesting yards and alleys to explore, one of the oldest buildings being the predominately 12th/13th Century church of St Oswalds, whose magnificent steeple overshadows the town. Have a look at our "Sites" page for some of the historical buildings in the town.
Click here to read the October 2007 "Ashbourne Economic Assessment Report".
Visit the Save the Old Grammer School Page
Photos of Ashbourne
Here are some photographs I've taken around town. If there are any particular
local photos you would like added just email me - have camera will travel!. Or
if you have any photos you would like including,
me, Alan Fagg - I can scan them and add them to the site.
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St Oswalds Hospital |
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These also show the new Millenium Clock erected in St John's St, opposite the Gingerbread Shop.
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These show Ashbourne Hall, or whats left of it and 4 shots of the Thursday market.
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 Panorama of Market day 54 Kb |
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Ashbourne Page
- Derbyshire UK Website |
( Please also see our Accomodation Page)
Bank House - 31 Church St, Ashbourne - tel 01335-347079
AA **** luxurious bed & breakfast in a period Georgian house in the centre of Ashbourne!
to site home page - www.ashbourne-town.com
