Ashwell is a beautiful village in North Herefordshire with many well-preserved buildings from the 16th and 17th century giving a glimpse into how England used to look.
Travel has changed the village and it’s now a thriving town. Being close to the A1 and M11, many people live here but work in nearby cities. A shuttle bus runs to Ashwell & the Morden train station, which is just a couple of miles away. There are fast links from here to London’s Kings Cross (about 40 minutes) and Cambridge (about 25 minutes), making this village very popular with commuters.
There’s a lovely collection of shops in Ashwell, such as Crumps Butchers, Days Bakers, the Village Stores, and the Rhubarb & Mustard Café and Shop. The village has three good pubs, including the Bushell & Strike, where the chef likes to use the traditional cooking methods using fire, but with a twist. The Rose & Crown is a characterful pub, with an inglenook fireplace, and The Three Tunns is a 200-year-old pub serving good food, with rooms available too. There are a couple of hairdressers, a pharmacy, dentist, jewellers and a garage. The village is surrounded by beautiful countryside making it an idyllic place to live.
Ashwell Primary School is a popular school within the village that caters for children aged 3 to 11 years old. After this, children go to Knights Templar Secondary School in nearby Baldock.
Ashwell has plenty of clubs to get involved including the Bell-ringers club and Ashwell Horticultural Society. Sports-wise, there’s Ashwell Football Club, Ashwell Cricket Club, and Ashwell Tennis and Sports Club, and the town comes together for its annual Village Sports Day.
Ashwell Springs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and it’s where freshwater springs form and create part of the source for the River Cam. The spring pools provide a cold water habitat for some rare invertebrate animals. The springs are easily reached via a footpath from Ashwell’s high street.
Due to artefacts that have been found in the area, it’s known that people have lived on Ashwell’s land since the Stone Age. Ashwell Village Museum houses these artefacts as well as others, marking the town’s history right through to the present day.
It’s thought that Ashwell was established in the 10th century, and it’s noted in the Domesday Book as the most important settlement in the area. The market place here has been important historically as it brought much wealth to the town. This is why there are such amazing medieval buildings here, such at St Mary’s Church. Much of the church was built in the 14th century and its tall tower is a popular landmark as it can be seen miles around. In the basement of the tower, there’s some famous graffiti depicting when the Black Death came to the village in 1350 and finally left in 1361.
There are beautiful villages nearby, including:
Guilden Morden, Steeple Morden, Hinxworth, Newnham, Eyeworth, Dunton and Odsey.
