Ashbourne
Jan 21st, 2009 by Peak District Tourist Guide
If you enjoy visiting places that offer an old-time atmosphere, you should definitely visit Ashbourne. This town offers shops, historic buildings, medieval street patterns, which is all centered around an outdoor market place. Ashbourne is one of Derbyshire’s finest towns. It is located south in a valley of the Peak District.
Beautiful Ashbourne as it has become to be known is one of those places that really brings together the charm and atmosphere of an old world town. The layout of the town is reflective of towns of a bygone age before planning applications and more modern town planning criteria and requirements came into force.
The focus of Ashbourne is still centralised around the outdoor market place from which radiates the medieval street layout with its shops and historic buildings.
The best way to be able to see and experience the true beauty of the place is to take a tour of the village and to try and cast your mind back to the days of horse and cart and the gentry walking around in their finest silks.
The town has all manner of hidden alleyways, and yards turning each corner around the cobbled market place to explore all very reminiscent of a period drama. You literally never know what delightful little shop your going to stumble across next.
The town, dating back to the Georgian period, was a highly fashionable and busy place for the wealthy all those centuries ago. This is very evident when you walk around and take a good look at the buildings and the architecture, which are truly magnificent.
The town did have a darker side though during the industrial period when the ironworkers were very poor. This led to the building of a number of almshouses in the area.
The Owfields Almshouses were built in 1640 but the upper parts of the homes were built in 1840.
In 1669, the Peggies Almshouses were built and made with sandstone and in 1733, the Georgian Almshouse was also developed. This was three stories high and was built on three sides of a courtyard as entertainment for the four widows of England’s Clergymen.
The Georgian Almshouse became known as the Clergy Widows Almshouse and is today privately owned.
As well as being the birthplace of Catherine Booth who was the wife of the founder of the Salvation Army (William Booth), Ashbourne is also famous for the Shrove Tide Football Game, which lasts nearly two days.
The game takes place behind the Green Man in the Shaw Croft Car Park every year on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The Up’Ards and the Down’Ards play the game through three miles of streets that are open up in the country. The goals are between Sturston and Clifton.
There are so many things to say about this town but if you choose to stay in one of the cottages in Ashbourne make sure you also see the statue of Penelope Boothby. It is made of white marble and it is sure to amaze you beyond belief.
