Ashover - 2005 Calor Village of the Year^® for England

A brief history of the village

Winner of last year's Calor Village of the Year® for England competition, Ashover clearly has a bright future - but the village, visited in December 2006 by HRH The Prince of Wales, also has a rich and remarkable history.

Situated in Derbyshire's picturesque Amber Valley, Ashover has prospered since the Domesday book of 1086 credited the village with just a church, a priest and a mill!

The church currently standing was built around 600 years ago - though parts are older still. One doorway, incorporated from the previous building, is known to have been built in 1275.

Church life has always played a key role in the community, and indeed the 128ft spire has long been recognised as a landmark in the region.

In the 15th Century lead mining became the focal point of the village - and remained the main source of Ashover's prosperity for centuries. The Gregory Mine, in the Miltown area, was in fact one of the most productive in Derbyshire for years.

It is unsurprising that mining became such a feature of life in Ashover. The region is surrounded by grit stone hills, and it was not until the dawn of the 19th Century drew close that vehicles really managed to get into the village. Consequently, Ashover was forced into self-sufficiency - relying on dairy farming and mining.

Mining reached its heyday during the 18th Century, when the Gregory Mine was employing 300 people - though the reliance on mining was to come to an end less than 100 years later.

By the 1850's, the village was a thriving community providing for almost every need. A gazetteer of 1859 lists numerous farmers, cornmillers, a malster, butchers, blacksmiths, a carpenter, shoe makers, tailors, dressmakers, printers, gardeners and, of course, public houses.

There were, at this time, five pubs in the village - of which three are still standing today. The Crispin, The Black Swan and Old Poet's Corner (formerly known as The Red Lion) all date from around the 17th Century.

During the Victorian period, Ashover revelled in the improved transport access to the area, as it became a much-visited tourist village.

Historian and author Cecil Lugard was one fan of the area - so much so that he set up home there and wrote two works about the village ('The Inns and Outs of Ashover', 1923, and 'The Saints and Sinners of Ashover', 1924).

The village continues to attract, with the famed Ashover Show drawing the community together each and every August. The show is one of many events and attractions in a village which boasts a social calendar as packed as anywhere else in the country.

A community centre, which sees so much of the village's activity, is named after the Bassett sisters - residents of Ashover and members of the family famous for creating Liquorice Allsorts.

Indeed the first mix of liquorice was made in an Ashover cottage - another claim to fame for the small village with a big history.

With such a rich history to draw on, the present Ashover community continue to strive to make the most of their local opportunities and assets in order to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all inhabitants. They are a wonderful example of what the Calor Village of the Year competition at all levels is aiming to achieve - a well balanced, pro-active, caring sustainable community.

Visit the Ashover community website