Ash was once on the main thoroughfare from
Canterbury to the
channel port of Sandwich. It takes its name from the Old English æsc (
ash) and shows its
toponymy in its first recorded form, Æsce, in about 1100. A variation may be
Esch in 1418. Ash was once part of the Royal
manor of
Wingham and having been given to the
See of Canterbury in 850 AD by
King Athelstan, it became a separate parish in 1282, one of the largest in Kent at that time. The Harflete or Harfleet family were Lords of the Manor for many years. The family died out in the late seventeenth century. The
Grade I listed parish church, is dedicated to St Nicholas and probably built on the site of an earlier
Saxon church, dates partly from the 12th century and has a 15th-century tower with a lead spire (once used as a navigation aid for ships), which now houses a ring of ten bells. It also has the best collection of medieval monumental effigies in Kent, including one to Jane Kerriel (c. 1455) which reveals a unique horseshoe head-dress. Ash is known for its
market gardens, and at one time had its own brewery and organ maker. There are two vineyards nearby. There are many medieval buildings in the village, including 'Molland House' which is named as a
Historic Building of Kent and eleven of the twelve original
manor houses. In the same lane are a number of
Tudor cottages.
The Chequer Inn began life as a
timber-framed hall house, dating from about 1500. From 1916 to 1948 it had a station ("
Ash Town") on the
East Kent Light Railway, one of Colonel Stephens' lines, which ran between
Shepherdswell and
Wingham. == Notable features ==