Newtown | |
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Location within Kent | |
OS grid reference | TR017415 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Police | Kent |
Fire | Kent |
Ambulance | South East Coast |
UK Parliament | |
Newtown is a suburb of Ashford in Kent, South East England. It was built by the South Eastern Railway (SER), south-east of the railway station, alongside Ashford railway works. Originally designed for railway workers, the estate survived the closure of the works in the late 20th century, which is in the process of being redeveloped.
The estate was purchased by the SER in February 1846 for £21,000. The original name was Alfred Town, or Alfred New Town, but it had become known by its present name by 1861. [1] It was laid out in roughly a triangular pattern, with a green in the centre. [2]
The first properties to be built the following year were 72 cottages for workers, including engineers, fitters, smiths, carpenters, painters and other labourers. Further expansion led to a population rise from 3,000 to 5,000 by 1852. In 1861, a school was built, with space for 500 children. The Locomotive pub was constructed in 1866, later being renamed to the Alfred Arms. [1] A carriage shop was constructed between 1858 and 1871; it is now Grade II listed. [3] A mechanics institute and school was constructed on land alongside the Ashford to Hastings line. A clock tower was constructed at the entrance to the works at Newtown in 1897, which was replaced by a free-standing design in 1907. [4] After the works expanded in 1912, a further 126 homes were constructed, making a total of 272. [2]
The town survived as its purpose for housing railway workers into the 20th century. The railway works continued to build and service locomotives after nationalisation of the railways in 1948. The locomotive workshop closed in 1962, while the wagon workshop closed in 1982. However, the area continued to be popular because of the continuing investment in the railway, including the introduction of Eurostar services, and then the High Speed 1 domestic services to London. [5]
In the 21st century, Newtown was redeveloped with the construction of Ashford International Studios, a multi-media complex built on the site of the former railway works. Planning was approved in 2020, with the expectation it would generate 2,000 jobs in the local area. [6] The premises are expected to be complete by 2025. [7]
Ashford Green Corridor, a Local Nature Reserve, includes Newtown Green, adjacent to Newtown.
Ashford is a town in the Ashford district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Great Stour at the southern or scarp edge of the North Downs, about 61 miles (98 km) southeast of central London and 15.3 miles (24.6 km) northwest of Folkestone by road. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,405. The name comes from the Old English æscet, indicating a ford near a clump of ash trees. It has been a market town since the Middle Ages, and a regular market continues to be held.
Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England, in the south-east of the county. Its council is based in the town of Folkestone. The authority was renamed from Shepway in April 2018, and therefore has the same name as the Folkestone and Hythe parliamentary constituency, although a somewhat narrower area is covered by the district.
The Borough of Ashford is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. It borders five other Kent districts, as well as East Sussex to the south-west. Ashford Borough Council's main offices are in the town of Ashford. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the then Borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district as well as the Rural Districts of East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden. Covering 58,000 hectares, it is the largest district by area in Kent.
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London commuter network. The company existed until 31 December 1922 when its assets were merged with those of other companies to form the Southern Railway as a result of the grouping determined by the Railways Act 1921. The railway was always in a difficult financial situation and went bankrupt in 1867, but was able to continue to operate. Many of the difficulties were caused by the severe competition and duplication of services with the South Eastern Railway (SER). However, in 1898 the LCDR agreed with the SER to share the operation of the two railways, work them as a single system and pool receipts: but it was not a full amalgamation. The SER and LCDR remained separate companies with separate shareholders until both becoming constituents of the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923.
Eveleigh is an inner southern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Eveleigh is located about 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee (SE&CRCJMC), known as the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR), was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway (SER) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR), which operated between London and south-east England. Between 1899 and 1923, the SE&CR had a monopoly of railway services in Kent and to the main Channel ports for ferries to France and Belgium.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent. The SER absorbed or leased other railways, some older than itself, including the London and Greenwich Railway and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. Most of the company's routes were in Kent, eastern Sussex and the London suburbs, with a long cross-country route from Redhill in Surrey to Reading, Berkshire.
The Southern Railway took a key role in expanding the 660 V DC third rail electrified network begun by the London & South Western Railway. As a result of this, and its smaller operating area, its steam locomotive stock was the smallest of the 'Big Four' companies.
The Marshlink line is a railway line in South East England. It runs from Ashford, Kent via Romney Marsh, Rye and the Ore Tunnel to Hastings where it connects to the East Coastway line towards Eastbourne. Services are provided by Southern.
Ashford International railway station is a National Rail station in Ashford, Kent, England. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern Main Line. Services are operated by Southeastern and Southern.
Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England.
Swindon Works was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1843 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It served as the principal west England maintenance centre until closed in 1986.
The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the Chatham Main Line which runs along the north Kent coast to Ramsgate or Dover via Chatham and High Speed 1 which runs through the centre of Kent to the coast at Folkestone where it joins the Channel Tunnel.
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) C Class is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive, designed by Harry Wainwright and built between 1900 and 1908. They were designed for freight duties, although occasionally used for passenger trains. They operated over the lines of the railway in London and south-east England until the early 1960s. One example was rebuilt as an S Class saddle tank.
The South Eastern Railway (SER) O Class was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive designed for freight work, and were the main freight engines of the SER, and later the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) for a number of years. However, they were displaced by the more powerful C class locomotives following the amalgamation of the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) in 1899. This relegated the class to working on the numerous branch lines in Kent, on both passenger and freight work. They worked most notably on the Kent & East Sussex Railway and East Kent Railway, operating coal trains from the Kent coal fields to London, as well as shunting work at such locations as Shepherds Well, Hoo Junction and Ashford. The majority were withdrawn before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and those that remained were slowly withdrawn from nationalisation onwards.
Smartlink was a passenger bus transit system link proposed in 2006 between the town centre of Ashford, Kent, England and its suburbs and main amenities.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.
James I'Anson Cudworth was an English railway engineer, and was Locomotive Superintendent of the South Eastern Railway (SER). He served in this capacity from 1845 to 1876. He is notable for designing a successful method for burning coal in steam locomotives without significant emission of smoke, and for introducing the 0-4-4T wheel arrangement to English railways.
Park Farm railway station, also known as Kingsnorth railway station was a proposal for a railway station in Kent on the Marshlink line between Ashford International and Ham Street stations. The station would serve the Park Farm and Cheeseman's Green development areas. In December 2018 it was announced that the station would not be built.
Ashford International Studios is a proposed multi-media commercial and residential site in Newtown, Ashford, Kent, on the site of the former Ashford railway works, adjacent to Ashford International station.
Heritage Strategy (PDF). Ashford Borough Council (Report). October 2017.