Ashbourne is a small picturesque market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of just over 7,000.
| Ashbourne | |
|---|---|
| Population | Expression error: "7,112 (Parish)" must be numeric |
| OS grid reference | SK1846 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ASHBOURNE |
| Postcode district | DE6 |
| Dialling code | 01355 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Ashbourne is known for its annual two day Royal Shrovetide Football Match in which one half of the town plays the other at football, using the town as the pitch and with the goals three miles apart. As many as several thousand players compete for two days with a hand-painted, cork-filled ball. The game is played over two eight-hour periods, the goals are three miles apart and there are only a few rules. There are just two teams - the Up'ards and the Down'ards. Shrovetide football has been played for centuries and possibly for over 1,000 years. It is a moving brawl which continues through the roads of the town, across fields and even along the bed of the local river. There have been intermittent attempts to ban the game but it has been played here for hundreds of years and, fortunately, still continues.
The MP for Ashbourne is Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative), the MP for Derbyshire Dales.
The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.
The Tissington Trail, a popular recreational path, starts at Mapleton Lane on the northern outskirts of town and follows the course of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, running through the village of Tissington and joining the High Peak Trail (the old Cromford and High Peak Railway) at Parsley Hay. The line, which had been built in 1894, closed to regular passenger traffic in 1954, and all services on the Ashbourne-Parsley Hay section, including excursion traffic, ceased in 1964.
The line continued down the Dove to Rocester near Uttoxeter where it joined the main North Staffordshire Railway. This southern link had opened in 1899. It also closed to passengers in 1954, finishing completely in the early '60s.
A branch of the Limestone Way also starts in the town.
Ashbourne Churches Together (ACT) has a link with the Diocese of Patna in the ecumenical Church of North India. Regular visits take place in both directions and members of ACT are currently sponsoring the education of children in a school in Bihar, one of the poorest states in India.
Ashbourne became the 97th Fairtrade Town in March 2005 after many businesses, cafes, shops and community organisations started supporting Fairtrade. Activities are co-ordinated by the Ashbourne Fairtrade Town Initiative and an online Fairtrade Directory is available on their site (see below for link).
Geography
- Ashbourne is located at 53°01′00″N 01°43′00″W / 53.01667°N 1.71667°W (53.0167, -1.7167)1.
External links
- Visit Ashbourne - Ashbourne Partnership Website
- Ashbourne Rugby Union Football Club
- Derbyshire Dales Council Website
- Ashbourne Fairtrade Town Initiative's site
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