Ashford

This market town sits along the River Great Stour in Kent, with five railway lines meeting at a central station that handles both domestic and international passengers. The settlement spreads across farmland and low hills, with residential areas surrounding a commercial center.

Saxons built defenses near a river crossing in 893 to resist Danish attacks, founding a settlement that took its name from the shallow ford. Centuries later, the arrival of railways in the mid-1800s transformed the small market center into a regional transport junction.

St Mary's Parish Church from the thirteenth century serves both as a place of worship and as a venue for community entertainment. The building connects religious tradition with local social life throughout the year.

The Designer Outlet next to the international station offers over one hundred brand stores with reduced prices on clothing and accessories. Visitors arriving by train can walk to the shops within minutes of stepping off the platform.

The local St John Ambulance unit holds the record as the oldest continuously operating branch of its kind in England. John Furley, a resident of the town, founded the organization in the nineteenth century and shaped emergency care across the country.