An alternative look at the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire

Quite often in conversations people will suggest that I must know the county of Derbyshire like the back of my hand given my role as editor of a magazine dedicated specifically to the county.

There’s some degree of truth in that. You naturally have your fingers on the pulse in terms of what’s going on across and you’re always processing a constant flow of information and news from all areas of the county. You also learn a lot along the way.

However, this is predominantly a ‘desk job’ and if you’re not careful you can find yourself viewing Derbyshire mainly through the eyes of others.

These ‘others’ of course are wonderful sources. Contributors who know both Derbyshire and the subjects of which they write inside out, and readers who are passionate and knowledgeable about their locality.

I’m fortunate to have access to a wonderful treasure trove of information about our county from a variety of trusted sources.

Without having to delve too deeply into my mind I could reel off, for example, many things Ashbourne is famous for, what its landmarks are, what to look out for – even its population and details about its earliest history.

All of these aspects of Ashbourne’s identity can, of course, go some way to providing a feature or features which will be of interest on a variety of levels to readers.

But what if somebody asked me what the vibe was like in Ashbourne? What my favourite parts of the town are? My favourite shop? Where I would suggest parking?

Here, I may struggle.

Of course, that’s not to say I have never been to Ashbourne – far from it. Indeed, I have been to all 12 towns that will be covered here in 2025.

Yet I certainly haven’t, to my shame, been to Ashbourne recently – until the other day, that is.

There is nothing like seeing, doing and experiencing to truly get a feel for a place. It’s why this year’s An Editor’s Journey series will be light on facts, stats and figures and heavy on real-life anecdotes and experiences.

It affords me the liberating feeling of penning this monthly feature with no preconceived ideas and with no research – other than the natural research which comes from having my feet on the ground in the towns I visit.

For the reader, I hope it provides a very human perspective to the wonderful places we cover.

I’ve been looking forward to starting this series and if I enjoy my time in the other 11 towns half as much as I did in Ashbourne, I know I will be in for a treat.

THE GATEWAY TO DOVEDALE

‘The Gateway to Dovedale’ read the sign which welcomed me to the town – a surefire way of knowing I was in a beautiful part of the world.

Not that I needed much reminding. The journey from my Matlock base to Ashbourne was a lovely one. Down the promenade of the familiar Matlock Bath, past Cromford’s Masson Mill, up to Stoney Middleton, past the beautifully tranquil Carsington with its expansive waters, through wonderfully quaint Kniverton and finally into Ashbourne itself.

The beauty of this free-spirited trip (although I am sure it will catch me out somewhere down the line in this series) is that I didn’t put a car park into my satnav as I wanted the visit to be a fully serendipitous one.

It just so happened that Clifton Road Car Park was where I chose to park up, perhaps influenced by the imposing spire that dominated the nearby skyline.

I had, of course, stumbled across St Oswald’s Church.

The beautiful St Oswald’s Church (Image: Gary Wallis) Across a cute little brook and past some beautiful almhouses I approached this impressive structure and headed inside.

I had this awe-inspiring 12th century church all to myself, save a couple of organists practicing. The noise that reverberated around this empty space which has provided a place of worship for centuries really was something.

An organist practices in an empty St Oswald’s (Image: Nathan Fearn) The tombs found in one section of the church were as fascinating as they were beautiful. One in particular was particularly moving, given it was considerably smaller than the others.

This was the tomb of a six-year-old girl named Penelope from the late 1700s. Part of the inscription read: ‘She was in form and intellect most exquisite. The unfortunate parents ventured their all on this frail bark and the wreck was total.’

The beautiful St Oswald’s Church (Image: Nathan Fearn) In truth, I could have spent much longer at the church but the heart of the town was beckoning.

As I headed out of the church grounds and the peace and quiet became punctuated by sounds of life, what immediately struck me was the sheer beauty of the architecture – not least the Tudor and Georgian buildings.

It’s impossible not to notice the busy main road that runs through it which means it doesn’t quite have the olde worlde vibes of, say, a York, but the buildings that line the route are nevertheless mightily impressive.

There are so many little nuggets of information to take in too.

From the ‘Free Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth Queen of England, founded in 1585’ plaque followed by a similar-looking one commemorating the visit of Queen Elizabeth II on one side of the road to a black oval plaque on the opposite side stating ‘Dr. John Taylor was visited by Dr. Samuel Johnson at this house 1740-1784’, there was much to discover.

The deeper I went into the town, the more Ashbourne revealed itself.

Dare to be Different, a designer, retro and vintage shop on Dig Street felt very ‘Ashbourne’, while it was striking how many shops had an ‘of Ashbourne’ suffix, which gave the town centre a really local feel that has maybe been eroded from many towns across the country.

Fresh Choice of Ashbourne looked inviting with its abundant local produce and alongside individuals getting on with their busy lives, locals chatted contently and animatedly with each other in shop doorways.

I was surprised with just how thriving the town centre felt.

Granted, this was a Saturday afternoon but the various cafes, pubs and restaurants were busy, with people of all ages enjoying each other’s company.

Poms, on St John Street, particularly caught my eye. ‘Love people. Love food’ it proclaims on its inviting front and this was reflected by the hive of activity and happy faces to be seen inside.

The pavements gave way to Ashbourne’s famous cobbles as I approached the most visually familiar (for me at least) part of the town – the unmistakable Victoria Square and Market Place, with its quirky architecture, and the nearby iconic ‘Green Man and Black’s Head Royal Hotel’ entrance.

A nod to Victorian Ashbourne (Image: Nathan Fearn) The gas lamp, which states at its base that it was erected by the Ashbourne Gas Company in 1884, is a striking feature and there are many more touches of nostalgia in this part of the town – notably the revitalised Elite Cinema and Theatre, the faded and barely legible wordings on some of the buildings’ roofs which point to different times and even the traditional painted marker denoting that London lies 139 miles away.

Yet for all its quaintness, which I really love, there’s plenty of evidence that Ashbourne is a town which hasn’t been left behind by modern life.

There are a number of high quality businesses here, not least Avanti, showing off exquisite jewellery in its windows.

Fresh from browsing the charity shops and picking up a ‘Kevin Carrot’ book for my youngest, I decided to treat myself to an alcohol-free Guinness at the Machine Inn, on Church Street.

Enjoying a drink at the lovely Machine Inn (Image: Nathan Fearn) This place, which also offers accommodation, is glorious. Many, like me, were enjoying a drink while in another part of the premises, couples and groups enjoyed meals which appeared high quality – based on the smell alone!

As I briskly headed back in the direction of Clifton Road Car Park as my phone pinged to remind me my allotted time in the car park was coming to an end, I reflected on my whistlestop tour of this proud Derbyshire town.

These places can become so synonymous with specific events – it’s hard, for example, to make no mention to this point of the world-famous Royal Shrovetide Football this part of the world is so renowned for, but it is possible.

Because sometimes to focus on the obvious does a disservice to everything else a place has to offer and make no mistake, Ashbourne is a place with plenty to offer.

Ashbourne will no doubt be far from perfect – where is?

Artists Impression St John Street after the Ashbourne Reborn developments (Image: Derbyshire Dales District Council) The £15.2m Ashbourne Reborn project, which began in 2023 and is due for completion in autumn 2025 and will ‘pave the way for a more pedestrian-friendly town centre’ among other improvements, will no doubt enhance this charming Derbyshire town still further.

However, in the here and now, I found it a quite lovely place to spend a Saturday afternoon and I’ll certainly be back soon.

Next month, I leave the Derbyshire Dales behind and head up the A6 from Matlock to the Amber Valley town of Belper.