One of the prettiest villages to be found anywhere in Derbyshire, or beyond for that matter, Ashover boasts a fascinating 15th century church, many historic buildings and stunning surrounding countryside.
The village lies in the valley of the River Amber, about equidistant between the towns of Chesterfield to the north and Matlock to the south.
It has a long history dating back to the Saxons who called the village 'Essovre' - beyond the ash trees. The Domesday Book credited it with a church, a priest, several ploughs and a mill, with a taxable value of 30 shillings.
Amazingly, this tiny Derbyshire village played a very important role in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, as bowmen from Ashover, Men of Asher as they were known, fought with Henry V at the famous battle.
One of the local pubs, The Crispin, also has direct links to the momentous event in English history.
The village was important to the lead mining and quarrying industries and was also home to the stocking frame knitting industry, but little of that remains.
Today, Ashover is valued for the beautiful countryside that surrounds it and better known for the Ashover Show in August and the Ashover Festival in September.
You can follow the Ashover Audio Trail, produced by North East Derbyshire District Council, around the village.
From memories of baboons in the former Ashover Zoo, to hauntings of some of the local pubs, the trail is brought to life with interviews from people who live in Ashover, whose stories stretch back to the early 20th century.
The podcast can also be downloaded directly to your mobile phone.
visitpeakdistrict.com.
AMENITIES
Local services in the village are provided by North East Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire County Council, and Ashover Parish Council.
The village is a rural haven and is surrounded by multiple wonderful walking opportunities and open spaces in the heart of the village exists in the form of Ashover Cricket Club, which plays in the Derbyshire County Cricket League.
Ashover is famously well served by three highly popular and historic pubs, namely the Old Poets Corner, the Black Swan, and the aforementioned Crispin Inn, all found in close proximity with each other.
The Stamp Coffee Shop is found within the village Post Office and offers an array of quality food and drink, while the Tuck Shop (locally known as Roma’s after the lady who ran it for well over 60 years), provides essentials and treats. It is now run by Rona’s daughter, Anna, who is continuing the family tradition.
From a health perspective, the village is served by Ashover Medical Centre, which is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission.
Regular public transport links are available in and out of the village courtesy of the number 63 service, which connects Chesterfield with Matlock.
PROPERTIES
According to Rightmove, the UK’s largest online real estate property portal (rightmove.co.uk), properties in Ashover had an overall average price of £505,000 over the last year.
The majority of sales in Ashover during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £500,000.
Overall, sold prices in Ashover over the last year were down one per cent on the previous year and 13% down on the 2020 peak of £577,812.
Ashover is home to gorgeous architecture and this is reflected in its properties. At the time of writing (July 4 2024) there are 17 properties available for purchase in the village, ranging in valuation from £249,500 to £1,395,000.
Of the 17 properties, 12 command an asking price of at least £500,000, reflecting the quality of properties in the village.
Education provision in the village comes in the form of Ashover Primary School, which also offers a nursery, breakfast club and afterschool care. The school has been classified as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following its most recent inspection in 2022.
Eastwood Grange School, an independent school providing specialist education and care services for children and young people with a range of needs, is also situated close to the village.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ashover’s pretty boundary sign on entry to the village reads: ‘Welcome to Ashover – Community First’ and this ethos saw the village named the winner of the prestigious Calor Village of the Year competition in 2005, beating off stiff competition from villages from across the whole of England. In terms of size, while the village itself is quite compact, at circa 10,000 acres, the parish of Ashover is one of the largest in the country.
