Newtown is a suburb of Ashford in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of england, ...

. It was built by the South Eastern Railway (SER), south-east of the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

, alongside

Ashford railway works Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England. History South Eastern Railway Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway on a new site in 1847, replacing an earlier locomotive repair fac ...

. 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.

History

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. It was laid out in roughly a triangular pattern, with a green in the centre. 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. A carriage shop was constructed between 1858 and 1871; it is now Grade II listed. 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. After the works expanded in 1912, a further 126 homes were constructed, making a total of 272. 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 Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated sep ...

services, and then the

High Speed 1 High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel. It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; ...

domestic services to London. 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. The premises are expected to be complete by 2025.

References

{{Commons category, Newtown, Kent Ashford, Kent

History

See also

References