Ashley Village - Ashley, Northamptonshire - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

"The name Ashley means ‘ash tree clearing’. The village, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086), formed part of the once extensive Rockingham Forest royal hunting area established by William the Conqueror. However, discovery of Roman relics near the village, during the construction of the Rugby to Stamford Railway in the 1840s, suggests a much earlier settlement.

In 2007, academies from the University of East Anglia conducted a historic landscape survey of the Welland Valley for Rockingham Forest Trust. They described the ridge and furrow evidence of medieval farming techniques, which can be seen in many of the fields around Ashley, as some of the best preserved in Europe.

From the air, it can be seen that the general pattern of ridge and furrow is interrupted by the outline of a 13th-century deer park. This occupied a roughly rectangular area of approximately 14 acres to the south-west of the village, adjacent to the parish boundary with Weston-by-Welland. The park was created in 1290 by Walter de Langton, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, who was granted license ‘to enclose and impark his wood of Asshele and 12 acres of land adjoining thereto within the metes of the forest'.

The modern parish of Ashley comprises a triangular area of about 490 hectares. The village has a linear development pattern, with cottages and farms backing on to the gentle upland slopes of the River Welland. The original figure of eight or double loop configuration is still very much in evidence, encompassing the present-day Main Street, Hall Lane and Green Lane.

The Ashley Conservation Area Was approved in 1977 and currently covers 31 listed buildings and monuments, as well as several green Spaces — in Westhorpe and Green Lane — which are designated as ‘environmentally important open spaces’.

The Legacy of the Pulteney Family in Ashley -
In planning terms, Ashley is regarded as a ‘remodelled village’ because its centre was largely rebuilt and refurbished, in the Victorian era, by its wealthy Rector and Squire, the Rev. Richard Thomas Pulteney. When he arrived in Ashley in 1853, he found a run-down and desolate village, with the church, cottages and roads, such as they were, in a state of severe disrepair. Over the next 20 years, he used much of his personal fortune ta buy up land and cottages and to improve the village for the benefit of its inhabitants.

The Rev. Pulteney employed Sir George Gilbert Scott, perhaps the most eminent architect of his day and EF Law, a noted Northamptonshire architect, to fulfil his vision for the village. Together they replaced many of the dilapidated cottages with high quality buildings reflecting the neo-Gothic style, which was popular with the aristocracy at the time.

He began by altering the area to the south of the 14th-century church of St Mary the Virgin. in 1854, the road leading to the church was straightened and widened through the addition of pavements and a wide grass verge. The more formal, ceremonial approach to the church that this created served to emphasise the importance and dignity of this sacred building. The church itself was restored and also enlarged to make it both structurally sound and more imposing in appearance. No expense was spared on the chancel, which is highly decorated and is described by English Heritage as ‘an outstanding example of the Victorian Gothic style at its height’ (Grade 1 listed).

In 1858, the school was built on land to the south of the church. The adjacent school-master’s house was added in 1865, at right angles and fronting onto Main Street. A year later a terrace of three houses was erected on the opposite corner (18, 20 & 22 Main Street) followed by a balancing pair of semi-detached cottages (24 & 26 Main Street) in 1868.

This series of improvements produced an attractive and dignified grouping of church, school and domestic buildings and created a valuable heritage of Gothic Revival architecture in Ashley. These buildings form the heart of the Ashley Conservation Area.

In addition to remodelling the centre of the village, the Rev. Pulteney was responsible for building and refurbishing several other buildings in Ashley. The Rectory (known as Ashley Court after 1927) was enlarged to accommodate his ever-growing family of 16 children. In 1861, a pair of stone cottages was built opposite its entrance (13 & 15 Main Street) and an adjoining pair restored (17 & 19 Main Street).

The house facing this board was built in the early 1870s and was originally named The Chestnuts. It served as the rectory from 1926 until 1984 when it became a private house. Behind this house (in Hall Lane) is the original coach house to The Chestnuts, designed by the architect EF Law and now known as Rectory Cottage. To your right - at the entrance to Westhorpe - stands The Forge. The restoration of this building included the addition of an upstairs Reading Room, for use by the men of the village only.

Finally, as you leave Ashley in the direction of Market Harborough you will notice an imposing Victorian house and outbuildings on the bend, this house was built as a replacement for the farmhouse that was once sited next to the churchyard and which was demolished by the Rev. Pulteney as it was deemed to spoil the view of the church and the village on arrival from the west.

After the Rev. Pulteney’s death in 1874, the family moved to Hargrave, Essex. In 1882, Arthur Wykeham Pulteney, Rev. Pulteney’s son became Rector and Squire and moved back to Ashley, once again taking up residence in the Rectory. On his death in 1927, the Rectory passed to Arthur’s sister Beatrice Lascelles, and she and her family lived there until 1954.

The Rev. RT Pulteney, his wife Emma, and 9 of their 16 children (including Arthur Wykeham) are buried in Ashley churchyard.

Other Features of Interest in Ashley -
One of Northamptonshire’s oldest Noncontformist meeting houses (founded in 1662) is now part of The Manse in Westherpe. The original building was extended in 1831 to accommodate the minister of Ashley and Wilbarston. It Is New a private home.

The 17th-century Manor was owned by the wealthy Palmer family. It was restored in 1865 and contains a panelled Court Room which was used for manorial purposes. The outbuildings contained a malt house.

The George, the only remaining pub in the village, was once owned by the Rev. Pulteney. Brown, Horse Cottage (88 Main Street) was one of Ashley’s five original pubs and is a fine example of banded ironstone and limestone masonry.

The pump on Main Street, east of the present Village Hall marks the site of the old Town Yard. The original yard, now built over by a row of 20th-century houses, contained 10 houses and provided accommodation for 100 people. Many of these were weavers who supported a thriving basket-making industry, using willow growing along the Middleton Road.

Yeomans in Green Lane is believed to be the oldest house in the village. It is a medieval timber-framed house with cruck beams and 17th- and 19th-century additions. Shaws Cottage, also in Green Lane, was a meeting place for Nonconformists in the late 18th century.

This information board was erected by Ashley Parish Council in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In that year, the village had 112 houses and a population of 250 people."

SOURCE - info board

Type of Historic Marker: Information board and map Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Ashley Parish Council Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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