Ash

Ash is a small village near the River Stour, in the Dover district of east Kent, neighbouring the town of Sandwich. The village developed because it was once on the main thoroughfare between Canterbury and the port of Sandwich, which connected the county to the continent for trade purposes. Its name derives from the Old English æsc, which translates to "ash". The settlement was given to the See of Canterbury in the year 850 AD by the Anglo-Saxon king, Athelstan. The 12th century parish of St Nicholas houses the best collection of medieval monumental effigies in Kent. Many medieval buildings still remain in the village, including a number of original manor houses and Tudor cottages. The pub, The Chequer Inn is an original timbered hall house dating from the early 16th century.