Ashford Railway Works

The railway works came to Ashford in 1847 and grew to be the third largest works in the country. Initially locomotives were built  and in 1850 the carriage and wagon works opened. The growth of the works can be illustrated by the number employed – 1851 : 600, 1861 : 950, 1882 : 1300. In the 1900’s almost one third of the town’s population were employed at the works. Much of South Ashford was developed as housing for the workers centered on Beaver Road and Newtown. The locomotive works closed in 1962, the carriage and wagon works in 1982 and the wheel shop in 1993.