Despite its proximity to London, Ashford town centre retains its small-town character. The destination offers several different aspects, including architectural history, sport and rail connections. Ashford has mainline trains to London Waterloo. If you are planning to use this connection for your journey, check the timetable for your chosen day.
Sailing and golf as distinct attractions
Queen Mary Sailing Club offers opportunities to learn to sail and develop sailing skills at an RYA-accredited training centre. Through its RYA Sailability programme, the club also offers sailing experiences to children and adults with physical, sensory or learning disabilities. Both sailing instruction and an explicitly inclusive offering are therefore part of the sailing scene. If you are planning to take a course or participate, check the club’s latest information.
Ashford Manor Golf Club combines a precisely described course with the original Ashford Manor House: the house still stands, serves as the club’s clubhouse and overlooks the golf course. The course has 18 holes and is 6,400 yards long. As a parkland golf course, it features tree-lined fairways and approach areas to the greens well supplied with bunkers. Its length and design offer different points of reference for the course, while the preserved manor house provides an architectural connection to the golf facility.
Church architecture and local history
The Parish Church of St Matthew is in the Decorated Gothic style. It was built between 1856 and 1858 to a design by William Butterfield; the tower was added in 1865. Ragstone was used as the building material, with Bath Stone dressings and bands. St Michael in Ashford displays a different style: Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed the Roman Catholic church in a restrained neo-Romanesque style. Its construction phases spanned 1927 to 1960. Together, the churches invite comparison between different architectural forms and periods of construction. The prefix “neo” refers to the later revival of Romanesque forms.
Ashford War Memorial is also part of the town’s history: it commemorates 219 former pupils of West London District School who fell in the war. This aspect of remembrance differs from the churches’ architectural history and complements it with a specific memorial.
Green spaces and tennis
Queen Mary Reservoir opened in 1925. A more recent landscape feature is the Miyawaki forest, planted in 2026 at Hengrove Recreation Ground in North Ashford/South Stanwell. For an outdoor sporting activity, public tennis courts are also available for hire at Ashford Recreation Ground. Alongside architecture and local history, Ashford offers visitors a range of ways to get active.
Discover more destinations: Farnham, Peasmarsh, Ripley, Capel, Charlwood, Chipstead, Godalming, Camberley
For the main travel overview: Surrey.
