On Castle Street lies Ashford’s most distinctive landmark: our WWI Mark IV tank. She was presented to the town in 1919 by the Army Council as thanks for residents’ enthusiastic response to the National War Savings scheme. A ‘female’ variant, at over 26 tons, the tank could move at only 7 mph – but she was a formidable weapon. Upon retirement she briefly housed an electricity substation; this post-war service ensured she wasn’t scrapped like so many others and she is now the only one on public display in the entire country!
In 1842 plans were made to provide electricity to Ashford but it took until 1926 for this to happen.