The Museum

The Wilks Memorial Hall
The Wilks Memorial Hall

Returning to the churchyard, you have now reached the end of the trail. While you’re here, this is a perfect point to visit the Ashford Borough Museum to learn even more about Ashford’s past.

The Wilks Memorial Hall, which houses a large part of the Museum, was built in 1635 as Ashford’s Free Grammar School by Sir Norton Knatchbull (1569-1636), of Mersham Hatch, Kent, after who the school, in it’s current location in Hythe Road, is named.

As you walk around, look out for the original schoolboy graffiti on the walls, observe the old headmaster’s chair, and reflect on over 4,000 years of Ashford’s history.

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