Ashford Borough Museum

Ashford Borough Museum tells the story of the town and its surrounding villages from prehistoric times to the present day. Housed in the timber-framed Grade II listed Dr Wilks Hall on Church Yard, in the historic heart of Ashford beside St Mary's Parish Church, the museum occupies one of the oldest buildings in the town centre.

The displays draw on a varied collection of local archaeology, social history and natural history. Visitors can see Roman finds from the Weald, agricultural tools that reflect Ashford's long-standing role as a market town, and material relating to the arrival of the South Eastern Railway in the 19th century, which transformed Ashford into a major railway works and engineering hub.

Smaller themed exhibits cover wartime life on the Kent Home Front, local industries and the everyday objects of Ashford households across the decades. The museum is run largely by volunteers, and changing displays mean there is usually something new alongside the permanent collection. It is a useful first stop for visitors wanting to understand the wider Ashford borough before exploring the town and nearby villages.