The Ash

The Ash lies at the junction where the road running east to west through the village crosses the river that probably gave the hamlet its name. The name might also have been influenced by the presence of ash trees that once grew there.

Stortford Road, to the east of The Ash, and Standon Road, to the west now carry little through traffic because of the bypass. The ancient name of this main thoroughfare is Stane Street, a road dating back to Roman times, which linked London and Colchester. Until 1920 the river was forded by the main road with a narrow raised bridge to keep pedestrians’ feet dry. The convergence of road and river gave rise to ancient settlements that sprang up in this part of Hertfordshire such as the one around the Ash.

The River Ash is one of a few examples of a chalk stream. It rises just north of Brent Pelham and, fed by springs, it runs through the Ash Valley to join the River Lea south of Ware. Once a well-used waterway, it is a more modest affair today, sometimes drying up completely in summer.  In the past it was frequently capable of flooding during heavy rain, wreaking havoc and causing damage to homes and other property, notably in 2001. The new bypass includes flood alleviation measures which should significantly lower this risk.

The Stortford Road passes Little Hadham Primary School, once a church school and the venue for Parish Council meetings from 1945 until 1973. It is now a junior/mixed infants’ school with a pre-school nursery.

Further on is Church End, a small hamlet containing the parish church of St. Cecilia. Continuing east, the road passes historic Hadham Hall and turnings to the hamlets of Green Street and Cradle End. As it leaves the parish of Little Hadham the road joins up with the by-pass that encircles the north of the Ash. On the west side of the traffic lights, the Standon Road runs through mainly open countryside to the villages of Standon and Puckeridge.

The by-pass, completed at the end of 2021, carries much of the through traffic to the north of the village. The Stortford and Standon Roads are joined at The Ashe by Albury Road, which runs north out of the village towards Little Hadham’s immediate neighbour, Albury. In the opposite direction, the road leading to Much Hadham (shown in some publications as the ‘Unnamed C15’) runs south past The Smithy and Lloyd Taylor Close to the next hamlet, The Ford.

Most historic villages enjoy the quirkiness of names; Little Hadham is no exception. The spelling of the names of some hamlets varies, depending on who you speak to. The Ash is, today, usually spelt without the ‘e’ (except on bus timetables!). And it is still sometimes called Hadham Ashe (or Hadham on Ashe). Historically, The Ford is actually Hadham Ford – and so on. This just adds to the fun of exploring Little Hadham’s history and is good for hours of wrangling among older residents!