Ashford derives its name from the shallow ford which crossed the River Ash at the junction of Fordbridge Road and Kingston Road.

The spelling is given as Exeforde in the Domesday Book, from the Celtic word 'Exe', meaning water, and there were other versions, including Echelford.

Difficulty in pronouncing the word meant that it came to be colloquially known as Ashford, and that name was taken up officially.

Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, Ashford belonged to the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, or Westminster Abbey.

It was annexed by Henry VIII to the Honour of Hampton Court, and leased to Richard Ellis, a member of the Royal Household.

Subsequent Lords of the Manor were Guy Godolphin, John Smythe, Henry Field, Urias Babington and Peter Storer whose tombstone in the churchyard of St Matthew's Church marks the chancel of the ancient Chapel of St Michael, which was demolished in 1856.

The present parish church was erected in 1858. When the Welsh Charity School for Boys and Girls was erected in 1857, the Honourable and Loyal Society of Ancient Britons defrayed a quarter of the cost of the new church, on condition that the South Aisle be held in perpetuity for use by the children the low pews are still in position.

In 1817, a 'Sunday School' to teach reading and writing started in Feltham Hill Road and became a National School in premises in Denton Road, later called School Road, in 1866.

In 1872, the West London District School for deprived children was opened in District Road, which was later renamed Woodthorpe Road.

The building is now Ashford Remand Centre.

The London and South Western Railway came to Ashford in 1848, and led to considerable expansion within the town.

Part of the Manor House Farm became premises for Ashford Manor Golf Club in about 1899, and the Links Hotel was built to accommodate golfers from London.

Ashford was renowned for the number of large houses, including The Clockhouse, The Elms, Muncaster House, Normanhurst, The Limes, Eccelsfield, Ashford Lodge and Ashford Villa, all of which have now been demolished.

At the first census in 1801, the population was 264, rising in 1851 to about 500 and 1,019 in 1871.

By 1901, this had grown to 4,816, by 1921 to 7,673 and in 1951, the figure had swelled to 21,639. The population has continued to rise until the 1980s, when it was estimated to be over 30,000.