Out now– the biggest VillageGuide yet. As befits the “largest Pit village in the world”, the VillageGuide for Ashington is the largest in the series so far.

Village guides are a unique new series of guides designed for the iPhone and iPads. They allow both the casual visitor and the long-time resident to have a fascinating insight into the past by telling the story of villages through text, audio and superb archive photographs.

Set in the North-East of England, they bring the region’s particular mix of industrial and medieval past to light in a way that traditional guide books cannot match. They also have very useful information for the visitor such as listing where to park or finding out where the nearest cash-point is. Plus you can also find out somewhere great to eat.

This village guide covers Ashington, describing forty-eight fascinating buildings or sites to go and look at. It has over two hundred and twenty photographs and illustrations, many of which are archive photos that are seldom seen and the story behind each site is available forty-eight unique recordings to listen to and enjoy as you walk around and explore.

• Unearth the mysterious and holy St. Margaret’s Well.
• Discover Ashington’s very own castle which lasted until 1916.
• Read about crazy Duke of Portland who used to own all the land in Ashington.
• See that farm around which Ashington began.
• Uncover Ashington’s footballing glory.
• Explore buildings such as the hospital, the Hippodrome, Central Hall and the North School, all of which have come and are now gone.
• Find out which Ashington landmark ended up in the garden of a local councillor.
• Seek out the old Ashington Brickworks.
• Discover the secret cinema that still exists behind closed doors.

I hope that you enjoy it and that it encourages you to try out other village guides in the series, such as Lynemouth, Cresswell or Newbiggin-by-the Sea.