Far Cotton

Far Cotton, many years ago a village in its own right, is a district of the English county town of Northampton.

Far Cotton is due south of the town centre, beyond Cotton End (Northamptonshire) - hence the 'Far' - and south of the River Nene. It is roughly rectangular in shape with the river and canal forming its northern boundary, the railway is western edge; with the A5076 ring road to its south and the A508 road and Delapré Abbey's park to its east. Administratively Far Cotton is in the Parish of St Mary and Delapre Ward of the Borough of Northampton.

Far Cotton expanded with the arrival of the railway at Northampton in the first half of the nineteenth century; the original line was entirely south of the Nene while the medieval town was north of the river. As part of the regeneration of the town, overseen by the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, many brownfield sites in Far Cotton are undergoing redevelopment in the first decade of the twenty-first century including new housing estates Riverside Wharf, Cotton End and Southbridge.

Extensive development is to occur on former disused warehouses east of Far Cotton. Nunn Mills is currently under development to build over 3,000 new houses on a brownfield site. There will also be a improved Marina in and around Becket's Park and Midsummer Meadow.

The main shopping sector of Far Cotton is St Leonard's Road which connects Towcester Road and London Road. There are also shops on Gloucester Avenue which flows through the heart of central Far Cotton. There is a Tesco Extra south of Far Cotton in Mereway and a Netto Supermarket in Cotton End on Ransome Road.

Overall, Far Cotton is set to double in population in the next ten years with development of housing.

Notable residents

Chief Inspector Walter Dew, who was involved in the hunt for both Jack the Ripper and Dr. Crippen, was born in the village in 1863.

External links

• Far Cotton History Group
• Map sources for Far Cotton