Raunds

Template:GBthumb Raunds is a small market town situated in rural Northamptonshire, England. It has a population of 8,275 (2001 census) and is part of the East Northamptonshire district.

Pronunciation

The name of the town is pronounced as "Raawwnds". It is similar to the first part of the word 'laundry', laund-ry, or like the word 'lawn'.

Geography

Raunds is approximately 15 miles to the north-east of Northampton the town is located on the edge of the Nene valley, and surrounded on all sides by arable farming land. Raunds is home to the manufacturing plant of RPC Containers and a large Hotpoint distribution centre, and recently new depots for Robert Wiseman Dairies and Avery Dennison have been established.

Raunds is quite close to Stanwick Lakes , which is a country park developed from old gravel pits and managed by the Rockingham Forest Trust. This park is internationally recognised for its birdlife, and can be reached on foot, from Raunds, by walking along Meadows Lane bridleway.

Raunds has two primary schools (Windmill and St. Peters) and one secondary school (Manor)

History

In the mid-1980s, during major sand excavations in the nearby Nene valley, the remains of a Roman villa were discovered. Excavation of the area, near Stanwick, Northamptonshire, was delayed by several years while archaeologists studied the remains. In 2003 Channel 4's Time Team carried out excavations in the garden of a local person, and found remains of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery .

St Peter's Church in Raunds, believed to have been built in the 15th century, has the second tallest spire in Northamptonshire at 202 feet (61.5 m). The church stands on the site of an earlier Saxon place of worship. At a point during the 15th century the patronage of the church is known to have been changed from that of St Mary to St Peter. The church also features a rare 'left-handed fiddler' decoration above the western entrance. A tombchest dedicated to John Wales, vicar from 1447 to 1496, proves that the building has been in use for more than five hundred-and-fifty years.

Raunds was known as the home of the army boot, and played an important role in the local boot and shoe industry until its eventual decline in the 1950s and 60s. In 1905, a dispute arose about the wages to be paid to army bootmakers, which culminated in a march to London in May of that year. Several factories remained in operation into the 1980s and early 1990s but most are now closed. Several of the buildings were demolished and new housing estates were added. There is little in the way of industry in the town these days. However, on the outskirts of town there are some industrial sites.

Raunds held the record for the highest temperature recorded in Britain at 36.7 degrees Celsius. This was recently beaten in 2003 where Brogdale topped 38.5 degrees.

Transport

Roads

Raunds is adjacent to the A45 and quite close to the A14. Access to the M1 and A1 is fairly close also, and the A14 runs into the M6. Consequently the area attracts distribution companies, and there are many warehouses.

Bus

Bus services are not great in the area, although Raunds does have some. The X46 links the town with Wellingborough and Northampton, and is the main service, running daily at about hourly intervals. There are intermittent routes connecting to Huntingdon and a local service termed the 'Raunds Rover'.

Rail

Connections are provided by East Midlands Trains from Wellingborough, and Kettering is also quite near. Although these stations are further away it can sometimes be appropriate to travel to Bedford, Northampton or Peterborough to access specific services.

There was a Raunds railway station many years ago, on the cross-country Midland Railway line between Kettering and Cambridge, situated 1½ miles from the actual town. It was also originally planned that the Wellingborough-Higham Ferrers branch would continue to Raunds, but landowner objections prevented it.

Culture

Raunds holds an annual music festival which becomes more popular every year. Raunds Music Festival Website

Raunds Music and Drama Society (MADS) is based in the town, and stage a variety of performances through the year.

Sport

Football

Raunds Town FC are based at Kiln Park, and play in the Eagle Bitter United Counties Football League. As well as the first team, they also have reserve, ladies and youth teams.

Raunds Tigers FC are also based in the town. They focus on junior soccer and have several youth teams.

Cricket

Raunds Town Cricket Club have a ground in Marshalls Road. The team plays in the Northamptonshire League.

Mayors of Raunds

In the year 2005, the Raunds Town Council decided to (instead of having a chairman of the council) pick a Mayor/Mayoress to run the town. Holders of the position since that time have been:

2005-2006: Mrs Lisa Costello

2006-2007: Mr Dudley Hughes

2007-2008: Mrs Michelle Goring

Nearby settlements

Ringstead, Keyston, Stanwick, Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Thrapston, Hargrave, Wellingborough, Irthlingborough, Chelveston.

Sources

• Hall, David; Raunds: Picturing the past (F.W. March, 1988) ISBN 0-9509908-3-3

External links

• Raunds War Memorials Research Has interesting Raunds facts.
• RPC Containers
• Raunds Methodist Church
• MyBritishRoots A List of Headstone inscriptions in St Peters Churchyard.
• Raunds Temperance Band

52.33716°N 0.54840°W / 52.33716; -0.54840