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Northampton

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This article is about Northampton in England; for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation)
Northampton Guildhall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect

Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region.

The district has a population of 194,800, whilst the Urban Area has a population of 189,474. By this measurement, it is the 21st largest settlement in England and is the UK's 3rd largest town, after Reading and Milton Keynes, without official city status. It is situated 67 miles (108 km) north of London.

Traditionally Northampton has been a major centre of shoemaking and other leather related industries. Shoemaking has virtually ceased, though the back streets of the town still show the pattern of small shoe factories surrounded by terraced houses for the outworkers. The main industries now include distribution and finance, and Barclaycard's head office resides there.

Northampton is the most populous district in England not to be a unitary authority, a status it failed to obtain in the 1990s local government reform.

It is also one of the most populous urban districts not to be a London Borough, metropolitan borough or city; on this basis the council claims that it is the largest town in England. Various other boroughs could claim the title, sometimes taking into account areas outside their civic boundaries, or outlying areas not usually considered part of the town.

Northampton's population has increased greatly since the 1960s, largely due to planned expansion under the New Towns Commission in the early-1960s. Other factors are the rail link and the busy M1 motorway that both lead direct to London. Northampton is within 70 miles of central London, and by car and train it takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to journey between the two. This transport link to the South East has proved attractive, with already high house prices in and around London rising rapidly since the 1990s causing many people to move increasingly further away from the area in order to commute from more reasonably-priced housing. Most of Northampton's housing expansion has taken place to the east of the town, with recent developments on the western outskirts at Upton and to the south adjacent to an improved junction on the M1 at Grange Park.

Borough of Northampton
Template:GBthumb2 Northampton
Shown

within Northamptonshire

Twin towns: Marburg, Germany
Poitiers, France
Geography
Status: Borough
Region: East Midlands
Admin. County: Northamptonshire
Area:
- Total		 Ranked 262nd
80.76 km^2
Admin. HQ: Northampton
Grid reference: SP 7560
ONS code: 34UF
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2022)
- Density		 Ranked

/ km^2
Ethnicity: 91.6% White
3.3% S.Asian
2.4% Afro-Carib.
Politics
Northampton Borough Council
http://www.northampton.gov.uk/
Leadership: Leader & Cabinet
Executive:  
MPs: Brian Binley, Sally Keeble

History

Early history

Remains have been found in the Northampton area dating back to the iron age. It is believed that farming settlement began in the Northampton area in around the 7th century. By the 8th century it had become an administrative centre for the kingdom of Mercia.

The pre-Norman town was known as Hamtun and was quite small, occupying only some 60 acres.

Medieval Northampton

The town became significant in the 11th century, when the Normans built town walls and a large castle. The original defence line of the walls is preserved in today's street pattern (Bridge St, The Drapery, Bearward St & Scarletwell Lane).

The town grew rapidly after the Normans arrived, and beyond the early defences. By the time of the Domesday Book, the town had a population of about 1500 residents, living in 300 houses.

The town and its castle were important in the early 12th century and the King often held Court in the town. During his famous fall out with Henry II Thomas à Beckett at one time escaped from Northampton Castle through the unguarded Northern gate to flee the country,

Northampton had one of the largest Jewish populations in 13th century England, centred around Gold Street. In 1277 300 Jews were executed, allegedly for clipping the King's coin, and the Jews of Northampton were driven out of the town.

The town was originally controlled by officials acting for the King; these officials collected the taxes and upheld the law.

In 1189 King Richard I gave the town its first charter and in 1215 King John authorised the appointment of William Tilly as the town's first Mayor. He also ordered that, "...twelve of the better and more discreet" residents of the town join him as a council to assist him. In 1176 the Assize of Northampton laid down new powers for dealing with law breakers.

A university was established in the town in 1261 by scholars fleeing Cambridge. It briefly flourished, but was dissolved by Henry III in 1265 owing to the threat it posed to Oxford.

The first Battle of Northampton took place at the site of Northampton Castle in 1264 - when the forces of Henry III over ran the supporters of Simon de Montfort. In 1460, a second Battle of Northampton took place in the grounds of Delapre Abbey - and was a decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, and King Henry VI was captured in the town by the Yorkists.

In May 1328 the Treaty of Northampton was signed - being a peace treaty between the English and the Scots in which Edward III recognised the authority of Robert the Bruce as King of Scotland and betrothed Bruce's still infant son to the king's sister Joanna.

There remains a large series of medieval tunnels that can be found around the centre of Northampton.

Civil War to 1900

Northampton supported the parliamentarians during the English Civil War. For this reason the town walls and castle were later torn down on the orders of King Charles II as punishment. The railway station in Northampton stands on the site of the former castle, and for this reason used to be called "Northampton Castle Station".

The town was destroyed by fire in both 1516 and 1675, and was re-built as a spacious and well-planned town. In the 18th century Northampton became a major centre of footwear and leather manufacture. The prosperity of the town was greatly aided by demand for footwear caused by the Napoleonic Wars of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

In his 18th century, "A tour through the whole island of Great Britain", Daniel Defoe described Northampton as, "...the handsomest town in all this part of England."

Northampton's growth was accelerated in the 19th century, first by the Grand Union Canal, which reached the town in 1815 and later the coming of the railways. The first railway to be built into Northampton was a branch from the main London-Birmingham line at Blisworth to Peterborough through Northampton which opened in 1845. This was followed by lines to Market Harborough (1859) and Bedford (1872). The Northampton loop off the major West Coast Main Line was built into Northampton in the late 1870s.

Over the coming centuries the town continued to grow rapidly; after 1850 the town spilled out beyond the old town walls and began the growth we see today. in 1800 the population was round 7,000 and this had grown to 87,000 a century later.

1900 - Today

Growth after 1900 was slower. The town's famous shoe industry ceased to grow and other industries arrived slowly.

In the 19th century Northampton acquired a reputation for political radicalism when the radical non-conformist Charles Bradlaugh was elected on several occasions as the town's MP.

Between the wars pressure on housing lead to new council built housing estates being erected. The Borough boundary, first extended in 1900, was expanded again in 1932. The population had increased to around 100,000 by 1961 and 130,000 by 1971. Northampton was designated a New Town in 1968, and the Northampton Development Corporation (NDC) was set up to almost double the size of the town, with a population target of 230,000 by 1981, rising to 260,000 in later years. By this time the town also linked to the M1 motorway. Actual growth was much slower than planned (in 1981 the population was 156,000), but by the time NDC was wound up after 20 years another 40,000 residents and 20,000 houses had been added. The borough boundaries changed in 1974 with the abolition of Northampton county borough and its reconstitution as a non-metropolitan district also covering areas outside the former borough boundaries but inside the designated New Town. Recently another major expansion has been put forward, and is the subject of much public debate.

At the millennium, Northampton applied unsuccessfully to be granted city status as a part of the "millennium cities" scheme. This distinction for the Midlands area was instead granted to Wolverhampton.

The University of Northampton received full university status in 2005, following several years as a University College.

Government and politics

Northampton is administered by two local authorities: Northampton Borough Council and Northamptonshire County Council. The two authorities are responsible for running different local services.

Northampton is currently the largest district in England not to be a self-governing unitary authority. Northampton's present local government status was set in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 when it became a non-metropolitan district. Prior to this it had been an independent county borough.

Northampton is represented in Parliament by two MPs. These are:

Northampton is situated near junctions 15, 15a and 16 of the M1 motorway. The A45 and A43 go through the town and the A14 is close by to the north. By rail, Northampton railway station is served by the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line, and has regular services to London and Birmingham provided by Silverlink Trains (to London) and Central Trains (to Birmingham). Virgin Trains also provide some services to London and the north, with a small number of Pendolinos running each day. Sywell Aerodrome is the nearest airfield.

Intraurban transport exists in the form of buses run by two main companies; The Stagecoach Group and The First Group, both of which offer a reasonable service with average wait times of between 10 to 30 minutes.

Interurban bus travel is provided by The Stagecoach Group and National Express with Stagecoach providing travel to the outlying villages and towns and National Express covering major routes between urban centres in Britain.

Northampton also sits on the Grand Union Canal which snakes across Britain. Although no longer used for freight, the waterway is still popular with Narrowboat owners with many stopping at the outlying villages of Gayton, Blisworth and Stoke Bruerne, the latter being famous for its attractive string of Canal locks, the canal museum and waterway pubs and tea rooms.

Leisure and culture

The town is noted for its many parks, which include:

  • Abington Park (home to the annual Green Festival which is held on the first Sunday in September. The aims of the Festival is to celebrate all aspects of Green life. Promoting a harmonious view of the world where co-operation is the norm. Encouraging a holistic and balanced lifestyle to ensure the planet has a sustainable future),
  • The Racecourse (home to the annual Balloon Festival). Originally a horse racing course until 1904 when it was abandoned following a series of accidents. During the WWII the park was ploughed over so that local residents could plant and grow vegetables. To the far side of the Racecourse park is the White Elephant public house, originally built to serve the racecourse 'punters' and was aptly named after the closure, leaving this to be a large white building with nothing around it, at all.
  • Delapre Park,
  • Bradlaugh Fields,
  • Becket's Park (named after Thomas Becket, who also lends his name to the nearby Becket's Well) and *Iron Age hill fort Hunsbury Hill.
  • Billing Aquadrome leisure park is situated on the town's outskirts, which incorporates a caravan site, marina and funfair. As well as the 'Marina' bar, the site offers 'The Quays' riverside restaurant and 'The Billing Mill' which was converted from the original water mill, with many of the original workings still in place and visible through gallery windows.
Northampton Market

As well as two indoor shopping centres (The Grosvenor Center and Peacock Place), the town also claims to have Britain's largest market square, which dates back to 1235. The square and surrounding shopping streets used to host the annual St Crispin Street Fair, held during the October half-term school holiday from 1993 to 2005. Away from the town centre the main suburban shopping areas are Wellingborough Road and Weston Favell.

The Derngate and Royal theatres are situated next door to each other in Guildhall Road, opposite Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. (these are however, currently closed for refurbishment until late 2006). The Deco is a theatre/conference centre based on the Grade II listed former Cannon Cinema, in Abington Square. There is a smaller museum in a former mansion within Abington Park.

Until the removal of council funding caused its closure and liquidation, the Roadmender was a leading venue for art and music in the region. Three cinemas are also located in the town: Vue (formerly UCI) at Sol Central, Cineworld (formerly UGC, and before that Virgin Cinema) at Sixfields and the Forum Cinema at Lings Forum.

Sport in Northampton

The town is home to:

Notable buildings

All Saints' Church in central Northampton
  • Northampton's oldest standing building, the Church of The Holy Sepulchre, is one of the largest and best-preserved round churches in England. It was built in 1100 on the orders of the first Earl of Northampton, Simon de Senlis , who had just returned from the first Crusade. It is based on a plan of the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
  • The current All Saints' Church (see picture right) was built on the site of a great Norman church, All Hallows, which was almost completely destroyed by the Fire of Northampton in 1675. All that remained was the medieval tower and the fine vaulted crypt, but by 1680 All Saints had been rebuilt, with the help of donations from all over England, including 1,000 tons of timber from King Charles II, whose statue can be seen above the portico.
  • The Guildhall in Northampton (see picture at top) was constructed mostly in the 1860s in Victorian Gothic architecture, and extended in the 1990s. It is built on the site of the old town hall.
  • 78 Derngate contains an interior designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke and is the only major domestic commission outside Scotland. It is open to the public by appointment.
  • The 127.45 metre tall Express Lift Tower is a dominant feature in the area. Terry Wogan conducted a radio phone-in during the 1980s to come up with a name for it: "Northampton Lighthouse" was suggested as Northampton is one of the furthest places from the sea. It is also known as the "Cobblers' Needle". It was built to facilitate the testing of new lifts at the Express Lifts factory. It is visible from most of the town, but is now redundant. The tower has however been listed as being of architectural importance in the town.
Express Lift Tower
  • Northampton Castle (now only remaining as a rebuilt postern gate in a wall outside the railway station and the hill on which it stood) was for many years one of the country's most important castles. The country's parliament sat here many times and Thomas Becket was imprisoned here until he escaped.
  • The Carlsberg UK brewery is located in the town.
  • Delapre Abbey – former Cluniac nunnery, founded by Simon de Senlis - later the County Records Office and site of the second Battle of Northampton.
  • Queen Eleanor's body rested here on its way to London – and the nearby Queen Eleanor's cross commemorates this resting. The Cross is also referred to in Daniel Defoe's a "Tour through the whole island of Great Britain" where he describes the Great Fire of Northampton, "...a townsman being at Queen's Croos upon a hill on the south side of the town, about two miles off, saw the fire at one end of the town then newly begun, and that before he could get to the town it was burning at the remotest end, opposite where he first saw it."
  • Northampton School For Boys – one of the few state-funded single sex school for boys in England.
  • The town's Greyfriars Bus Station, built in the 1970s to replace the old Derngate station, was featured on Channel 4's Demolition programme and was cited as the worst transport station in the UK, and it was suggested worthy of demolition.
  • Northampton & County Club – which was established in 1873 was the old county hospital before becoming a private members' club; the cellars date back to medieval times and there are currently plans to develop these into a wine bar.
Medieval cellars at the Northampton & County Club

Other churches in Northampton

  • St Andrew
  • St Giles
  • St John Baptist
  • St Peter
  • St Edmunds [closed in 1978 and subsequently demolished]
  • St Michael and All Angels with St Edmund [where the St Edmund congregation went after closure]

Twin towns

Celebrity associations

Modern

Historical

Musical

Media

Four newspapers are published in the town:

  • The Chronicle and Echo.
  • The Mercury.
  • Northants on Sunday.
  • Herald and Post

Radio stations:

Regional television news is provided by:

At one point during the late 1990s-early 2000s, Northampton also had its own local TV station, Northants TV (NTV). It was transmitted on both cable and later terrestrial, mostly showing local adverts, sport, and documentaries on the surrounding countryside and activities.

American cousins

Settlers from Northampton moved to the United States and set up various new towns there. As a result Northampton is a popular name for cities and towns in the United States:

Trivia

  • The Northampton Development Corporation produced a single that was released nationally by EMI, entitled 60 Miles by Road or Rail, by Linda Jardim (who was also a vocalist on Buggles's Video Killed the Radio Star) in an attempt to generate publicity for the growing town. Sixty miles is the approximate distance from the town to London, which many people commute to. The B-side was Energy in Northampton, about extraterrestrials choosing Northampton as a landing site. Strangely, neither song took the charts by storm, but for those interested and unable to obtain a copy on eBay, the A side is still played daily in the town's museum!
  • The bells from the church of St Edmund, Northampton, which was closed in 1978 and subsequently demolished, are now in Wellington Cathedral, New Zealand.
  • Residents of the town are known as Northamptonians.
  • The 2005 film Kinky Boots was filmed in Northampton and featured shots of the iconic statue that sits outside the Grosvenor Centre in the Town Centre, Northampton railway station and various churches and parks.

See also

Source

  • Daniel Defoe - "A tour through the whole island of Great Britain".
  • Gerald Smith - an article on Northampton's underground secrets in the Chronicle & Echo - early 2006.
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