Northamptonshire

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Coordinates: 52°17′N 0°50′W / 52.283°N 0.833°W / 52.283; -0.833

Northamptonshire
County
Flag of Northamptonshire.svg Arms of Northamptonshire County Council
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Rosa concordia signum
The rose, emblem of harmony
Northamptonshire within England
Northamptonshire in England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country England
Region East Midlands
Ceremonial county
Lord Lieutenant David Laing[1]
High Sheriff Caroline Brocklehurst[2]
Area 2,364 km2 (913 sq mi)
 • Ranked 24th of 48
Population (mid-2015 est.) 723,000
 • Ranked 33rd of 48
Density 305/km2 (790/sq mi)
Ethnicity 85.7% White British
4.7% Other white
2.5% South Asian
2.5% Black British.
Non-metropolitan county
County council Northamptonshire County Council
Executive Conservative
Admin HQ Northampton
Area 2,364 km2 (913 sq mi)
 • Ranked 22nd of 27
Population 723,000
 • Ranked 15th of 27
Density 305/km2 (790/sq mi)
ISO 3166-2 GB-NTH
ONS code 34
NUTS UKF23
Northamtonshire numbered districts.svg
  Unitary   County council area
Districts of Northamptonshire
Districts
  1. South Northamptonshire
  2. Northampton
  3. Daventry
  4. Wellingborough
  5. Kettering
  6. Corby
  7. East Northamptonshire
Members of Parliament
Time zone GMT (UTC)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)

Northamptonshire (/nɔːrˈθæmptənʃər/ or /nɔːrθˈhæmptənʃɪər/; abbreviated Northants.), archaically known as the County of Northampton, is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2011, it had a population of 629,000. The county is administered by Northamptonshire County Council and seven non-metropolitan district councils.

Covering an area of 2,364 square kilometres (913 sq mi), Northamptonshire is landlocked between eight other counties: Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east, Buckinghamshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the south-west and Lincolnshire to the north-east – England's shortest county boundary at 19 metres (62 ft).[3] Northamptonshire is the southernmost county in the East Midlands region.

Apart from the county town of Northampton, other large population centres include Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden and Daventry. Northamptonshire's county flower is the cowslip.[4]

History[edit]

Main article: History of Northamptonshire

Much of Northamptonshire's countryside appears to have remained somewhat intractable with regards to early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods.[5] In about 500 BC the Iron Age was introduced into the area by a continental people in the form of the Hallstatt culture,[6] and over the next century a series of hill-forts were constructed at Arbury Camp, Rainsborough camp, Borough Hill, Castle Dykes, Guilsborough, Irthlingborough, and most notably of all, Hunsbury Hill. There are two more possible hill-forts at Arbury Hill (Badby) and Thenford.[6]

In the 1st century BC, most of what later became Northamptonshire became part of the territory of the Catuvellauni, a Belgic tribe, the Northamptonshire area forming their most northerly possession.[6] The Catuvellauni were in turn conquered by the Romans in 43 AD.[7]

The Roman road of Watling Street passed through the county, and an important Roman settlement, Lactodorum, stood on the site of modern-day Towcester. There were other Roman settlements at Northampton, Kettering and along the Nene Valley near Raunds. A large fort was built at Longthorpe.[6]

After the Romans left, the area eventually became part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, and Northampton functioned as an administrative centre. The Mercians converted to Christianity in 654 AD with the death of the pagan king Penda.[8] From about 889 the area was conquered by the Danes (as at one point almost all of England was, except for Athelney marsh in Somerset) and became part of the Danelaw - with Watling Street serving as the boundary - until being recaptured by the English under the Wessex king Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, in 917. Northamptonshire was conquered again in 940, this time by the Vikings of York, who devastated the area, only for the county to be retaken by the English in 942.[9] Consequently, it is one of the few counties in England to have both Saxon and Danish town-names and settlements.[citation needed]

The county was first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1011), as Hamtunscire: the scire (shire) of Hamtun (the homestead). The "North" was added to distinguish Northampton from the other important Hamtun further south: Southampton - though the origins of the two names are in fact different.[10]

Rockingham Castle was built for William the Conqueror[11] and was used as a Royal fortress until Elizabethan times. In 1460, during the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Northampton took place and King Henry VI was captured.[12] The now-ruined Fotheringhay Castle was used to imprison Mary, Queen of Scots, before her execution.[13]

John Speed's 17th century map of Northamptonshire

George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, was born into the Washington family who had migrated to America from Northamptonshire in 1656. George Washington's ancestor, Lawrence Washington, was Mayor of Northampton on several occasions and it was he who bought Sulgrave Manor from Henry VIII in 1539. It was George Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington, who emigrated in 1656 from Northants to Virginia. Before Washington's ancestors moved to Sulgrave, they lived in Warton, Lancashire.[14]

During the English Civil War, Northamptonshire strongly supported the Parliamentarian cause, and the Royalist forces suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Naseby in 1645 in the north of the county. King Charles I was imprisoned at Holdenby House in 1647.[15]

In 1823 Northamptonshire was said to "[enjoy] a very pure and wholesome air" because of its dryness and distance from the sea. Its livestock were celebrated: "Horned cattle, and other animals, are fed to extraordinary sizes: and many horses of the large black breed are reared."[16]

Nine years later, the county was described as "a county enjoying the reputation of being one of the healthiest and pleasantest parts of England" although the towns were "of small importance" with the exceptions of Peterborough and Northampton. In summer, the county hosted "a great number of wealthy families... country seats and villas are to be seen at every step."[17] Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of the numbers of stately homes and ancient churches.[18]

In the 18th and 19th centuries, parts of Northamptonshire and the surrounding area became industrialised. The local specialisation was shoemaking and the leather industry and by the end of the 19th century it was almost definitively the boot and shoe making capital of the world.[citation needed] In the north of the county a large ironstone quarrying industry developed from 1850.[19] During the 1930s, the town of Corby was established as a major centre of the steel industry. Much of Northamptonshire nevertheless remains largely rural.[citation needed]

Corby was designated a new town in 1950[20] and Northampton followed in 1968.[21] As of 2005 the government is encouraging development in the South Midlands area, including Northamptonshire.[22]

Peterborough[edit]

The Soke of Peterborough was historically associated with and considered part of Northamptonshire, as the county diocese is focused upon the cathedral there.[23] However, Peterborough had its own Quarter Sessions and, later, county council, and in 1965 it was merged with the neighbouring small county of Huntingdonshire.[24] Under the Local Government Act 1972 the city of Peterborough became a district of Cambridgeshire.[25]

Geography[edit]

Main articles: List of places in Northamptonshire and List of Northamptonshire settlements by population
Notable places in and around Northamptonshire
Kilworth Wharf on the Grand Union Canal

Northamptonshire is a landlocked county located in the southern part of the East Midlands region[26] which is sometimes known as the South Midlands. The county contains the watershed between the River Severn and The Wash while several important rivers have their sources in the north-west of the county, including the River Nene, which flows north-eastwards to The Wash, and the "Warwickshire Avon", which flows south-west to the Severn. In 1830 it was boasted that "not a single brook, however insignificant, flows into it from any other district".[27] The highest point in the county is Arbury Hill at 225 metres (738 ft).[28]

There are several towns in the county with Northampton being the largest and most populous. At the time of the 2011 census, a population of 691,952 lived in the county with 212,069 living in Northampton. The table below shows all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants.

Rank Town Population Borough/District council
1 Northampton 212,100 (2011) Northampton Borough Council
2 Kettering 67,635 (2011) Kettering Borough Council
3 Corby 56,514 (2011) Corby Borough Council
4 Wellingborough 49,087 (2011) Borough Council of Wellingborough
5 Rushden 29,265 (2011) East Northamptonshire District Council
6 Daventry 25,026 (2011) Daventry District Council
7 Brackley 13,018 (2011) South Northamptonshire District Council
8 Desborough 10,697 (2011) Kettering Borough Council

As of 2010 there are 16 settlements in Northamptonshire with a town charter:

Climate[edit]

Like the rest of the British Isles, Northamptonshire has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification). The table below shows the average weather for Northamptonshire from the Moulton weather station.

Climate data for Moulton, Northants
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 7
(45)		 8
(46)		 11
(52)		 13
(55)		 17
(63)		 19
(66)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 19
(66)		 14
(57)		 10
(50)		 7
(45)		 14.2
(57.5)
Average low °C (°F) 2
(36)		 2
(36)		 4
(39)		 4
(39)		 7
(45)		 10
(50)		 12
(54)		 12
(54)		 10
(50)		 8
(46)		 5
(41)		 3
(37)		 6.6
(43.9)
Average precipitation cm (inches) 4.51
(1.776)		 3.39
(1.335)		 2.87
(1.13)		 4.39
(1.728)		 3.49
(1.374)		 4.66
(1.835)		 4.21
(1.657)		 4.69
(1.846)		 5.49
(2.161)		 5.68
(2.236)		 4.8
(1.89)		 4.98
(1.961)		 53.16
(20.929)
Source: [29]

Governance[edit]

Northamptonshire, like most English counties, is divided into a number of local authorities. The seven borough/district councils cover 15 towns and hundreds of villages. The county has a two-tier structure of local government and an elected county council based in Northampton, and is also divided into seven districts each with their own district or borough councils:[30]

Council Council HQ Location
Corby Borough Council Corby
Daventry District Council Daventry
East Northamptonshire District Council Thrapston
Kettering Borough Council Kettering
Northampton Borough Council Northampton
South Northamptonshire District Council Towcester
Borough Council of Wellingborough Wellingborough

Northampton itself is the most populous urban district in England not to be administered as a unitary authority (even though several smaller districts are unitary). During the 1990s local government reform, Northampton Borough Council petitioned strongly for unitary status, which led to fractured relations with the County Council.[citation needed]

Before 1974, the Soke of Peterborough was considered geographically part of Northamptonshire, although it had had a separate county council since the late 19th Century and separate Quarter Sessions courts before then. Now part of Cambridgeshire, the city of Peterborough became a unitary authority in 1998, but it continues to form part of that county for ceremonial purposes.[31]

National representation[edit]

Northamptonshire returns seven members of Parliament, all of whom are currently from the Conservative Party.[32]

Constituency Member of Parliament Political party
Corby Tom Pursglove Conservative
Daventry Chris Heaton-Harris Conservative
Kettering Philip Hollobone Conservative
Northampton North Michael Ellis Conservative
Northampton South David Mackintosh Conservative
Northamptonshire South Andrea Leadsom Conservative
Wellingborough & Rushden Peter Bone Conservative

From 1993 until 2005, Northamptonshire County Council,[33] for which each of the 73 electoral divisions in the county elect a single councillor, had been held by the Labour Party; it had been under no overall control since 1981. The councils of the rural districts – Daventry, East Northamptonshire, and South Northamptonshire – are strongly Conservative, whereas the political composition of the urban districts is more mixed. At the 2003 local elections, Labour lost control of Kettering, Northampton, and Wellingborough, retaining only Corby. Elections for the entire County Council are held every four years – the last were held on 5 May 2005 when control of the County Council changed from the Labour Party to the Conservatives. The County Council uses a leader and cabinet executive system and abolished its area committees in April 2006.

Economy[edit]

Main article: History of Northamptonshire § Economy
Silverstone adds millions every year to the local economy - Kimi Räikkönen testing for McLaren at Silverstone in April 2006

Historically, Northamptonshire's main industry was manufacturing of boots and shoes.[34] Many of the manufacturers closed down in the Thatcher era which in turn left many county people unemployed.[citation needed] Although R Griggs and Co Ltd, the manufacturer of Dr. Martens, still has its UK base in Wollaston near Wellingborough,[35] the shoe industry in the county is now nearly gone. Large employers include the breakfast cereal manufacturers Weetabix, in Burton Latimer, the Carlsberg brewery in Northampton, Avon Products, Siemens, Barclaycard, Saxby Bros Ltd and Golden Wonder.[36][37] In the west of the county is the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal;[38] which is a major rail freight terminal located on the West Coast Main Line near Rugby. Wellingborough also has a smaller railfreight depot[39] on Finedon Road, called Nelisons sidings.[40]

This is a chart of trend of the regional gross value added of Northamptonshire at current basic prices in millions of British Pounds Sterling (correct on 21 December 2005):[41]

Year Regional Gross Value Added[42] Agriculture[43] Industry[44] Services[45]
1995 6,139 112 2,157 3,870
2000 9,743 79 3,035 6,630
2003 10,901 90 3,260 7,551

The region of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and the South Midlands has been described as "Motorsport Valley... a global hub" for the motor sport industry.[46][47] The Mercedes GP[48] and Force India[49] Formula One teams have their bases at Brackley and Silverstone respectively, while Cosworth[50] and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines[51] are also in the county at Northampton and Brixworth.

International motor racing takes place at Silverstone Circuit[52] and Rockingham Motor Speedway;[53] Santa Pod Raceway is just over the border in Bedfordshire but has a Northants postcode.[54] A study commissioned by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd (NEL) reported that Northamptonshire's motorsport sites attract more than 2.1 million visitors per year who spend a total of more than £131 million within the county.[55]

Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth area[edit]

Main article: South Midlands

Northamptonshire forms part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth area which also includes Milton Keynes, Aylesbury Vale and Bedfordshire. This area has been identified as an area which is due to have tens of thousands additional homes built between 2010-2020. In North Northamptonshire (Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants), over 52,000 homes are planned or newly built and 47,000 new jobs are also planned.[56] In West Northamptonshire (boroughs of Northampton, Daventry and South Northants), over 48,000 homes are planned or newly built and 37,000 new jobs are planned.[57] To oversee the planned developments, two urban regeneration companies have been created: North Northants Development Company (NNDC)[56] and the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.[57] The NNDC launched a controversial[58] campaign called North Londonshire to attract people from London to the county.[59] There is also a county-wide tourism campaign with the slogan Northamptonshire, Let yourself grow.[60]

Education[edit]

Main article: List of schools in Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire County Council operates a complete comprehensive system with 42 state secondary schools.[61] The county's music and performing arts trust provides peripatetic music teaching to schools. It also supports 15 local Saturday morning music and performing arts centres around the county and provides a range of county-level music groups.

Colleges[edit]

There are seven colleges across the county, with the Tresham College of Further and Higher Education having four campuses in three towns: Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough.[62] Tresham provides further education and offers vocational courses, GCSEs and A Levels.[63] It also offers Higher Education options in conjunction with several universities.[64] Other colleges in the county are: Fletton House, Knuston Hall, Moulton College, Northampton College, Northampton New College and The East Northamptonshire College.

University[edit]

Northamptonshire has one university, the University of Northampton. It has two campuses 2.5 miles (4.0 km) apart and 10,000 students.[65] It offers courses for needs and interests from foundation and undergraduate level to postgraduate, professional and doctoral qualifications. Subjects include traditional arts, humanities and sciences subjects, as well as entrepreneurship, product design and advertising.[66]

Healthcare[edit]

Hospitals[edit]

Northampton has several National Health Service branches,[citation needed] the main acute NHS hospitals in the county being Northampton , Kettering General Hospital and Danetre Hospital in Daventry. In the south-west of the county, the towns of Brackley, Towcester and surrounding villages are serviced by the Horton General Hospital in Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire for acute medical needs. A similar arrangement is in place for the town of Oundle and nearby villages, served by Peterborough District Hospital.

In February 2011 a new satellite out-patient centre opened at Nene Park, Irthlingborough to provide over 40,000 appointments a year, as well as a minor injury unit to serve Eastern Northamptonshire. This was opened to relieve pressure off Kettering General Hospital, and has also replaced the dated Rushden Memorial Clinic which provided at the time about 8,000 appointments a year, when open.[67]

Water contamination[edit]

In June 2008, Anglian Water found traces of Cryptosporidium in water supplies of Northamptonshire. The local reservoir at Pitsford was investigated and a European rabbit which had strayed into it was found,[68] causing the problem. About 250,000 residents were affected;[69] by 14 July 2008, 13 cases of cryptosporidiosis attributed to water in Northampton had been reported.[70] Following the end of the investigation, Anglian Water lifted its boil notice for all affected areas on 4 July 2008.[71] Anglian Water revealed that it will pay up to £30 per household as compensation for customers hit by the water crisis.[72]

Transport[edit]

Main article: East Midlands § Transport
Brackley bypass on the A43

The gap in the hills at Watford Gap meant that many south-east to north-west routes passed through Northamptonshire. The Roman Road Watling Street (now part of the A5) passes through here, as did later canals, railways and major roads.

Roads[edit]

Major national roads including the M1 motorway (London to Leeds) and the A14 (Rugby to Ipswich), provide Northamptonshire with transport links, both north–south and east–west. The A43 joins the M1 to the M40 motorway, passing through the south of the county to the junction west of Brackley, and the A45 links Northampton with Wellingborough and Peterborough.

The county road network, managed by Northamptonshire County Council includes the A45 west of the M1 motorway, the A43 between Northampton and the county boundary near Stamford, the A361 between Kilsby and Banbury (Oxon) and all B, C and Unclassified Roads. Since 2009 these highways have been managed on behalf of the county council by MGWSP, a joint venture between May Gurney and WSP.

Rivers and canals[edit]

The Grand Union Canal at Braunston
Further information: Category:Rivers of Northamptonshire

Two major canals – the Oxford and the Grand Union – join in the county at Braunston. Notable features include a flight of 17 locks on the Grand Union at Rothersthorpe, the canal museum at Stoke Bruerne, and a tunnel at Blisworth which, at 2,813 metres (3,076 yd), is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel on the UK canal network.

A branch of the Grand Union Canal connects to the River Nene in Northampton and has been upgraded to a "wide canal" in places and is known as the Nene Navigation. It is famous for its guillotine locks.

Railways[edit]

An East Midlands Trains service approaching Wellingborough on the Midland Main Line

Two trunk railway routes, the Midland Main Line and the West Coast Main Line, cross the county. At its peak, Northamptonshire had 75 railway stations. It now has only six, at Northampton and Long Buckby on the West Coast Main Line, Kettering, Wellingborough and Corby on the Midland Main Line, along with King's Sutton, only a few yards from the boundary with Oxfordshire on the Chiltern Main Line.

Before nationalisation of the railways in 1948 and the creation of British Railways, three of the "Big Four" railway companies operated in Northamptonshire: the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, London and North Eastern Railway and Great Western Railway. Only the Southern Railway was not represented. As of 2010 it is served by Virgin Trains, London Midland, Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Trains.

Corby rail history

Corby was described as the largest town in Britain without a railway station.[73] The railway running through the town from Kettering to Oakham in Rutland was previously used only by freight traffic and occasional diverted passenger trains that did not stop at the station. The line through Corby was once part of a main line to Nottingham through Melton Mowbray, but the stretch between Melton and Nottingham was closed in 1968. In the 1980s, an experimental passenger shuttle service ran between Corby and Kettering but was withdrawn a few years later.[74] On 23 February 2009, a new railway station opened, providing direct hourly access to London St Pancras. Following the opening of Corby Station, Rushden then became the largest town in the United Kingdom without a direct railway station.

Closed lines and stations

Railway services in Northamptonshire were reduced by the Beeching Axe in the 1960s.[75] Closure of the line connecting Northampton to Peterborough by way of Wellingborough, Thrapston, and Oundle left eastern Northamptonshire devoid of railways. Part of this route was reopened in 1977 as the Nene Valley Railway. A section of one of the closed lines, the Northampton to Market Harborough line, is now the Northampton & Lamport heritage railway, while the route as a whole forms a part of the National Cycle Network, as the Brampton Valley Way.

As early as 1897 Northamptonshire would have had its own Channel Tunnel rail link with the creation of the Great Central Railway, which was intended to connect to a tunnel under the English Channel. Although the complete project never came to fruition, the rail link through Northamptonshire was constructed, and had stations at Charwelton, Woodford Halse, Helmdon and Brackley. It became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 (and of British Railways in 1948) before its closure in 1966.[citation needed]

Future

In June 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) recommended opening a new station on the former Irchester railway station site for Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Irchester, called Rushden Parkway.[76] Network Rail is looking at electrifying the Midland Main Line north of Bedford.[77] A open access company has approached Network Rail for services to Oakham in Rutland to London via the county.[77]

The Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway would like to see the railway fully reopen between Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers. As part of the government-proposed High Speed 2 railway line (between London and Birmingham), the high-speed railway line will go through the southern part of the county but with no station built.

Buses[edit]

Sywell Aerodrome

Most buses are operated by Stagecoach in Northants. Some town area routes have been named the Corby Star, Connect Kettering, Connect Wellingborough and Daventry Dart; the last three of these routes have route designations that include a letter (such as A, D1, W1, W2, etc.

Airports[edit]

Sywell Aerodrome, on the edge of Sywell village, has three grass runways and one concrete all-weather runway. It is, however, only 1000 metres long and therefore cannot be served by passenger jets.[78]

Media[edit]

BBC Radio Northampton's Broadcasting House

Newspapers[edit]

The three main newspapers in the county are the Northampton Herald & Post, the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph and the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.[citation needed]

Television[edit]

BBC regions

Most of Northamptonshire is served by the BBC's East region which is based in Norwich. The regional news television programme, BBC Look East, provides local news across the East of England, Milton Keynes and most of Northamptonshire. An opt-out in Look East covers the west part of the region only, broadcast from Cambridge. This area also is covered by the BBC's The Politics Show: East and Inside Out: East. A small part of the northern part of the county is covered by BBC East Midlands's regional news BBC East Midlands Today, while a small part of South Northamptonshire is covered by BBC Oxford's regional news BBC Oxford News which is part of the BBC South Today programme.[citation needed]

ITV regions

Most of Northamptonshire is covered by ITV's Anglia region (which broadcasts Anglia Today/Tonight); in the south-west of the county, primarily Brackley and the surrounding villages, broadcasts can be received from the Oxford transmitter which broadcasts ITV Meridian's Meridian Today/Tonight.

Radio[edit]

BBC Radio Northampton, broadcasts on two FM frequencies: 104.2 MHz for the south and west of the county (including Northampton and surrounding area) and 103.6 MHz for the north of the county (including Kettering, Wellingborough and Corby). BBC Radio Northampton is situated on Abington Street, Northampton. These services are broadcast from the Moulton Park & Geddington transmitters.

There are three commercial radio stations in the county. The former Kettering and Corby Broadcasting Company (KCBC) station is now called Connect Radio (97.2 and 107.4 MHZ FM), following a merger with the Wellingborough-based station of the same name. While both Heart Northants (96.6 MHz FM) and AM station Smooth Northants (1557 kHz) air very little local content as they form part of a national network. National digital radio is also available in Northamptonshire, though coverage is limited.[citation needed]

Corby is served by its own dedicated station, Corby Radio (96.3fm), based in the town and focused on local content.[79]

Sport[edit]

Statue inscribed ‘They tackled the job’ outside Franklin's Gardens

Rugby Union[edit]

Northamptonshire has many rugby union clubs. Its premier team Northampton Saints, competes in the Aviva Premiership and won the European championship in 2000 by defeating Munster for the Heineken Cup, 9-8. Saints are based at the 15,249 capacity [80] Franklin's Gardens ground. In 2014 the club won the Aviva Premiership as well as the Challenge Cup. For the 2014/15 campaign the team finished top of the table for the first time in the premiership, eventually losing 24-29 to Saracens in the playoff semi-final.

Association Football[edit]

Northamptonshire has twenty four football clubs operating in the top ten levels of the English football league system. The sport in the area is administered by the Northamptonshire County Football Association, which is affiliated with the United Counties League, the Northamptonshire Combination Football League, the Northampton Town Football League, as well as the Peterborough and District Football League in neighbouring Cambridgeshire

Northampton Town F.C.[edit]

The most prominent Association Football club in the county is football league one side Northampton Town, which attracts between 4,000-6,000 fans on an average game day and has been part of the Football League since 1923.[81] Their home ground is Sixfields Stadium which in 1994. The first match there took place on 15 October against Barnet Football Club. The stadium can hold up to 7,500 people, with provisions for the disabled.[82] The club's most successful period occurred between 1962-67 when it progressed from Fourth Division to First Division, before falling back to the bottom of Fourth Division again by 1974. The club has reached the 5th round of the FA Cup on 3 occasions, the last being in 1970. The 4th round was last reached in 2004.[81] Recently, the Cobblers were promoted back to League 1 on 9 April 2016. The week after that, they secured the club's first title for 29 years by winning league 2 after a 0-0 draw at Exeter City.[83] The most goals in a career was performed by the player, Jack English in 1947-59 with 143 goals out of 321 matches.[84]

Semi-Professional Clubs[edit]

Brackley Town and Corby Town are semi-professional clubs that play at the sixth level of the English League system in Conference North. An average of 250 people attend Brackley Town home matches, while about 400 attend Corby Town home matches.[85]

Three clubs compete in the Southern Football League (Premier Division and Division One Central): Daventry Town, Kettering Town and AFC Rushden & Diamonds. Daventry attracts about 150 people to home matches.[85] Kettering has a very strong following, with about 600 watching home matches,[85] and was regularly competing at the fifth level of English League system in Conference National before financial problems resulted in relegation and near liquidation. About 550 have attended AFC Rushden and Diamond home matches in recent years,[86]

United Counties League[edit]

Nineteen teams compete in the United Counties League (UCL), a league operating at levels 9 and 10 of the English League system, and which encompasses all of Northamptonshire and parts of neighbouring counties. Prominent at this level in recent years (2011-2015) has been AFC Rushden & Diamonds, a "Phoenix Club" created and owned by supporters of the now defunct Rushden & Diamonds F.C. which, in its heyday, fielded a fully professional team at the third level of the English League system. Only two clubs in Northamptonshire have competed in The Football League - Northampton Town and the defunct Rushden & Diamonds. About 550 have attended AFC Rushden and Diamond home matches in recent years,[86] dwarfing attendances from other clubs. Another prominent club at this level is Wellingborough Town, who once competed in the Southern Football League[87] and has an average match attendance of 122[86]

Other clubs in the UCL are Bugbrooke St Michaels F.C., Burton Park Wanderers F.C., Cogenhoe United F.C., Desborough Town F.C., Irchester United F.C., Long Buckby A.F.C., Northampton ON Chenecks F.C., Northampton Sileby Rangers F.C., Northampton Spencer F.C., Raunds Town F.C., Rothwell Corinthians F.C., Rothwell Town F.C., Rushden & Higham United F.C., Stewarts & Lloyds Corby A.F.C., Thrapston Town F.C., Wellingborough Whitworth F.C. and Woodford United F.C.

Cricket[edit]

Northamptonshire County Cricket Club (Also known as The Steelbacks) is in Division Two of the County Championship. Northamptonshire Cricket Club has recently signed overseas professionals such as Sourav Ganguly.

In 2013 the club won the Friends Life t20 beating Surrey in the final. Appearing in their 3rd final in 4 years, the Steelbacks went on to beat Durham by 4 Wickets at Edgbaston in 2016 to lift the Natwest t20 Blast trophy for the second time.

Motor sport[edit]

Silverstone is a major motor racing circuit, most notably used for the British Grand Prix. There is also a dedicated radio station for the circuit which broadcasts on 87.7 FM or 1602 MW when events are taking place. However, part of the circuit is across the border in Buckinghamshire. Rockingham Speedway Corby is the largest stadium in the United Kingdom with 130,000 seats. It is a US-style elliptical racing circuit (the largest of its kind outside of the United States), and is used extensively for all kinds of motor racing events. The Santa Pod drag racing circuit, venue for the FIA European Drag Racing Championships is just across the border in Bedfordshire but has a NN postcode. Cosworth the high-performance engineering company is based in Northampton.

Two Formula One teams are based in Northamptonshire, with Mercedes at Brackley and Force India in Silverstone. Force India also have a secondary facility in Brackley, while Mercedes build engines for themselves, Force India, Lotus and Williams at Brixworth.

Swimming and diving[edit]

There are seven competitive swimming clubs in the county: Northampton Swimming Club, Wellingborough Amateur Swimming Club, Kettering Amateur Swimming Club, Corby Amateur Swimming Club, Daventry Dolphins Swimming Club, and Nene Valley Swimming Club. There is also one diving club: Corby Steel Diving Club. The main pool in the county is Corby East Midlands International Pool, which has an 8-lane 50m swimming pool with a floor that can adjust in depth to provide a 25m pool. The pool is home to the Northamptonshire Amateur Association's County Championships as well as some of the Youth Midland Championships.[88][89]

Northamptonshire is home to 2016 paralympian, Ellie Robinson. She was talent-spotted in July 2012 and developed at Northampton Swimming club, and was selected to compete for Great Britain at the 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships. It was here she won three bronze and one silver medal.[90]

Culture[edit]

Rock and pop bands originating in the area have included Bauhaus, The Departure, New Cassettes, Raging Speedhorn and Defenestration.

Kinky Boots, the 2005 British-American film and subsequent stage musical adaptation, was based on the true story of a traditional Northamptonshire shoe factory which, to stay afloat, entered the market for fetish footwear.

Richard Coles, the English Musician who partnered in the 1980s with Jimmy Somerville to create The Communards band. They made three Top Ten Hits and made the Number 1 record in 1986 with their song 'Don't Leave me this way'. In 2012, The University of Northampton awarded him an honorary doctorate. He is now a vicar of Finedon in Northamptonshire.

Places of interest[edit]

See also: Category:Tourist attractions in Northamptonshire.
Key
AP Icon.svg Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
Accessible open space Accessible open space
Themepark uk icon.png Amusement/Theme Park
CL icon.svg Castle
Country Park Country Park
EH icon.svg English Heritage
Forestry commission logo.svg Forestry Commission
Heritage railway Heritage railway
Historic house Historic House
Museum (free)
Museum		 Museum (free/not free)
National Trust National Trust
Drama-icon.svg Theatre
Zoo icon.jpg Zoo

Annual events[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "HM Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire". Northamptonshire County Council. Retrieved 19 April 2016. 
  2. ^ "Mrs Caroline Brocklehurst". High Sheriff of Northamptonshire. Retrieved 19 April 2016. 
  3. ^ "Lincolnshire County Council". Thebythams.org.uk. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  4. ^ "Plant and fungi species: Cowslip". 
  5. ^ Greenall (1979) p.19
  6. ^ a b c d Greenall (1979) p.20
  7. ^ BBC - History - Tribes of Britain. Retrieved 16 August 2009. Archived 25 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Greenall (1979) p.29
  9. ^ Wood, Michael (1986) The Domesday Quest p. 90, BBC Books, 1986 ISBN 0-563-52274-7.
  10. ^ Mills, A.D. (1998). A Dictionary of English Place-names. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford. p256. ISBN 0-19-280074-4
  11. ^ Rockingham Castle. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  12. ^ Stearns, Peter N., Langer. William L. The Encyclopedia of world history: ancient, medieval, and modern. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  13. ^ Mott, Allan. BBC - Cambridgeshire - History: Mary Queen of Scots' last days. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  14. ^ The Writings of George Washington: Life of Washington. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  15. ^ Edmonds. 1848. Notes on English history for the use of juvenile pupils. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  16. ^ Brookes, R., Whittaker, W.B. The General Gazetteer, or, Compendious geographical dictionary, in miniature. 1823. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  17. ^ Malte-Brun, C. Universal geography: or, A description of all parts of the world. 1832. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  18. ^ Andrews, R., Teller, M. The Rough Guide to Britain 2004. Rough Guides. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  19. ^ GENUKI: Northamptonshire Genealogy: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  20. ^ Corby - English Partnerships. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  21. ^ Northampton - English Partnerships. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  22. ^ Northamptonshire Chamber :: Milton Keynes & South Midlands Growth Plan. Retrieved 16 August 2009. Archived 7 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ^ Peterborough Diocesan Registry. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  24. ^ The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order 1964 (SI 1964/367), see Local Government Commission for England (1958-1967), Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3), 31 July 1961 and Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9), 7 May 1965
  25. ^ The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972 (SI 1972/2039) Part 5: County of Cambridgeshire
  26. ^ Northamptonshire - Let yourself grow: Media information about Northamptonshire. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  27. ^ UK Genealogy Archives: Transcript from Pigot & Co's Commercial Directory, 1830. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  28. ^ Northamptonshire Genealogy: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  29. ^ "Average weather for Northamptonshire (Moulton weather station)". 
  30. ^ Northamptonshire County Council: District and Borough Councils. 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  31. ^ The Cambridgeshire (City of Peterborough) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 (SI 1996/1878), see Local Government Commission for England (1992), Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire, October 1994 and Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin, December 1995
  32. ^ "Regional MPs & Local Authority Links". Northamptonshire Chamber. Retrieved 8 June 2016. 
  33. ^ "Northamptonshire County Council website". Retrieved 4 June 2009. 
  34. ^ GENUKI: Northamptonshire Genealogy: Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles. 1887. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  35. ^ Kellysearch.co.uk: R Griggs & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  36. ^ Northamptonshire Chamber: Major Northamptonshire employers. Retrieved 22 August 2009. Archived 26 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ^ [1]. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  38. ^ Prologis RFI Dirft Daventry. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  39. ^ FirstGBRf: FirstGBRf opens unique depot at Wellingborough. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  40. ^ GB Railfreight: Locations, Wellingborough Retrieved 11 November 2010
  41. ^ Regional Gross Value Added.Office for National Statistics Archived 28 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.. pp 240–253. 21 December 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  42. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
  43. ^ includes hunting and forestry
  44. ^ includes energy and construction
  45. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
  46. ^ Coe, N.M., Kelly, P.F, Wai-Chung Yeung, H. Economic geography: a contemporary introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. pp 141-143. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  47. ^ Russell Hotten. Motor racing battles to stay out of pits. TimesOnline. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  48. ^ Official site of Mercedes GP Formula One Team: Contact us. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  49. ^ Force India F1 Team: Contact us. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  50. ^ Cosworth: Contact. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  51. ^ Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd: Contact. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  52. ^ Silverstone Official Website: Contact Numbers. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  53. ^ Getting to Rockingham. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  54. ^ Santa Pod Raceway: Contact/find us/postcode. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  55. ^ Motorsport to grow 30% in next decade. Northants Evening Telegraph. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  56. ^ a b MSKM: North Northants Accessed 2 October 2010
  57. ^ a b MKSM: West Northants Accessed 2 October 2010
  58. ^ Northants Evening Telegraph: Come to North Londonshire Accessed 2 October 2010
  59. ^ North Londonshire: home page Accessed 2 October 2010
  60. ^ Let yourself grow: home page Accessed 2 October 2010
  61. ^ Northamptonshire County Council: Northamptonshire Schools Directory. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  62. ^ Tresham College: Our Campuses. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  63. ^ Tresham College: Our Courses. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  64. ^ Tresham College: Higher Education. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  65. ^ The University of Northampton: About Us. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  66. ^ The University of Northampton: Course finder. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  67. ^ "New £4.2m Irthlingborough outpatients clinic opens". BBC News. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
  68. ^ Tite, Nick (14 July 2008). "Rabbit caused water contamination at Pitsford - Northants ET". Northants Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 22 August 2008. 
  69. ^ "Sickness bug found in tap water". BBC. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2008. 
  70. ^ "BBC News". News at Ten, BBC One. BBC. 14 July 2008. 
  71. ^ "Anglian Water", Press Release
  72. ^ "Water crisis: All clear for tap water - and up to £30 compensation! - Northampton Chronicle and Echo". Chronicle & Echo. 5 July 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008. 
  73. ^ Britten, Nick (23 February 2009). "Corby station". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  74. ^ Network South East routes Archived 7 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  75. ^ "SMJR". Smjr.info. 19 September 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
  76. ^ "Connecting Communities - expanding access to the rail network" (PDF). London: Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. p. 19. Archived from the original (pdf) on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2015. 
  77. ^ a b Network Rail: East Midlands Draft Route Utilisation Strategy Access date: 4 January 2010
  78. ^ [2][dead link]
  79. ^ "The Corby Radio Story". corbyradio.com. Retrieved 5 March 2016. 
  80. ^ http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/saints-nation/club-history/a-new-dawn/
  81. ^ a b "Northampton Town FC". Retrieved 4 May 2015. 
  82. ^ http://www.ntfc.co.uk/club/sixfields_stadium/
  83. ^ http://www.ntfc.co.uk/club/history/
  84. ^ http://www.ntfc.co.uk/club/club_records/
  85. ^ a b c "Attendances". Retrieved 4 May 2015. 
  86. ^ a b c "Home Attendances". Retrieved 4 May 2015. 
  87. ^ "Wellingborough Town". Retrieved 4 May 2015. 
  88. ^ "Welcome to the Northants ASA web site". northants-asa.org. 
  89. ^ "Midland Championships". midlandchampionships.org.uk. 
  90. ^ http://rio.paralympics.org.uk/meet-the-team/athlete-profile/ellie-robinson

References[edit]

  • Greenall, R. L. (1979) A History of Northamptonshire Phillimore & Co. Ltd. ISBN 1-86077-147-5.

External links[edit]

Neighbouring counties
Leicestershire Leicestershire, Rutland Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire
Warwickshire Cambridgeshire
  Northamptonshire  
Oxfordshire Buckinghamshire Bedfordshire
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