Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire
Geography
Status	Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county
Region	East Midlands
Area - Total - Admin. council	Ranked 24th 2,364 km2 (913 sq mi) Ranked 22nd
Admin HQ	Northampton
ISO 3166-2	GB-NTH
ONS code	34
NUTS 3	UKF23
Demography
Population - Total (2008 est.) - Density - Admin. council	Ranked 33rd 685,000 290 /km2 (750 /sq mi) Ranked 15th
Ethnicity	95.1% White 2.0% South Asian 1.2% Black British.
Politics
Northamptonshire County Council http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Louise Bagshawe (C) Brian Binley (C) Peter Bone (C) Michael Ellis (C) Chris Heaton-Harris (C) Philip Hollobone (C) Andrea Leadsom (C)
Districts
South Northamptonshire Northampton Daventry Wellingborough Kettering Corby East Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire ( /nɔrˈθæmptənʃər/ or /nɔrθˈhæmptənʃɪər/; archaically, the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants. or N/hants) is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of 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 (21 yd).^[1] The county town is Northampton.

Northamptonshire's county flower is the cowslip.

Geography

Northamptonshire is an inland county in the East Midlands region.^[2] It contains the watershed between the Severn and The Wash. 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".^[3] The highest point in the county is Arbury Hill at 225 metres (738 ft).^[4]

Northampton is the largest town in the county, with a population of 189,474 people at the time of the 2001 census. This is followed by Wellingborough (72,519), Kettering (51,063), Corby (49,222), Rushden (25,849), and Daventry (22,367). Most of the county's population is concentrated in a central north–south band which includes the four largest towns (corresponding to districts 2, 4, 5 & 6 on the map). The west (districts 1 & 3) and east (district 7) are predominantly rural with small towns and many villages. Northamptonshire is a long, thin county (more so with the Soke of Peterborough), running from south-west to north-east.

Places

These are the main settlements in Northamptonshire with a town charter, a population over 5,000, or which are otherwise notable.

• Brackley, Brixworth, Burton Latimer
• Corby
• Daventry, Desborough
• Earls Barton
• Higham Ferrers
• Irthlingborough
• Kettering
• Northampton
• Oundle
• Raunds, Rothwell, Rushden
• Towcester, Thrapston
• Wellingborough

Peterborough

The Soke of Peterborough was historically associated with and considered part of Northamptonshire, as the county diocese is focused upon the cathedral there.^[5] However, Peterborough had its own county council, and in 1965 was merged with the neighbouring small county of Huntingdonshire.^[6] Under the Local Government Act 1972 the city of Peterborough became a district of Cambridgeshire.^[7]

History

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.^[8] About 500 BC the Iron Age was introduced into the area by a continental people in the form of the Hallstatt culture,^[9] 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.^[9]

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.^[9] The Catuvellauni were in turn conquered by the Romans in 43 AD.^[10]

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.^[9]

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.^[11] From about 889 the area was conquered by the Danes (as at one point was almost all of England 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.^[12] Consequently, it is one of the few counties in England to have both Saxon and Danish town-names and settlements.

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.^[13]

Rockingham Castle was built for William the Conqueror^[14] and was used as a Royal fortress until Elizabethan times. The now-ruined Fotheringhay Castle was used to imprison Mary, Queen of Scots, before her execution.^[15] In 1460, during the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Northampton took place and King Henry VI was captured.^[16]

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 great-great-great-great-great grandfather, 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.^[17]

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.^[18]

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."^[19]

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 a every step."^[20] Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of the numbers of stately homes and ancient churches.^[21]

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. In the north of the county a large ironstone quarrying industry developed from 1850.^[22] During the 1930s, the town of Corby was established as a major centre of the steel industry. Much of Northamptonshire nevertheless remains largely rural.

Corby was designated a new town in 1950^[23] and Northampton followed in 1968.^[24] As of 2005^[update] the government is encouraging development in the South Midlands area, including Northamptonshire.^[25]

Governance

National representation

Northamptonshire returns seven members of Parliament:^[26]

Local government

Like most English shire counties, Northamptonshire has a two-tier structure of local government. The county has an elected county council based in Northampton, and is also divided into seven districts each with their own district or borough councils:^[27]

Northamptonshire also has a large number of civil parishes. (see List of civil parishes in Northamptonshire.)

From 1993 until 2005, Northamptonshire County Council^[28] for which each of the 73 electoral divisions in the county elects a single councillor, had been held by the Labour Party; previously 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 has recently (from April 2006) abolished its area committees.

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.

Northamptonshire is policed by Northamptonshire Police, and is covered by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Before 1974, the Soke of Peterborough was considered geographically part of Northamptonshire, although it had had a separate county council since the late nineteenth 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.^[29]

Economy

Historically, Northamptonshire's main industry was the manufacture of boots and shoes;^[30] R Griggs and Co Ltd, the manufacturer of Dr. Martens, still has its UK base in Wollaston near Wellingborough.^[31] Weetabix breakfast cereal is made at Burton Latimer near Kettering, and Carlsberg beer is brewed in Northampton. Other major employers in the county include Avon Cosmetics, Siemens, Barclaycard, Saxby Bros Ltd and Golden Wonder.^[32][33] North of Daventry is the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal;^[34] Wellingborough has a smaller railfreight depot on Finedon Road.^[35]

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):^[36]

Motor racing

The area of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and South Midlands has been described as "Motorsport Valley... a global hub" for the industry.^[41][42] The Mercedes GP^[43] and Force India^[44] Formula One teams have their bases at Brackley and Silverstone respectively, while Cosworth^[45] and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines^[46] are also in the county at Northampton and Brixworth.

International motor racing takes place at Silverstone Circuit^[47] and Rockingham Motor Speedway;^[48] Santa Pod Raceway is just over the border in Bedfordshire but has a Northants postcode.^[49] 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 in the county.^[50]

Education

Northamptonshire County Council operates a complete comprehensive system with 42 state secondary schools.^[51] The county's music and performing arts service provides peripatetic music teaching to schools. It also supports 15 local Saturday morning music and performing arts centres around the county^[52] and provides a range of county level music groups.^[53]

Colleges

• Fletton House
• Knuston Hall
• Moulton College
• Tresham College of Further and Higher Education
• Northampton College
• Northampton New College
• The East Northamptonshire College

The Tresham College of Further and Higher Education, which has campuses in Wellingborough, Kettering and Corby,^[54] provides further education and offers vocational courses, GCSEs and A Levels.^[55] It also offers Higher Education options in conjunction with several universities^[56] and has recently announced its intention to seek university status from the government and to open a Higher Education campus in Kettering.

University

The University of Northampton has 10,000 students and two campuses 2.5 miles (4.0 km) apart.^[57] 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.^[58]

Healthcare

Hospitals

Northampton has several NHS branches, the main acute NHS hospitals in the county being Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals. In the south-west of the county, the town of Brackley and surrounding villages are serviced by the Horton General Hospital in Banbury in the neighbouring county of Oxfordshire for any acute medical needs. A similar arrangement is in place in the north-west of the county for the town of Oundle and nearby villages, being serviced by Peterborough District Hospital.

In the east of county, Kettering General Hospital has seen increasing pressure on its services. In January 2009, Irthlingborough was earmarked by the hospital to have a new satellite out-patient centre to provide over 48,000 appointments a year, as well as a minor injury unit to serve East Northamptonshire.^[59]

Water contamination

In June 2008, Anglian Water found traces of Cryptosporidium in water supplies of Northamptonshire. The local reservoir, Pitsford, was investigated to find a rabbit which had strayed into it,^[60] causing the problem. About 250,000 residents were affected;^[61] by 14 July 2008, 13 cases of cryptosporidiosis attributed to water in Northampton had been reported.^[62] Following the end of the investigation, Anglian Water lifted its boil notice for all affected areas on 4 July 2008.^[63] Anglian Water revealed that it will pay up to £30 per household as compensation for customers hit by the water crisis.^[64]

Transport

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

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

Rivers and canals

The Grand Union Canal at Braunston

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.

For the last five years Northamptonshire County Council has been in partnership with WS Atkins, Europe's largest Engineering Consultants to manage and maintain all highway functions.

Railways

The West Coast Main Line running alongside the M1 motorway near Daventry

Two trunk railway routes, the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line traverse 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, which is a few metres from the boundary with Oxfordshire on the Chiltern Main Line.

Before nationalization 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. After rail privatisation, it is served by Virgin, London Midland, Chiltern Railways and East Midland Trains. From being served by 75 stations in 1948 and three operators, in 2009 it has 6 stations with four operators.

Corby rail history

Corby has been described as the largest town in Britain without a railway station.^[65] 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 between Corby and Kettering but was withdrawn a few years later.^[66] A bus link operated by East Midlands Trains provides access to Corby from Kettering station. On 23 February 2009, a new Corby railway station opened providing direct hourly access to London St Pancras.

Closed lines and stations

Railway services in Northamptonshire were reduced by the Beeching Axe in the 1960s.^[67] 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 has been re-opened 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.

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.^[68] Network Rail is looking at electrifying the Midland Main Line north of Bedford, this would provide have less carbon emissions.^[69] A open access company have approached Network Rail for services to Oakham in Rutland to London via the county.^[69]

The Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway would like to see the railway fully reopen between Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers.

Buses

Most buses are operated by Stagecoach in Northants and First Northampton. 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, and so on.^[70][71]

Airports

Northamptonshire has Sywell Aerodrome, which is situated on the edge of Sywell village. The airport has three grass runways, but is soon to get a concrete runway so it can be used in all weathers.^[72]

Media

Newspapers

The two main newspapers in the county are the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph and the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

BBC Regions

In BBC regional radio and television terms, the Northampton, Kettering and Wellingborough parts of the county is not usually considered as part of the East Midlands; but as part of East Anglia with the BBC East's regional news BBC Look East being accessed in this area. BBC East Midlands's regional news BBC East Midlands Today covers Corby areas and BBC Oxford's regional news BBC Oxford News covers South Northamptonshire.

In pockets of the west of the county near the Warwickshire border, TV transmissions are received from the Sutton Coldfield transmitting station near Birmingham and receive local news coverage from the West Midlands. Even though in these areas this may provide viewers with the strongest TV signal and picture quality, it is not considered part of the BBC West Midlands area and does not cover news in the county and limited to nearby Warwickshire.

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 located in Abington Street, Northampton. These services are broadcast from the Sandy Heath transmitter.

ITV Regions

Most of Northamptonshire is covered by ITV's Anglia Television while in the southwest of the county, primarily Brackley and the surrounding villages, broadcasts can be received from the Oxford transmitter, from ITV Meridian.

Other Radio

There are three commercial radio stations, the former Kettering and Corby Broadcasting Company (KCBC) station now called Connect Radio (97.2 and 107.4 MHZ FM) following a merger with Wellingborough-based station of the same name. While both Heart Northants (96.6 MHz FM) and AM station Gold (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.

Sport

Rugby Union

Northamptonshire's most successful sporting participation is in rugby union; its premier team, Northampton Saints, compete in the Guinness Premiership and achieved the status of European champions in 2000 by defeating Munster for the Heineken Cup, 9-8. Saints are based at the 13,600 capacity Franklin's Gardens.

Football

Northamptonshire has several football teams, the most prominent being the League Two side Northampton Town. Other football teams include Kettering Town and Rushden & Diamonds, who are in the Conference National & Corby Town, who are in the Conference North. Wellingborough Town claims to be the sixth oldest club in the country.

Cricket

Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is presently in Division Two of the County Championship. Northamptonshire Cricket Club has recently signed overseas professionals such as Sourav Ganguly.

Motor Sport

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. Rockingham Speedway Corby is the largest stadium in the UK with 130,000 seats. It is a US-style elliptical racing circuit (the largest of its kind outside of the US), 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.

Music

Northampton has had a varied musical history. Its most famous export is Bauhaus, a revered Rock band active between the late-1970s and mid-1980s.

More recently music has flourished around the now closed Soundhaus and Labour Club. The Departure were the most famous recent band. However, New Cassettes, The Retro Spankees, The Weimar Republic, Winston Echo, Columbus and Crewsoe, Kowalski and Magic Skool Bus have prospered here.

Places of interest

Key
	Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
	Accessible open space
	Amusement/Theme Park
	Castle
	Country Park
	English Heritage
	Forestry Commission
	Heritage railway
	Historic House
	Museum (free/not free)
	National Trust
	Zoo

Annual events

• Gretton Barn dance
• British Grand Prix at Silverstone
• Burghley Horse Trials
• Crick Boat Show
• Hollowell Steam Rally
• Northampton Balloon Festival
• Rothwell Fair
• Rushden Cavalcade
• St Crispin Street Fair
• Wellingborough Carnival
• World Conker Championships
• Welland Valley Beer Festival

See also

• People from Northamptonshire
• History of Northamptonshire

References

External links

• Northamptonshire at the Open Directory Project
• Northamptonshire Images and Information
• 1894/5 description
• Northants Forum
• Local Theatre in Northamptonshire
• Northamptonshire History Website
• Northamptonshire Tourism Website
• Northamptonshire Guide Website

Neighbouring counties

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