Northamptonshire (or Northampton), south-midland county of England, bounded N. by Leicestershire, Rutland, and Lincolnshire, E. by Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, and Bedfordshire, S. by Bucks and Oxfordshire, and W. by Warwickshire; greatest length, NE. to SW., about 70 miles; greatest breadth, E. to W., about 26 miles; area, 629,912 acres, population 272,555. Although the surface appearance of the county is generally hilly there are no elevations of considerable altitude, the highest being near Daventry, where Arbury Hill reaches 804 ft. The NE. part of the county belongs to the Fen district. In some localities, particularly the W. and SW., the scenery is especially attractive; while here and there throughout the co. rich woods and well-watered vales afford pleasing aspects. The chief rivers are the Nen and the Weiland; the Avon forms a part of the N. boundary of the co., the Cherwell of the SW. boundary, and the Learn of the W. boundary; the Ouse has its rise near Brackley in the S. The canal system includes the Union and Grand Junction Canal, besides other similar waterways. On the uplands the soil is a fine brown loam, but the richest portion is found in the black mould of the Fen district. Throughout the whole county farming is successfully prosecuted, all kinds of cereal and green crops being raised; while upon the splendid pastures large numbers of cattle are reared, principally for the London market. Northampton is celebrated for its ash trees, old oaks, and elm avenues. Lias and oolite are the prevailing geological formations. Iron is largely found, and although worked as early as the time of the Roman occupation, its modern manufacture dates only from 1850, since which year remarkable progress has been made by the encouragement of the industry and its consequent productiveness. Apart from ironworking, the great industry of the county is centred in the manufacture of boots and shoes in the town of Northampton and the towns of the middle of the county. Northamptonshire contains 20 hundreds, 344 parishes, with parts of 4 others, the parliamentary and municipal borough of Northampton, part of the parliamentary and municipal borough of Peterborough, the municipal borough of Daventry, and part of the municipal borough of Stamford. It is almost entirely in the diocese of Peterborough.
– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)
78 Derngate
82 Derngate
Northampton NN1 1UH
01604 603407
The Charles Rennie Mackintosh House, 78 Derngate, is an important and award-winning historic house set in the heart of Northampton. Designed and remodelled by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1916, the house has been meticulously restored and opened to the public.
Abington Park Museum
Park Avenue South, Abington Park
Northampton NN1 5LW
01604 838110
www.northampton.gov.uk/museums
A 15th century manor house, once the home of Shakespeare’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Bernard, who is buried in the nearby church. It is now a museum including the history of the house.
Collections: Social history costume military history natural sciences egyptology leathercraft.
Althorp
Northampton NN7 4HQ
01604 771 07
Family home of Diana Princess of Wales. House, gardens and exhibition open to the public for two months annually.
Boughton House
Boughton Park, Geddington
Kettering NN14 1BJ
01536 515731
Boughton House, known as ‘the English Versailles’, is the Northamptonshire home of the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry. Its transformation from a 15th century monastic building into one of the great houses of Europe 250 years later is a colourful story, best illustrated by the rich variety of the architecture and the superb quality of the contents.
Collections: Superb art treasures – paintings, furniture, tapestries, needlework, carpets, porcelain, arms and silver – and an incomparable armoury.
Burton Latimer Heritage Museum
Civic Centre, 120 High Street
Burton Latimer NN15 5RH
01536 722722
Burton Latimer Heritage Museum is situated in a former health centre now the Civic Centre. It is managed by Burton Latimer Heritage Society, which mounts two themed exhibitions each year.
Canons Ashby – National Trust
Canons Ashby
Daventry NN11 3SD
01327 860044
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/canons-ashby-house
A tranquil Elizabethan manor house set in beautiful gardens: * There are some beautiful Tudor/Jacobean wall paintings, Jacobean plasterwork and several tapestries with some excellent C17 needlepoint chairs * The kitchen and dairy offer an intimate view of life ‘below stairs’ * Colourful formal gardens, old orchard and sweeping parkland * St Mary’s Church, the relic of an Augustinian priory * The park encompasses the deserted medieval village.
Carpetbagger Aviation Museum
Sunnyvale Farm, off Lamport Road, Harrington
Harrington NN6 9PF
01604 686608
Displays and exhibits within the Carpetbagger Aviation Museum depict the history of the airfield and vividly show the work carried out by the 801st (Provisional) / 492nd Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force, especially during Operation Carpetbagger, and their secret missions to deliver agents and supplies to resistance groups in Occupied Europe during the Second World War. Other exhibits and displays include the secret work of the British Special Operations Executive from their RAF base at Tempsford; the cold war roles of the airfield at Harrington with the Thor rockets; and the Royal Observer Corps. Nearby in the former Paymaster nissen hut, and also forming part of the Harrington Aviation Museums, is the Northants Aviation Society Museum. This contains many other fascinating items of equipment and memorabilia.
Chichele College
Higham Ferrers NN10 8BH
01933 655401
Chichele College is an evocative mediaeval building situated in the centre of Higham Ferrers. The college was founded in the 15th century by Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1414 to 1443.
Daventry Town Council Museum
Town Council Offices, 3 New Street
Daventry NN11 4BT
01327 301246
The exhibition has some interesting displays of past Daventry artefacts including the old Borough Charter and a model of the railway station. Many displays are changed on a regular basis. At the present time the exhibition contains many interesting items of Daventry´s history donated or loaned or donated by local people of the town.
Earls Barton Museum of Local Life
Barkers Factory Complex, Station Road, Earls Barton
Northampton NN6 0DH
01604 811 735
Earls Barton Museum of Local Life offers visitors a chance to see just how the people of this area have lived through many stages in history. There is thought to have been a settlement in this area for a great deal of time, and this museum charts the development of people and practices through several stages.
Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
Irchester Country Park
Wellingborough NN29 7DL
01604 675368
sites.google.com/site/ingrmuseum/home
Situated in Irchester Country Park, Northamptonshire, the Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is home to a collection of working steam and diesel locomotives.
Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens
Kelmarsh Hall, Kelmarsh
Northampton NN6 9LT
01604 686 543
Kelmarsh is a 3,363 acre (1361ha) agricultural estate at the heart of which (physically and symbolically) stands the 18th century Kelmarsh Hall, surrounded by its pleasure gardens and parkland. Today the estate, hall and gardens are owned and managed by The Kelmarsh Trust whose principle aim is to preserve the Hall for the benefit of the nation together with its contents and surroundings, making them available for study and appreciation by the general public.
Kirby Hall – English Heritage
Corby NN17 3EN
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kirby-hall/
01536 203230
Kirby Hall is one of England’s greatest Elizabethan and 17th century houses, earlier owned by Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I. Although this vast mansion is partly roofless, the walls show the exceptionally rich decoration that proclaims that its successive owners were always in the forefront of new ideas about architecture and design.
Lamport Hall
Lamport
Northampton NN6 9HD (SAT NAV – NN6 9EZ)
01604 686272
www.lamporthall.co.uk
Lamport Hall is one of the finest Grade I listed buildings. It contains a wealth of outstanding furniture, books, china and paintings, many of which were brought back by the third Baronet’s Grand Tour of Europe in the 1670s.
Lyveden New Bield – National Trust
Lyveden New Bield
near Oundle PE8 5AT
01832 205158
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lyveden-new-bield
Set in the heart of rural Northamptonshire, Lyveden is a remarkable survivor of the Elizabethan age. Begun by Sir Thomas Tresham to symbolise his Catholic faith, Lyveden remains incomplete and virtually unaltered since work stopped on his death in 1605. Discover the mysterious garden lodge and explore the Elizabethan garden with its spiral mounts, terracing and canals. Wander through the new orchard, containing many old varieties of apples and pears, or explore the Lyveden Way.
Manor House Museum
Sheep Street
Kettering NN16 0AN
01536 534219
www.kettering.gov.uk/museums
Temporary exhibitions and regular activities make the Manor House Museum a lively and vibrant place to visit. Come along to explore Kettering’s history and find out what makes the town unique.
Collections: The museum collects only those items, which were made or used within the geographical area of Kettering Borough for its permanent collections. The current size of the collections is thought to total circa 20,000 artefacts.
Museum of Leathercraft
c/o Central Museum & Art Gallery, Guildhall Road
Northampton NN1 1DP
01604 233 500
The museum of Leathercraft is internationally acknowledged as having one of the finest collections of leather artefacts in the world.
Museum of the Northamptonshire Regiment
Abington Park
Northampton NN1 5LW
01604 631454
www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200243/museums
The collection includes photographs acquired by the regiment over many years, some of which are the personal photograph albums of individual soldiers. Some of these photographs show life serving in a various number of places including Waziristan, India, Egypt, Iraq, China, Korea and other tours of various bases in Europe.
Naseby Battlefield Project
Glinton Cottage
Sibbertoft, Market Harborough LE16 9UJ
01858 880820
The battle of Naseby was fought on the morning of the 14th June 1645. In the open fields of that small Northamptonshire village, Parliament’s New Model Army destroyed the main field army of King Charles I. It was the most important battle fought on British soil. The Naseby Battlefield Project aims to enhance visitor facilities at Naseby battlefield.
Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
Guildhall Road
Northampton NN1 1DP
01604 838111
www.northampton.gov.uk/museums
Northampton Museum reflects the town’s proud standing as both Britain’s boot and shoe capital and the focus for history of the town through the ages.
Collections: The Boot and Shoe collection held at Northampton’s Central Museum and Art Gallery is one of the most extensive collections of its kind in the world. It includes everything from Roman and medieval footwear to the work of contemporary designers and reflects the vital role of Northampton in the history of shoe making.
Northamptonshire Black History Project
Doddridge Centre, 109 St James Road
Northampton NN5 5LD
01604 590967
www.northants-black-history.org.uk
This community-led project aims to record and promote the histories and stories of Northamptonshire’s Black communities over at least the past 500 years. It involves three main activities: (1) Historical research to reveal the Black presence by looking at newspapers, parish records, paintings, photographs, gravestones and other media; (2) community archiving to preserve the records of today’s black communities and individuals for future generations; (3) Oral history interviews to document the stories and experiences of people living in Northamptonshire today.
Northamptonshire Family History Society
22 Godwin Walk, Ryehill Estate
Northampton NN5 7RW
Northants Family History Society for those interested in family history and genealogy in Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust
Hunsbury Hill Country Park, Hunsbury Hill Road, Camp Hill
Northampton NN49UW
01604 702031
www.nirt.co.uk
Sited on the old ironstone quarry closed in the 1930s, this museum houses a collection of relics from the ironstone quarrying era of Northampton. Also on site is a 1.5 mile demonstration railway line in standard gauge.
Northamptonshire Record Office
Records Office, Wootton Hall Park
Northampton NN4 8BQ
01604 762129
The Northamptonshire Record Office holds over 800 years of the county’s rich archival heritage, which can be accessed free of charge on-site. The archives cover all aspects of life in Northamptonshire, and the people who lived here.
Northamptonshire Yeomanry Section of Borough Combined Services Museum
Abington Park
Northampton NN1 5LW
01604 31454
www.northampton.gov.uk/museums
Learn about the history of the Northamptonshire Regiment and Yeomanry and about how we used to live.
Oundle Museum
The Courthouse, Mill Road
Oundle PE8 4BW
01832 272741
Permanent exhibits include: local archaeological finds, brewing and malting, farming tools and machinery, remand cell.
Peterborough Cathedral
Cathedral Office, Minster Precincts
Peterborough PE1 1XS
01733 355315
www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk
Peterborough Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Peterborough which covers most of Peterborough City, Northamptonshire and Rutland.
Piddington Roman Villa Museum
Chapel End
Piddington, Northampton NN7 2DD
01604 870312
www.unas.org.uk
Housed in a former Wesleyan chapel, the museum displays some of the many finds made during the long running excavation of the Piddington Roman Villa over 25 years, and still on-going. Apart from the displays, the building houses stores for the many found objects.
Collections: Apart from significant archaeological material it houses displays interpreting 500 years of life at the settlement, including: a detailed model of the villa, as in the later 2nd century; a full-sized mannequin of a possible owner of the villa called Tiberius Claudius Severus, with an audio presentation; a full-scale reconstruction of sections of a typical roof and hypocaust, the Roman heating system.
Prebendal Manor & Tithe Barn Museum, The
Church Street, Nassington
Peterborough PE8 6QG
01780 782575
www.prebendal-manor.co.uk
A 13th century manor dating from 1200 AD, overlaying and Anglo-Saxon hall. Included in the visit is the Tithe Barn Museum, a large recreated medieval garden, fish ponds and a 15th century dovecote.
Rothwell Arts & Heritage Centre
14-16 Bridge Street
Rothwell NN14 6JW
01536 711550
Rothwell is a market town with many historic buildings and proud links to the past. The importance of Rothwell or Rowell in this context is recorded in the Domesday Book. The Arts and Heritage Centre was established in 2003 by Rothwell Museum Group and Rothwell and Desborough Market Towns Initiative.
Rushton Triangular Lodge – English Heritage
Rushton Road
Rushton NN14 1RP
01536 710761
This delightful triangular building was designed by Sir Thomas Tresham (father of one of the Gunpowder Plotters) and constructed between 1593 and 1597. It is a testament to Tresham’s Roman Catholicism: the number three, symbolising the Holy Trinity, is apparent everywhere.
Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum
Bridge Road, Stoke Bruerne
Towcester NN12 7SE
01604 862 229
Housed in a restored cornmill in the picturesque village of Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal, the museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of inland waterways.
Collections: The collection includes objects painted by boatmen in the traditional ‘Roses and Castles’ style, costumes worn by boating families, waterways souvenirs from the 1950s, a large collection of photographs and extensive archive material such as canal company share certificates.
Sulgrave Manor
Manor Road, Sulgrave
nr Banbury OX17 2SD
01295 760205
Sulgrave Manor was set up in the 1920s as a symbol of the rich network of links that bind the United Kingdom and the United States together. It was built by George Washington’s direct ancestor in the middle of the 16th century and is now restored to show how the gentry of the period lived.
Collections: Carefully and sympahetically restored 16th Great Hall and bedchamber and 18th century rooms bedrooms, parlour and kitchen. Furniture, artefacts and textiles of the period displayed as well as the largest collection of George Washington memorabilia.
Wellingborough Museum
12 Castle Way
Wellingborough NN8 1XB
01933 276838
www.wellingboroughmuseum.co.uk
The Wellingborough Museum is housed in Dulley’s Baths, built in 1892 as an indoor swimming pool by David Dulley, a brewer in the town. In 1920, the building was bought by George Cox and converted into a shoe factory.
Collections: A typical market-town collection of mainly social items relating to Wellingborough and district.