Northamptonshire ~ England

Northamptonshire is located in the heart of rural England, not far from Milton Keynes and Cambridge. Northampton, the County town, is approximately 70 miles from London, with easy access to the M1 motorway 8 miles away. Its location in the heart of England has given the town national prominence since the Norman Conquest in 1066, with frequent royal visits from Henry I to Richard II through to the present. Today it is the fastest growing town in the UK.

Places of Interest

The Round Oval at Althorp House, ancestral home of the Spencer family, is the final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales. The House and Park are open to visitors, except on the anniversary of her death. Fotheringhay village, in the east of Northamptonshire has many royal associations: Edward, the second Duke of the House of York, killed at Agincourt at 1415, was buried here at the church. At the castle, Richard III was born in the castle and Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded. Ashby St Ledgers is where Guy Fawkes hatched the Gunpowder Plot during the reign of James I in 1605. Naseby is the site of the climactic battle of the English Civil War fought in1645 and Charles I was later imprisoned at Holdenby House. There are of course many other features in the county, such as All Saint's Church in Brixworth. Built in 680 it is one of the finest and largest Anglo Saxon churches in England, while St Peter's Church in Oundle has the tallest spire in the county, standing 210 feet high.

Living in Northamptonshire - Education, Shopping and Travel Links

Northampton is less than 70 miles from London, and can be reached in about 90 minutes via the M1 motorway. Milton Keynes is just half an hour's drive, and Cambridge is a little over an hour by road. London can be reached in just over an hour by train and Milton Keynes in only 15 minutes. The 2 shopping centres in Northampton are the Peacock Centre and the Grosvenor Centre, and the historic Market Square is one of the largest and most impressive in England. There are also shopping centres in Milton Keynes, Wellingborough and Weston Favell, while the Heart of the Shires Shopping Village is located at Weedon. Seven towns hold monthly farmer's markets, selling home-made and local produce. Speciality shops also sell local produce from pate and ice-creams, to local ales, wines, pies, cakes, and snacks at Country House Fine Foods. Northampton has 3 theatres: the Deco, the Royal and Derngate. Wellingborough and Corby each have one. There are also 2 cinemas and 9 sports centres in the county. Northamptonshire annual events programme includes Folk in the Park, the Balloon Festival, Northampton Festival, Heritage Open Days and the St. Crispin Street Fair. Northamptonshire County Council provides 9 Nursery schools, 244 Primary schools and 40 Secondary schools. In addition there are 13 Special schools, over a thousand Adult Learning courses and University College, Northampton.

Cities, towns and villages within Northamptonshire