Relics have been found in the area dating from the Iron Age. It is believed that the area now known as Northampton was a farming community from the 7th century.
The Normans built up the town and also a castle in the 11th century.
The network of tunnels in the centre of Northampton are centred around All Saints Church and date back to Medieval times.
The Grand Union Canal bought growth and wealth to the area and the railways followed in 1815 adding more trade and visitors to the area.
The Grand Union Canal runs into the River Nene on which Northampton stands and although it is no longer used for freight transportation it is used by narrowboat owners who make frequent stops at the nearby villages.
The construction of an 82 arch viaduct was built for the London and Midland Railway. It is three quarters of a mile in length and was started in 1874 and finished five years later. Each arch measures a width of forty feet and is built of blue and red brick.
Northampton was known as a shoemaking and leather goods town but this is no longer the case although there are still some of the small shoe making factories and workers houses in the back streets of the town.
The Holy Sepulchre Church is Northampton’s oldest building. It is a well preserved large church based on the design of one in Jerusalem of the same name.
The town’s Guildhall was built in the 1860’s and extended in the 1990’s.
The disused Express Lift Tower was originally erected to test new lifts by the Express Lift factory. It is over 127m high and has been made a listed building.
The population of Northampton has risen dramatically since 1960 and housing estates were erected for the overspill in 1968 and Northampton became one of the countries ‘New Towns’. In the millennium the town wanted to become a city but their application was turned down, it went instead to Wolverhampton.
Properties to rent in Northampton are plentiful with prices approximately £220pcm for a student room, £375 - £475pcm for a l bed flat, £475 - £525pcm for a 2 bed flat, £525 - £550pcm for a 2 bed house and £625 - £850 for a 3 bed house.
In 2005 the University College became the University of Northampton.
Northampton lies close to junctions 15, 15a and 16 of the M1 motorway. The A45 and A43 run through the town and the A14 is nearby. By train it is only a one hour journey into the centre of London.
Northamptons main employers are in distribution and finance and Barclaycard, Panasonic, Coco Cola Schweppes and Carlsberg are some of the major companies in the town.
Northampton is home to an art gallery and two theatres.
The town has two shopping centres, several shopping streets and out of town retail parks. It also has a Market Square said to be the largest in Britain dating back to 1235. There are many shops in Northampton including smaller retail premises and also shops such as Wilkinson, Dunnes, Debenhams and Bhs.
There are several cinemas in town including one at the Sixfields Leisure centre which also has a bowling alley and restaurant.
For the past seventeen years Northampton has held an annual Balloon Festival held at the Racecourse Park. This park was originally a racecourse until 1904 when after a bout of accidents it was decided it should close. During WWII the park was ploughed over allowing residents to grow their own vegetables. Northampton is fortunate to have many parks including the Leisure Park on the edge of town called the Billing Aquadrome this also has a caravan park, marina, funfair and restaurant on site.
Northampton has sports clubs for swimming, cricket, football and rugby. It also holds Stock Car Racing events.
Not far from Northampton is situated Woburn Abbey, a stately home and Safari Park. It lies in grounds of 3,000 acres where ten species of deer are allowed to roam free. Its been the home of the Russell family for four hundred years.
The Safari Park is an award winning park where many wild animals live in large open spaces. The drive through takes between 45 – 60mins and Rhino, tigers, lions, giraffes, zebra, bears and monkeys can be see along with many other breeds. The drive can be done either in your own car or book a ride on the Safari Lorry which, if the weather allows, will go off road to get even closer to these magnificent animals. Displays with falcons and parrots also take place and a walk with the elephants can be taken.
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