77-568: Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) is a rail-road intermodal freight terminal with an associated warehousing estate in Northamptonshire , England. The facility is located at the junctions between the M1 motorway , A5 and A428 roads , 4 miles (6 km) east of Rugby and 6 miles (10 km) north of Daventry ; it has a rail connection from the Northampton loop of
154-517: A "motorway orientated growth point". The ground area of the original DIRFT development is divided into three sections: DIRFT Central 40 acres (16 ha), DIRFT East 130 acres (53 ha), and DIRFT South 140 acres (55 ha) by the A5 and A428 roads. The site first became operational on 27 May 1997, and was officially opened in November 1997 by Anne, Princess Royal , at inception the facility included
231-440: A 475,000 square feet (44,100 m) warehouse operated for road haulage operator Eddie Stobart . The rail connected terminal was operated by Tibbett and Britten ; construction of a 210,000 sq ft (20,000 m) rail connected warehouse was started in 1998, a second 265,000 sq ft (24,600 m) facility was constructed in 2000. DIRFT was one of the earliest post- Channel Tunnel road-rail intermodal terminals –
308-932: A 8.6 acres (3.5 ha) HGV parking site. A related development is the Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) built to the west of DIRFT as a suburb of Rugby – with over 6,000 homes planned. The development took on the name of Houlton and the first homeowners moved in during December 2017. A planning application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was submitted in 2011, and was approved in July 2014. 52°20′59″N 1°10′04″W / 52.34972°N 1.16778°W / 52.34972; -1.16778 Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( / n ɔːr ˈ θ æ m p t ə n ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / nor- THAMP -tən-shər, -sheer ; abbreviated Northants. )
385-517: A 840,000 sq ft (78,000 m) grocery distribution centre in 2011, constructed by VolkerFitzpatrick (main contractor), construction work was completed in September 2011. As part of the development, a rail tunnel was built under the A5 road to connect DIRFTII to the rail network via the original DIRFT railport. A further 7.5 million sq.ft. extension, DIRFTIII, was proposed for construction on
462-523: A comprehensive system of state-funded secondary schools. From May 2021 compulsory education in the county is administered by North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council. The county is home to private schools Oundle , Quinton House School , Wellingborough School , Spratton Hall School , Northampton High School . 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
539-495: A continental people in the form of the Hallstatt culture , 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 . In the 1st century BC, most of what later became Northamptonshire became part of
616-606: A need to improve communication links between London and Dublin . A parliamentary committee led to an act of Parliament , the Holyhead Roads Act 1815 ( 55 Geo. 3 . c. 152) that authorised the purchase of existing turnpike road interests and, where necessary, the construction of new road, to complete the route between the two capitals. This made it the first major civilian state-funded road building project in Britain since Roman times. Responsibility for establishing
693-525: A number of small industrial centres which specialise in engineering and food processing. Much of Northamptonshire's countryside appears to have remained somewhat intractable as regards early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from the Palaeolithic , Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. In about 500 BC the Iron Age was introduced into the area by
770-409: 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. In June 2008, Anglian Water found traces of Cryptosporidium in water supplies of Northamptonshire. The local reservoir at Pitsford
847-573: Is Arbury Hill southwest of Daventry , at 225 m (738 ft). There are Iron Age and Roman remains in the county, and in the seventh century it was settled by the Angles and Saxons , becoming part of Mercia . The county likely has its origin in the Danelaw as the area controlled from Northampton, which was one of the Five Boroughs . In the later Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
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#1732794063163924-495: Is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire , Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire , Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west. Northampton is the largest settlement and the county town . The county has an area of 2,364 km (913 sq mi) and a population of 747,622. The latter
1001-718: Is a landlocked county in the southern part of the East Midlands , sometimes known as the South Midlands . The county contains the watershed between the River Severn and The Wash , and 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
1078-402: Is concentrated in the centre of the county, which contains the county's largest towns: Northampton (249,093), Corby (75,571), Kettering (63,150), and Wellingborough (56,564). The northeast and southwest are rural. The county contains two local government districts , North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire , which are both unitary authority areas . The historic county included
1155-427: Is due to have tens of thousands additional homes built between 2010 and 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. 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. To oversee
1232-640: Is just over the border in Bedfordshire but has a Northamptonshire postcode. 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. 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
1309-534: Is the most populous civil parish in England, and (prior to 2021) was 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. The Soke of Peterborough
1386-416: Is within the historic county of Northamptonshire, although it had had a separate county council since 1889 and separate courts of quarter sessions before then. The city of Peterborough has been a unitary authority since 1998, but it forms part of Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes . In early 2018, Northamptonshire County Council was declared technically insolvent and would be able to provide only
1463-640: 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. A5 road (Great Britain) The A5 , the London-Holyhead trunk road, is a major road in England and Wales . It runs for about 243 miles (391 km) from London to the Irish Sea at
1540-622: The A41 , enters Telford , where it loses its identity and route-shares with the M54 motorway from junction 5. At junction 7 the motorway ends and the A5 continues to Shrewsbury as dual carriageway, on its new alignment. (The original route through Telford, and then via Atcham to Shrewsbury, is unclassified through Oakengates and as the B5061 through Wellington and the B4380 through Atcham). Continuing from
1617-738: 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. Consequently, it is one of the few counties in England to have both Saxon and Danish town-names and settlements. The county
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#17327940631631694-726: The Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal and then passes the remains of the Rugby Radio Station . The next phase north-west-bound takes it under the M6 motorway and passing close to Lutterworth . Along this stretch, the road frequently alternates between being a single and a dual carriageway. After meeting the M69 motorway at a roundabout, with the motorway passing above, the A5 runs between Nuneaton and Hinckley . After this section
1771-674: The Labour Party and two from the Conservative Party . Several of the constituencies have been marginal in the past, including the Northampton seats, Wellingborough, Kettering, and Corby, which were all Labour seats before 2005. In the 2016 EU referendum, all of the Northamptonshire districts voted to Leave, most by a significant margin. From 1993 until 2005, Northamptonshire County Council, for which each of
1848-464: The M1 motorway junction 11A, rejoining the old Roman Road and passing through Hockliffe before becoming a dual carriageway as it approaches Milton Keynes . On entering the City of Milton Keynes , the road becomes an (almost) fully grade-separated dual carriageway and passes through Milton Keynes. This stretch was opened in 1980, replacing the original route along Watling Street. From just north of
1925-758: The Nene Valley near Raunds . A large fort was built at Longthorpe . 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 . 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
2002-653: The Oswestry bypass, running to the east of that town. Shortly after, it crosses the River Ceiriog and enters Wales to continue from Chirk . The A5 continues through to Snowdonia via Llangollen , Corwen , Capel Curig and through the centre of Bangor . From Bangor the road crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge to Anglesey and then runs roughly parallel to the A55 expressway to the outskirts of
2079-646: The Soke of Peterborough . The county is characterised by low, undulating hills, particularly to the west. They are the source of several rivers, including the Avon and Welland , which form much of the northern border; the Cherwell ; and the Great Ouse . The River Nene is the principal river within the county, having its source in the southwest and flowing northeast past Northampton and Wellingborough. The highest point
2156-569: The South Midlands has been described as " Motorsport Valley ... a global hub" for the motor sport industry. The Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin Formula One teams have their bases at Brackley and Silverstone respectively, while Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines and, formerly, Cosworth , are also in the county at Brixworth and Northampton respectively. International motor racing takes place at Silverstone Circuit and, formerly, Rockingham Motor Speedway ; Santa Pod Raceway
2233-745: The Wars of the Roses , the Battle of Northampton took place and King Henry VI was captured. The now-ruined Fotheringhay Castle was used to imprison Mary, Queen of Scots , before her execution. 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
2310-470: The West Coast Main Line . The original development of approximately 300 acres (120 ha) was built during the 1990s. of which only DIRFT South ( DIRFT Railport ) had a direct rail connection. An extension, often referred to as DIRFTII , of about 130 acres (54 ha) received planning permission in 2005, and is designed to have all facilities rail connected, the first occupier of DIRFTII
2387-679: The ferry port of Holyhead . In many parts the route follows that of the Roman Iter II route which later took the Anglo-Saxon name Watling Street . The section of the A5 between London and Shrewsbury is roughly contiguous with one of the principal Roman roads in Britain: that between Londinium (modern-day London) and Deva (modern-day Chester), which diverges from the present-day A5 corridor at Wroxeter ( Viroconium Cornoviorum ) near Shrewsbury. The Act of Union 1800 , which unified Great Britain and Ireland , gave rise to
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2464-409: The 19th century. In the north of the county a large ironstone quarrying industry developed from 1850. 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." Nine years later,
2541-551: The 73 electoral divisions in the county elected 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 – were strongly Conservative, whereas the political composition of the urban districts was more mixed. At the 2003 local elections, Labour lost control of Kettering, Northampton, and Wellingborough, retaining only Corby. Elections for
2618-574: The A5 through the reconstructed cutting was reopened. Starting at Marble Arch in London , the A5 runs northwest on the Edgware Road through Kilburn and Cricklewood . The A5 number disappears at the A41 near Edgware but the original road continues as the A5183 through Elstree , Radlett , St Albans , Redbourn and Dunstable . A few miles north of Dunstable, the A5 regains its identity at
2695-627: The County of Huntingdon and Peterborough, was not reinstated as a Shire county in its own right in 1974. Instead, Huntingdonshire was transferred to and became a district of Cambridgeshire. Since 1965, Northamptonshire has been one of the small number of English counties that does not contain a city. In 1879, a local government district was created covering the three parishes of Market Harborough and Great Bowden and Little Bowden . When elected county councils were established in 1889, local government districts were placed entirely in one county, and thus
2772-624: 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 (excluding trunk roads and motorways), managed by West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, includes the A45 west of the M1 motorway , the A43 between Northampton and the county boundary near Stamford,
2849-561: The Soke had its own county council , making it an autonomous district of Northamptonshire. In 1965, the ancient Soke of Peterborough was abolished by the Local Government Boundary Commission ; the city of Peterborough and the surrounding villages that were previously part of the Soke, were transferred to the newly created county of Huntingdon and Peterborough . The new county of Huntingdon and Peterborough
2926-558: The average weather for Northamptonshire from the Moulton weather station. Between 1974 and 2021, Northamptonshire, like most English counties, was divided into a number of local authorities. The seven borough/district councils covered 15 towns and hundreds of villages. The county had a two-tier structure of local government and an elected county council based in Northampton , and was also divided into seven districts each with their own district or borough councils: Northampton itself
3003-499: The bare essential services. According to The Guardian the problems were caused by "a reckless half-decade in which it refused to raise council tax to pay for the soaring costs of social care" and "partly due to past failings, the council is now having to make some drastic decisions to reduce services to a core offer." Some observers, such as Simon Edwards of the County Councils Network , added another perspective on
3080-504: The cause of the financial crisis, the United Kingdom government austerity programme : "It is clear that, partly due to past failings, the council is now having to make some drastic decisions to reduce services to a core offer. However, we can't ignore that some of the underlying causes of the challenges facing Northamptonshire, such as dramatic reductions to council budgets and severe demand for services, mean county authorities across
3157-584: The city, after entering Northamptonshire , the road resumes as a single carriageway that continues through Towcester where it crosses the A43 dual carriageway just north of the town. The road accompanies the Grand Union Canal and the M1 motorway through the Watford Gap . It then bridges the M45 motorway and continues to Kilsby . As it passes close to Rugby , the road is diverted slightly around
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3234-561: The country face funding pressures of £3.2bn over the next two years." In early 2018, following the events above, Government-appointed commissioners took over control of the council's affairs. Consequently, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government commissioned an independent report which, in March 2018, proposed structural changes to local government in Northamptonshire. These changes, implemented on 1 April 2021, saw
3311-583: The county and provides a range of county-level music groups. 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 . Tresham, which was taken over by Bedford College in 2017 due to failed Ofsted inspections, provides further education and offers vocational courses and re-sit GCSEs . It also offers Higher Education options in conjunction with several universities. Other colleges in
3388-984: The county are: Fletton House , Knuston Hall , Moulton College , Northampton College , Northampton New College and The East Northamptonshire College . Northamptonshire has one university, the University of Northampton . It has two campuses 2.5 miles (4.0 km) apart and 10,000 students. 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. The main acute National Health Service hospitals in Northamptonshire Northampton General Hospital , which also operates Danetre Hospital in Daventry, and Kettering General Hospital . In
3465-437: 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." Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of
3542-634: The county was relatively settled, although Northampton was the location of engagements during the First and Second Barons' Wars and the Wars of the Roses , and during the First English Civil War Naseby was the site of a decisive battle which destroyed the main Royalist army. During the Industrial Revolution Northamptonshire became known for its footwear, and the contemporary county has
3619-517: The county, 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. As of 2010 there were 16 settlements in Northamptonshire with a town charter: Like the rest of the British Isles , Northamptonshire has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification ). The table below shows
3696-417: The county. King Charles I was imprisoned at Holdenby House in 1647. 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
3773-475: The end of the M54, the route runs around Shrewsbury as the town's southern bypass (still as dual carriageway), combining for a stretch with the A49 . (The route once ran through the town, but was first bypassed in the 1930s, then by-passed again in the early 1990s). After Shrewsbury, the A5 continues as single-carriageway except for the Nesscliffe bypass. It then multiplexes with the major South Wales – North Wales road A483 and forms part of
3850-434: The entire County Council were held every four years – the last were held on 4 May 2017 . The County Council used a leader and cabinet executive system and abolished its area committees in April 2006. Historically, Northamptonshire's main industry was manufacturing of boots and shoes. Many of the manufacturers closed down in the Thatcher era which in turn left many county people unemployed. Although R Griggs and Co Ltd,
3927-521: The existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place. One unitary authority, West Northamptonshire , consists of the former districts of Daventry , Northampton and South Northamptonshire ; the other, North Northamptonshire , consists of the former East Northamptonshire district and the former boroughs of Corby , Kettering and Wellingborough . Northamptonshire returns seven Members of Parliament (MPs). As of 2024 , five are currently from
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#17327940631634004-472: The former Rugby radio station site to the northwest of the current development. The proposal also included a large area 170 acres (70 ha) of green space, named Lilbourne Meadows . The development is a joint venture between ProLogis and Rugby Radio Station Limited Partnership (RRSLP) ( BT and Aviva ). The DIRFTIII site would also be rail connected, with over 7,500,000 sq ft (700,000 m) of warehousing over 400 acres (163 ha) of land plus
4081-504: The government is encouraging development in the South Midlands area, including Northamptonshire. The city and Soke of Peterborough were part of the historic county of Northamptonshire; from the time that formal county boundaries were established by the Normans in the 11th century, to 1965. The Church of England Diocese of Peterborough that covers Northamptonshire is still centred at Peterborough Cathedral . The city of Peterborough had its own courts of quarter sessions and, later,
4158-407: The major cities of Coventry , Birmingham , and Wolverhampton ; this routing being far more useful for communications. From Shrewsbury and through Wales, Telford's work was more extensive. In places he followed existing roads, but he also built new links, including the Menai Suspension Bridge to connect the mainland with Anglesey and the Stanley Embankment to Holy Island . Telford's road
4235-535: The manufacturer of Dr. Martens , still has its UK base in Wollaston near Wellingborough , the shoe industry has deeply declined as manufacturing has moved away from England. There were over 2,000 shoemakers in the region in the mid 19th century, today the number is over 30 left. Large employers include the breakfast cereal manufacturers Weetabix , in Burton Latimer , the Carlsberg brewery in Northampton , Avon Products , Nationwide Building Society, Siemens , Barclaycard , Saxby Bros Ltd and Golden Wonder . In
4312-434: The new route was awarded to the famous engineer, Thomas Telford . Through England, the road largely took over existing turnpike roads and mainly following the route of the Anglo-Saxon Wæcelinga Stræt ( Watling Street ), much of which had been historically the Roman road Iter II . However between Weedon, Northamptonshire and Oakengates , Telford's Holyhead Road eschews the Watling Street corridor, picking up instead
4389-442: The numbers of stately homes and ancient churches. Prior to 1901 the ancient hundreds were disused. Northamptonshire was administered as four major divisions: Northern, Eastern, Mid, and Southern. During the 1930s, the town of Corby was established as a major centre of the steel industry. Much of Northamptonshire nevertheless remains rural. Corby was designated a new town in 1950 and Northampton followed in 1968. As of 2005
4466-519: The operator of the railport at DIRFT. In 2005 planning permission was granted for a rail connected 130 acres (54 ha) westward expansion of the original site with a built ground area of over 1,900,000 sq ft (180,000 m). The DIRFTII expansion was designed for rail connected warehousing allowing transfer between sea or Channel Tunnel-borne rail-freight and road transport or warehouse storage. Plans included facilities for containerised and side-loaded palletised rail freight. Tesco acquired
4543-415: The original features of Telford's road and has, since 1995, been recognised as a historic route worthy of preservation. An 18-month survey by Cadw in 1998–2000 revealed that about 40% of the original road and its ancillary features survives under the modern A5, much more than previously thought. These features include the following: In 1997, a section of bends on Telford's road between Tŷ Nant and Dinmael
4620-427: The parish of Little Bowden, a neighbourhood of Market Harborough, was transferred from Northamptonshire to Leicestershire . Until 1832 and 1835, Stamford Baron St Martin which forms the southern part of the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire was part of Northamptonshire as St Martin Without . It was later incorporated into the then Municipal Borough of Stamford under the then Parts of Kesteven . Northamptonshire
4697-449: The planned developments, two urban regeneration companies have been created: North Northants Development Company (NNDC) and the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation. The NNDC launched a controversial campaign called North Londonshire to attract people from London to the county. There is also a county-wide tourism campaign with the slogan Northamptonshire, Let yourself grow . Northamptonshire County Council previously operated
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#17327940631634774-450: The road continues to run through the northern fringes of Nuneaton and then on to Tamworth . At Tamworth, the road follows a more recent dual carriageway bypass, permitting the original alignment to become a local road in the town. From this point the road is a grade separated dual carriageway up until its junction with the A38 and M6 toll . After this junction it passes just to the south of Cannock and then, after its final junction with
4851-538: The site includes rail connected terminals and traditional warehousing was designed to act as a regional node for rail freight flows to and from the Port of Felixstowe and the Channel Tunnel, it forms part of the UK network of the Trans-European Combined Transport network . The site was primarily developed by Severn Trent Property , part of Severn Trent Water . Early occupiers included Royal Mail , Tesco ('Fastway RDC' operated by DHL ) (closed 2009), and Mothercare . In 2004, 74 acres (30 ha) of undeveloped land on
4928-464: The site with a capacity for 1,400,000 sq ft (130,000 m) of warehousing was sold to a joint venture between British Land / Rosemound joint venture, British Land subsequently let its holding to several customers including a 750,000 sq ft (70,000 m) warehouse let to Tesco in 2005. Severn Trent plc sold its holding in DIRFT, as well as the 130 acres (53 ha) DIRFT II site to Prologis in 2006. In 2008 Malcolm Rail became
5005-446: 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 City Hospital . In February 2011 a new satellite out-patient centre opened at Nene Park, Irthlingborough to provide over 40,000 appointments
5082-424: The territory of the Catuvellauni , a Belgic tribe , the Northamptonshire area forming their most northerly possession. The Catuvellauni were in turn conquered by the Romans in 43 AD. The Roman road of Watling Street passed through the county, and an important Roman settlement, Lactodurum , stood on the site of modern-day Towcester . There were other Roman settlements at Northampton , Kettering and along
5159-446: The village of Valley where the A5 continues onto the Stanley Embankment . The A5 from Valley to Holyhead is named London Road running through to the Port of Holyhead . The A5 traditionally terminated at Admiralty Arch (1822–24) on Salt Island, which was designed by Thomas Harrison to commemorate a visit by King George IV in 1821 en route to Ireland and marks the zenith of Irish Mail coach operations. The A5 currently terminates at
5236-479: The water crisis. The gap in the hills at Watford Gap meant that many south-east to north-west routes passed through Northamptonshire. Watling Street , a Roman Road which is now part of the A5 , passes through here, as did canals, railways and major roads in later years. Major national roads, including the M1 motorway (London to Leeds) and the A14 (Rugby to Felixstowe), provide Northamptonshire with transport links both north–south and east–west. The A43 joins
5313-492: The west of the county is the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal ; which is a major rail freight terminal located on the West Coast Main Line near Rugby . Wellingborough also has a smaller railfreight depot on Finedon Road, called Nelisons sidings. 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): The region of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and
5390-404: Was Tesco , whose distribution centre reached completion in late 2011. Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal is part of a land development project undertaken by Severn Trent Water on a 430 acres (174 ha) site near Crick in Northamptonshire. The location, at junction 18 of the M1 motorway in close proximity to the A5 , A14 and M6 roads had been identified as early as 1978 as
5467-443: Was George Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington , who emigrated in 1656 from Northamptonshire to Virginia . Before Washington's ancestors moved to Sulgrave , they lived in Warton , Lancashire. 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 became one of Britain's major centres for these crafts by
5544-565: Was boasted that "not a single brook, however insignificant, flows into it from any other district". In the west of the county, the hills most commonly referred to as the Northamptonshire Uplands can be found, in this area, the highest point in the county, Arbury Hill , at 225 metres (738 ft), can be found, just to the south of Daventry . The boundary with Lincolnshire is England's shortest ceremonial county boundary, at 20 yards (18 metres). There are several towns in
5621-469: Was by-passed by a modern cutting . However, investigation in 2006 revealed that the rock face in the cutting had become unstable, and the A5 was closed from the end of May 2006. Traffic was diverted onto the old A5 route, on a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) stretch known as the Glyn Bends, while the rock face was made safe. This involved the removal of 230,000 tonnes of rock and alluvial deposits. In July 2007,
5698-506: Was complete with the opening of the Menai Suspension Bridge in 1826, which had been authorised by the Roads Between London and Holyhead Act 1819 ( 59 Geo. 3 . c. 48). The road was designed to allow stagecoaches and the mail coach to carry post between London and Holyhead, and thence by mailboat to Ireland. Therefore, throughout its length the gradient never exceeds 1:17 (5.9%). The route through Wales retains many of
5775-567: 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. Rockingham Castle was built for William the Conqueror and was used as a Royal fortress until Elizabethan times. In 1460, during
5852-461: Was investigated and a European rabbit which had strayed into it, causing the problem, was found. About 250,000 residents were affected; by 14 July 2008, 13 cases of cryptosporidiosis attributed to water in Northampton had been reported. Following the end of the investigation, Anglian Water lifted its boil notice for all affected areas on 4 July 2008. Anglian Water revealed that it would pay up to £30 per household as compensation for customers hit by
5929-404: Was short lived; it was abolished in 1974. Upon its abolishment, the city of Peterborough and the other settlements that were once part of the former Soke, were transferred to the county of Cambridgeshire, instead of being transferred back to Northamptonshire. Additionally, the former historical county of Huntingdonshire , which had been abolished along with the Soke of Peterborough in 1965 to create
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