Why northampton is not a city

Hotel near M1 so very convenient but in a countryside location. This is one of the nicest Holiday Inn's I've stayed at - can hardly fault it at all! Special mention to the man who checked us in on Saturday evening, and the man serving in the restaurant that night.

Both offered some of the nicest hotel service I've ever known. The receptionist took time to tell us a bit about things in the local area, and helped us make sure we get the best out of our stay. There was a slight delay preparing some of the food, but the way he handled the situation was perfect. The food was all very tasty too - I had the Club Sandwich, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.

All tasted delicious. The room and the whole hotel is clean, modern and comfortable. Felt very welcoming. The car park is big and free, and there was plenty of spaces available. So happy I booked a couple of stays here, so am really looking forward to coming back in a few weeks' time. Thanks to all the staff for making it such a great weekend. Lots of parking spaces neat to hotel and offered FCO.

Nice bar and bar meal offerings. Room clean and in good decorative order. Wifi good and intuitive to connect to. Lots of access to power points in room. Location of hotel good, very useful for an early train ride from Milton Keynes to London. Communal areas in good order, all in all, left refreshed and happy.

Easy to find on Google maps. Because of its central location Parliament often sat in Northampton in the middle ages and Thomas a Becket was tried here in But Northampton was badly hit by the Black Death of the s and stagnated over the next years. Northampton was considerably larger than Birmingham, 50 miles to the northwest, until well into the 18th century. The town centre is still dotted with buildings with inscriptions like Northamptonshire Union Bank and Northampton Gas Light Co, reminders of how much Chamberlainite civic pride there once was here.

Northampton was a hotbed of non-conformism Philip Doddridge preached here from the s onwards and political power Spencer Perceval, Prime Minister from until his assassination in , was MP for Northampton. The omnipresent Spencer family, who were members of parliament for Northamptonshire seats almost continuously from the 16 th century to the late 19 th , have their family seat at Althorp, 6 miles out of town.

But despite the arrival of the Grand Union Canal in the 18th century Northampton began to decline again in the 19th. It was bypassed by the main railway from London to Birmingham because of the steepness of the Nene Valley here.

Dr Beeching closed down branch lines to Peterborough, Oxford, Bedford and Leicester in the s and now you only catch trains northwards to Birmingham or southwards to London. When I first walked around the town centre my expectations were low, yet I was amazed not by how much historic fabric has been lost, but how much has survived.

The real landmarks summarised in a useful Heritage Trail are right in the centre: they may be too familiar to natives, but to a first-time visitor they are a delight. Overlooking a well-proportioned piazza, All Saints would not look out of place in an Italian hill town if the ironstone was turned to marble. Together, these buildings make one of the best civic compositions I have ever seen outside London. Outside the centre are some fantastic parks: Abington Park to the east, the Racecourse to the north, and Delapre Park and Beckets Park to the south.

And at 78 Derngate is the only house in England designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh , now open to the public six days a week and easily his most important work outside Scotland. The northern edge of the town centre has, it must be admitted, been mangled. All around are dingy subways that have been made redundant by surface crossings. And back in the very centre, Nairn was right. The north side of the Market Square — the largest in England — has indeed been tragically ruined by s office blocks though the bland 80s and 90s PoMo infill alongside could be worse.

Such market squares are unusual in England — markets normally take place along a street, rather in a square. South of Abington Street, St Giles Street and Derngate retain their Victorian and Georgian charm, with regency terraces of brick, limestone and stucco that would not be out of place in Clifton or Cheltenham.

Here the town has a very clear edge, and the ring road is easy to cross. Tim Pigott-Smith died in his Northampton digs in April this year just three days away from playing Willy Loman in a new Royal and Derngate production of Death of a Salesman the show went on, with Nicholas Woodeson taking over the lead role. After decades below the cultural radar, Northampton is belatedly becoming prouder of its heritage, and is even running the risk of becoming hip.

The rest of the population is served by 12 parish councils whose contact details can be found here. A map showing the new wards and surrounding parishes can be found here. A list of wards covered by Northampton Town Council can be found here. Northampton Town Council Working with the community to improve the quality of life in Northampton. Latest News. Quick Links Council. A New Town Council for Northampton! What will it do? Who is running the Council? The Wards The Town Council is serving only part of the areas previously falling within the area of the Borough Council.

G Livesey August Steve Dixon August Request a callback Login Logout. This is the second time I've used Yopa and would use them again, and recommend them to anyone. Transport links One of the best features of Northampton is its convenient transport links. Thinking of moving to Northampton? Join thousands of happy home movers. Instant online valuation. Face-to-face valuation.

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