Discover Northampton, Northamptonshire

Northampton, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northampton_6.04.2008_002.jpg
Author: Gambitek


Northampton, the county town of Northamptonshire, is a large market town in East Midlands, England. It is situated on the River Nene, about 108 km (67 mi) to the northwest of London. The town covers 80.76 sq km (31,18 sq mi) and has a population of 213,000 people (2012 estimate), making it the third largest town in English without city status, behind Reading and Dudley.

Archaeological excavation has revealed evidence of human presence in the Northampton area going back to the Bronze Age. The town itself is believed to have been established as a farming village during the Anglo-Saxon period, in the 7th century. It was then known as Hamtun.

Northampton grew from a village to a town during the Norman period, around the 11th century. The Normans built a castle here. According to the survey from the Domesday Book of 1086, it had a population of 1,500 people.

Northampton Market Square: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northampton_Market_Square_Lights_4.jpg
Author: Mickapedia


During the English Civil War Northampton supported the Parliamentarians. For that, it was punished by King Charles II by having its town walls and castle torn down. Major fires in 1516 and 1675 further destroyed the medieval town. A rebuilt Northampton developed into a center for footwear and leather goods, particularly from the late 18th century.

The contruction of the Grand Union Canal into Northampton further accelerated its development. This was followed by the London-Birmingham railway line which reached Northampton in 1845. The prosperity of the 19th century came to an end at the turn of the 20th century, with a decline in the shoe industry, forcing unemployment to rise.

In the 21st century the town of Northampton has evolved into a commuter town for people working in London.

DNA Discovery Memorial, Northampton: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Discovery%27_memorial_to_Francis_Crick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1222951.jpg
Author: ceridwen

Visiting Northampton

Take the M1 motorway to Junction 15 then continue north on the A508 road to reach Northampton.

Places of Interest in Northampton

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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