NORTHANTS DISTRICT ASSOCIATION WEB SITE - Members of The Camping & Caravanning Club

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Find out more about The Camping & Caravanning Club from their Web site The Camping & Caravanning Club Or write/telephone them at Greenfields House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JH. Tel +44 (0)2476 694995

Northampton 'The county of shires' is situated near the north-south artery of the M1 and the west-east artery of the M6 from Birmingham and onto the A14. Northampton also has access to the M40 via the A45 to Daventry

Northampton has its own Football club, the Cobblers based at Sixfields Community Stadium and its own Rugby Football club, The Saints based at Franklins Gardens. There is also the County Cricket Club at Wantage Road. Brafield Stadium, Santa Pod Raceway, Rockingham Speedway and Silverstone Race track, all close by.

Northampton also hosts one of the largest hot air balloon festivals in England. Take a look at our calendar page, we normally have a meet near by.

If you like visiting country houses, Northamptonshire has quite a few. Holdenby House, where we sometimes camp, was prison to Charles I and of course there is Althorp home of the Spencer's and resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales.

We also have the Nene White Water centre, Skew Bridge Ski school, Northampton & Lamport railway, and the Canal museum at Stoke Bruerne.

There are several Churches of interest, including a rare Round Norman Church of c.1100.

In 1961, the population of Northampton was105,421. Just ten years later and three years into New Town status, this had grown to 133,800. Northampton is still a growing town with a population now double the 1961 figure. Being in the centre of the UK and with good links to the motorway it is a favourite with Companies and Commuters. There are some lovely villages and places of interest in Northamptonshire

Northampton town centre boasts The Derngate and The Royal Theatre (The Royal Theatre was built in 1884) along with a variety of museums. There are also enough clubs and pubs to cater for all tastes. Also worth a visit is The Mounts Public Swimming Baths. This is a very old building steeped in history.The Mounts swimming baths also boasts a gym, sauna and turkish baths. For those that like shopping there is the Grosvenor shopping centre, Peacock Place, St Peters Way Retail and Weston Favell Shopping Centre and a market in the town centre on Wednesdays and Saturdays along with the covered market hall.

Pay us a visit sometime, take a look at our calendar page to see where we are camping.

History of Northampton Northamptonshire has been the scene of two important battles. In 1460 there was the Battle of Northampton, Henry VI defeated Edward Earl of March in the Wars of the Roses. Then there was the Battle of Naseby in 1645. If you camp with us at Naseby don't forget to visit the monument.
Northampton is strategically placed in the centre of the United Kingdom. The River Nene provided a ready means of access for settlers in prehistoric times. By the 8th century Northampton had become a town of some importance within the ancient kingdom of Mercia; and 100 years later an administrative centre for the Danes.

The county had a much higher profile in the past with both royalty and landed gentry, partly because of its many royal hunting grounds and forests. Northampton's position strengthened after the large and impressive Norman Castle was built. It was here in 1164 that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket was bought to trial, and it was from Northampton that Becket escaped to freedom and France dressed as a monk.
Archaeologists recently discovered the remains of the 12th century Abbey of St.James in Northampton during excavation work. According to records, the abbey - founded by the Norman nobleman William Peveral - and surrounding buildings were in use from the 12th century until the late 16th century when Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries.

In the Doomsday Book, compiled in 1086, Northampton is described as a town of approximately 300 houses rendering £30 10/- ( £30.50 in today's currency) to the King. Forty years later, that levy had more than trebled and by the latter part of the 12th century, Northampton was clearly one of the most prosperous towns in the kingdom. In 1189, Northampton was granted its first charter, on 18th November 1189, by Richard I in return for monies to finance his Third Crusade. This gave the town "all free custom and liberties" that the citizens of London enjoyed.

King John, who spent much of his reign in residence in Northampton, confirmed this charter in 1200 and gave the burgesses of Northampton the right to appoint a ceremonial mayor. Throughout the Middle Ages, Northampton continued to hold a significant position in the life and times of the country. The town's castle was a favourite royal residence and a setting for parliaments and councils from Henry I to Richard II. However, by the 13th and 14th centuries, the town had fallen into a deep recession, hit first by high taxation and later by the Black Death.

Two centuries later, Northampton was a stronghold for Parliament in the Civil War and following the Restoration, Charles II ordered the demolition of the town's castle and walls. Most of Northampton's medieval timber buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1675. A new Northampton quickly grew from the ashes. With its handsome, wide streets planned around the Market Square, Northampton was described by Daniel Defore, famous author of 'Robinson Crusoe', as "the handsomest and best built town in all this part of England"

Shoe Town The earliest known Northampton shoemaker was Peter the Cordwainer in 1202, and the first prestige client of the town's embryonic shoe industry was King John. During the Civil War, Northampton's shoemakers supplied the Parliamentary armies with 600 pairs of boots and 4000 pairs of shoes - for which they were never paid. It was during the Industrial Revolution that Northampton's reputation as the centre of the shoe industry grew world-wide. With the coming of the railways in 1845 and the modern roads, boot and shoe-making became the town's principal industry. Individual shoemakers, who had through the centuries worked from small premises scattered across the town, began to join forces. Mechanisation intensified the industry; markets became more widespread and demand increased. Industrial growth led to rapid expansion and between 1800 and 1901, the town's population increased from just a few thousand to 87,000.

There are a lot of good web sites about Northampton. Why not visit some of them. A few suggestions are listed below

http://www.northampton-online.co.uk
http://www.northantscommunity.org.uk
http://www.aboutNorthampton.co.uk
http://skynet.co.uk/maurice/northants

Don't forget to come back and visit us soon

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