Northampton

This article is about Northampton in England; for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation)

Notable buildings

• Northampton's oldest standing building, the Church of The Holy Sepulchre, is one of the largest and best-preserved round churches in England. It was built in 1100 on the orders of the first Earl of Northampton, Simon de Senlis, who had just returned from the first Crusade. It is based on a plan of the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
• The current All Saints' Church (see picture right) was constructed mostly in the early 18th century, after the original was burnt down in 1675.
• The Guildhall in Northampton (see picture at top) was constructed mostly in the 1860s in Victorian Gothic architecture, and extended in the 1990s. It is built on the site of the old town hall.
• 78 Derngate contains an interior designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and is his only domestic commission outside Scotland. It is open to the public by appointment.
• Terry Wogan conducted a phone-in during the 1980s to come up for a name for the 127.45 metre tall Express Lift Tower, a dominant feature in the area. "Northampton Lighthouse" was suggested as Northampton is one of the furthest places from the sea. It is also known as Cobblers' Needle. It was built to facilitate the testing of new lifts at the Express Lifts factory. It is visible from most of the town, but is now redundant. The tower has however been listed as being of architectural importance in the town.
• Northampton Castle (now only remaining as a rebuilt postern gate in a wall outside the railway station and the hill on which it stood) was for many years one of the country's most important castles. The country's parliament sat here many times and Thomas à Becket was imprisoned here until he escaped.

Other churches in Northampton include:

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• St Andrew
• St Giles
• St John Baptist
• St Peter
• St Edmunds