Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or N'hants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). It has borders with Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Cambridgeshire (including Peterborough), Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes (borough)). Oxfordshire and England's shortest county boundary (19 metres), with Lincolnshire. The county town is Northampton.

Transport

The gap in the hills at Watford Gap meant that many southeast to northwest routes passed through Northamptonshire. The Roman Road Watling Street (now part of the A5) passed through here, as did later canals, railways and major roads.

Related Topics:
Watford Gap - Watling Street - A5

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roads

Major roads such as the M1 motorway and the A14 provide Northamptonshire with valuable transport links, both north-south and east-west. The former steelworks town of Corby is now home to large areas of warehousing and distribution companies.

Related Topics:
M1 motorway - A14 - Warehousing - Distribution

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rivers and Canals

See also: Rivers in Northamptonshire

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two major canals - the Oxford and the Grand Union - join in the county at Braunston. Notable features include a flight of 17 locks on the Grand Union at Rothersthorpe, the canal museum at Stoke Bruerne, and a tunnel at Blisworth which, at 3076 yards (2813m), is the third-longest navigable canal tunnel on the UK canal network.

Related Topics:
Oxford - Grand Union - Braunston - Locks - Canal museum - Stoke Bruerne - Blisworth - UK canal network

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A branch of the Grand Union Canal connects to the River Nene in Northampton and has been upgraded to a "wide canal" in places and is known as the Nene Navigation. It is famous for its guillotine locks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Railways

Two trunk railway routes, the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line traverse the county. At its peak, Northamptonshire had 75 railway stations. It now has only five, at Northampton and Long Buckby (on the WCML), Kettering and Wellingorough (on the Midland Main Line), along with King's Sutton, which is a matter of yards from the boundary with Oxfordshire on the London-Banbury line.

Related Topics:
West Coast Main Line - Midland Main Line - Northampton - Long Buckby - Kettering - Wellingorough - King's Sutton - London-Banbury line

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Corby is one of the largest towns in England without a railway station. A railway runs through the town (from Kettering to Oakham in Rutland), but is currently used only by freight traffic and occasional diverted passenger trains (which do not call). The line through Corby was once part of a main line to Nottingham via Melton Mowbray but the stretch between Melton and Nottingham was closed in 1968. In the 1980s, an experimental passenger shuttle service was tried between Corby and Kettering, but this proved unsuccessful. A bus link operated by Midland Mainline provides access to Corby from Kettering station.

Related Topics:
Oakham - Rutland - Nottingham - Melton Mowbray - 1968 - 1980s - Midland Mainline

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Northamptonshire was hit hard by the Beeching Axe in the 1960s. One of the most notable closures was that of the line connecting Northampton to Peterborough by way of Wellingborough, Thrapston, and Oundle. Its closure left eastern Northamptonshire devoid of railways. Part of this route has been re-opened as the Nene Valley Railway, with a small section of line, and the station at Yarwell junction being within Northamptonshire.

Related Topics:
Beeching Axe - 1960s - Peterborough - Thrapston - Oundle - Nene Valley Railway - Yarwell

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A section of one of the closed lines, the Northampton to Market Harborough line, is now the Northampton & Lamport heritage railway, while the route as a whole forms a part of the National Cycle Network, as the Brampton Valley Way.

Related Topics:
Market Harborough - Northampton & Lamport - Heritage railway - National Cycle Network - Brampton Valley Way

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As early as 1897 Northamptonshire had its own putative Channel Tunnel rail link with the creation of the Great Central Railway, which was intended to connect to a tunnel under the English Channel. Although the complete project never came to fruition, the rail link through Northamptonshire was constructed, and had stations at Charwelton, Woodford Halse, Helmdon, and Brackley. It became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923 (and of British Railways in 1948) before its closure in 1966.

Related Topics:
1897 - Channel Tunnel - Great Central Railway - English Channel - Charwelton - Woodford Halse - Helmdon - Brackley - 1923 - 1966

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Before nationalization of the railways in 1948 and the creation of British Railways), Northamptonshire was home to three of the "Big Four" railway companies; the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, London and North Eastern Railway and Great Western Railway. Only the Southern Railway was not represented. Post nationalisation, it is served by Silverlink, Central Trains, Chiltern Railways and Midland Mainline. So from having 75 stations in 1948 and three operators it has 5 stations with four operators.

Related Topics:
Nationalization - 1948 - British Railways - London, Midland and Scottish Railway - London and North Eastern Railway - Great Western Railway - Southern Railway - Silverlink - Central Trains - Chiltern Railways

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~