115-714: The River Nene ( / ˈ n ɛ n / or / ˈ n iː n / ) flows through the counties of Northamptonshire , Cambridgeshire , Lincolnshire , and Norfolk in Eastern England from its sources in Arbury Hill in Northamptonshire. Flowing Northeast through East England to its mouth at Lutton Marsh into The Wash in the North Sea , the Nene and its tributaries drain an area of about 2,270 square kilometres (880 sq mi), with
230-615: A bridge of the A605 road . At grid reference TL116976 , the Romans bridged the river with Ermine Street in the first century. Between Oundle marina and Peterborough the Nene falls, with navigation passing through 11 locks on the way. Having passed among the gentle hills of Northamptonshire the river enters the rural part of the City of Peterborough , passing the Nene Valley Railway and through
345-523: A comprehensive system of state-funded secondary schools. From May 2021 compulsory education in the county is administered by North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council. The county is home to private schools Oundle , Quinton House School , Wellingborough School , Spratton Hall School , Northampton High School . The county's music and performing arts trust provides peripatetic music teaching to schools. It also supports 15 local Saturday morning music and performing arts centres around
460-730: A connection to the Middle Levels, the drainage system of the Fens through which access is possible to the River Great Ouse. Below Peterborough, the river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about 3.7 miles (6.0 km). Continuing downstream leads to the 'Embankment' area and after the cathedral city itself, passing through Whittlesey the landscape changes to the Nene Washes in The Fens and their vast horizons. Beyond Flag Fen
575-490: A continental people in the form of the Hallstatt culture , and over the next century a series of hill-forts were constructed at Arbury Camp, Rainsborough camp, Borough Hill , Castle Dykes, Guilsborough , Irthlingborough , and most notably of all, Hunsbury Hill . There are two more possible hill-forts at Arbury Hill ( Badby ) and Thenford . In the 1st century BC, most of what later became Northamptonshire became part of
690-551: A cricket team, a bowls club a petanque club and a table tennis club. West Haddon Players is a local amateur dramatics society founded in 1978. The village's primary school is West Haddon Endowed Church of England Primary School. Details of a series of reports on the school can be found in the relevant section of the Ofsted website. There were 201 pupils on the roll at the time of the inspection in January 2012. Secondary school children in
805-675: A direct connection is purely speculative. According to the British toponymist and medieval scholar Victor Watts , "The name is certainly pre-English, possibly pre-Celtic'. The same name appears in the Neen, the former name of the River Rea in Shropshire, which is retained in the hamlet of Neen Savage . The pronunciation of the river's name varies by locality. In Northampton it is usually pronounced / ˈ n ɛ n / ( NEN ), and around Peterborough it
920-474: A distance of 2 miles (3.2 km), and a new quay was built. A new concrete bridge was built at Wisbech, at the time it was the largest portal bridge in the country, the span being 92.5 feet. The benefits of the new works were proved in the floods of 1947, when land bordering the Nene was not inundated. The new locks resulted in some commercial traffic returning to the river. The Port of Wisbech can handle ships up to 260 by 40 feet (79 by 12 m) long and with
1035-453: A draught of 17 feet (5.2 m), and remains a commercial port in 2021. It also caters for smaller boats, with a major expansion of the facilities at the yacht harbour completed in May 2000. In a lecture at Wisbech & Fenland Museum John Gardiner recalled seeing the rush of the tide below, and an 'eagre' or ' tidal bore ', which was a great wave that came rolling up on the tide from the mouth of
1150-414: A funfair, which is based around the river and various mature gravel pits. The park is popular with fishermen and water skiers alike. The river's landscape is now dominated by mature gravel pit lakes. Some gravel extraction still takes place along the valley's basin. At Cogenhoe (pronounced / ˈ k ʊ k n oʊ / locally) the river passes through a watermill . The mill is a red-brick building built in
1265-514: A number of small industrial centres which specialise in engineering and food processing. Much of Northamptonshire's countryside appears to have remained somewhat intractable as regards early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from the Palaeolithic , Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. In about 500 BC the Iron Age was introduced into the area by
SECTION 10
#17328372001761380-578: A population of 750,000. The Nene's main tributaries include the River Ise , Wootton Brook , Willow Brook , and Harper's Brook . At 105 miles (169 km) long, it is the tenth-longest in the United Kingdom , and is tidal for 45 kilometres (28 mi) up to Dog-in-a-Doublet sluice, near Peterborough. The river forms the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, and is navigable for 88 miles (142 km), from Northampton to The Wash. Spelling of
1495-544: A sluice, this prevented salt water from entering the Thorney River, and the Duke of Bedford had obtained an injunction in 1865 to prevent interference with it. An appeal to have the injunction removed in 1880 failed. A dock covering 13 acres (5.3 ha) was built at Sutton Bridge at this time, but the outer wall collapsed on 9 June 1881, a few days before it was officially opened, and the estimated repair costs of £160,000 resulted in
1610-511: A woodland, river banks and areas of grass and scrub in which some ponds have been dug. The reserve is operated by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire . At Aldwincle another tributary, called Harpers Brook , joins the Nene from the north-west. Harpers Brook flows between gravel pit lagoons before converging with the river. The river flows south of Oundle passing Barnwell Country Park and Oundle Marina under
1725-409: A year, as well as a minor injury unit to serve Eastern Northamptonshire. This was opened to relieve pressure off Kettering General Hospital, and has also replaced the dated Rushden Memorial Clinic which provided at the time about 8,000 appointments a year, when open. In June 2008, Anglian Water found traces of Cryptosporidium in water supplies of Northamptonshire. The local reservoir at Pitsford
1840-557: Is Arbury Hill southwest of Daventry , at 225 m (738 ft). There are Iron Age and Roman remains in the county, and in the seventh century it was settled by the Angles and Saxons , becoming part of Mercia . The county likely has its origin in the Danelaw as the area controlled from Northampton, which was one of the Five Boroughs . In the later Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
1955-421: Is 130 by 20 feet (39.6 by 6.1 m) (a measured width of 7.937 metres (26.04 ft)) with 6.7 feet (2.0 m) draught, while below Wisbech, small ships can be accommodated. All but a handful of the locks have conventional mitre gates at the upstream end and a single vertically lifting guillotine gate at the downstream end. This arrangement permits the use of the locks as additional weirs in time of flood, when
2070-488: Is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire , Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire , Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west. Northampton is the largest settlement and the county town . The county has an area of 2,364 km (913 sq mi) and a population of 747,622. The latter
2185-687: Is a landlocked county in the southern part of the East Midlands , sometimes known as the South Midlands . The county contains the watershed between the River Severn and The Wash , and several important rivers have their sources in the north-west of the county, including the River Nene , which flows north-eastwards to The Wash, and the Warwickshire Avon , which flows south-west to the Severn. In 1830, it
2300-402: Is concentrated in the centre of the county, which contains the county's largest towns: Northampton (249,093), Corby (75,571), Kettering (63,150), and Wellingborough (56,564). The northeast and southwest are rural. The county contains two local government districts , North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire , which are both unitary authority areas . The historic county included
2415-427: Is due to have tens of thousands additional homes built between 2010 and 2020. In North Northamptonshire (Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants), over 52,000 homes are planned or newly built and 47,000 new jobs are also planned. In West Northamptonshire (boroughs of Northampton, Daventry and South Northants), over 48,000 homes are planned or newly built and 37,000 new jobs are planned. To oversee
SECTION 20
#17328372001762530-443: Is heathy'. ‘West’ to distinguish from East Haddon. The fields of West Haddon were the location for an enclosure riot in 1765. An advertisement was made in the county newspaper for a football game that was to be played in those fields. The football game was a means to assemble a mob which tore down fences and burned them, protesting against the laws that were then being enacted that allowed wealthy landowners to lay claim to land that
2645-563: Is joined by small streams on either bank. A little past Bugbrooke Mill, the Nene passes under the M1 motorway and falls over a weir towards Kislingbury . Another tributary merges from the south at Kislingbury. The Nene's course is closely followed by the Grand Union Canal's Northampton arm at Upton Mill. At Upton Mill, another tributary, called Wootton Brook , joins the river from the south. The River Nene now approaches Northampton town from
2760-627: Is just over the border in Bedfordshire but has a Northamptonshire postcode. A study commissioned by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd (NEL) reported that Northamptonshire's motorsport sites attract more than 2.1 million visitors per year who spend a total of more than £131 million within the county. Northamptonshire forms part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth area which also includes Milton Keynes , Aylesbury Vale and Bedfordshire . This area has been identified as an area which
2875-462: Is named after the local Pytchley hunt . In 2003, a group of technology experts from the village and the village of Winwick grouped together to provide wireless internet for both villages, as British Telecom would not upgrade the local exchange to broadband internet . The system ran successfully until October 2004 when BT broadband was installed. The village has many provisions for sport, with two large playing fields , used for men's football, at
2990-522: Is the most populous civil parish in England, and (prior to 2021) was the most populous urban district in England not to be administered as a unitary authority (even though several smaller districts are unitary). During the 1990s local government reform , Northampton Borough Council petitioned strongly for unitary status, which led to fractured relations with the County Council. The Soke of Peterborough
3105-465: Is used for navigation. The channels approach the town of Thrapston , passing under two adjacent viaducts. One carries the busy A14 trunk road; the other carries the disused railway track bed. Between the town of Thrapston and the village of Islip , the Nene is spanned by a low nine-arched bridge. Just north of Thrapston the river forms part of the 180 acres (73 ha) of Titchmarsh Nature Reserve . The reserve, designated in 1989, consists of two lakes,
3220-421: Is usually pronounced / ˈ n iː n / ( NEEN ). The point at which the pronunciation of the Nene changes has been moving further inland for many years; the current edition of the nautical publisher Imray's "Map Of The River Nene" suggests that it now begins at Thrapston . The River Nene is the tenth-longest river in the United Kingdom. From one of its sources, that near Arbury Hill , to Northampton ,
3335-416: Is within the historic county of Northamptonshire, although it had had a separate county council since 1889 and separate courts of quarter sessions before then. The city of Peterborough has been a unitary authority since 1998, but it forms part of Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes . In early 2018, Northamptonshire County Council was declared technically insolvent and would be able to provide only
3450-523: The A361 between Kilsby and Banbury (Oxon) and all B, C and unclassified roads. Since 2009, these highways have been managed on behalf of the county council by MGWSP, a joint venture between May Gurney and WSP. West Haddon West Haddon is a village in West Northamptonshire , England about 11 miles (18 km) north-west of Northampton and 7 miles (11 km) east of Rugby and just off
3565-602: The A428 road which by-passes the village. The population of civil parish was 1,718 at the 2011 Census. The villages of West Haddon and Crick were by-passed by the A428 main road from Rugby to Northampton when the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) was built in 1996 near junction 18 of the M1 Motorway , 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the village. The name 'Haddon' means 'hill which
River Nene - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-716: The Danelaw – with Watling Street serving as the boundary – until being recaptured by the English under the Wessex king Edward the Elder , son of Alfred the Great , in 917. Northamptonshire was conquered again in 940, this time by the Vikings of York , who devastated the area, only for the county to be retaken by the English in 942. Consequently, it is one of the few counties in England to have both Saxon and Danish town-names and settlements. The county
3795-608: The Domesday Book , ground wheat into flour for almost 1000 years. Thomas Becket , Archbishop of Canterbury , used the mill as a hiding place after escaping from Northampton Castle in 1164 and fleeing down the Nene to be sheltered by the miller before fleeing to France. The watermill ceased grinding flour after the Second World War . The present buildings date from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and have been converted into dwellings. The river's course turns to
3910-587: The Labour Party and two from the Conservative Party . Several of the constituencies have been marginal in the past, including the Northampton seats, Wellingborough, Kettering, and Corby, which were all Labour seats before 2005. In the 2016 EU referendum, all of the Northamptonshire districts voted to Leave, most by a significant margin. From 1993 until 2005, Northamptonshire County Council, for which each of
4025-689: The Nene Park . 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) upstream of the city centre is Woodston Wharf—the site of the old sea lock—originally the extent of the tidal River Nene until the Dog-in-a-Doublet lock at Whittlesey was opened in 1937. To the east of Peterborough city centre a branch of the river passes under the former Great Eastern Railway, now connected to the main East Coast main line and running through to Cambridge via Whittlesey and Ely. The branch terminates, for navigation, at Stanground Lock,
4140-733: The Nene Valley near Raunds . A large fort was built at Longthorpe . After the Romans left, the area eventually became part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia , and Northampton functioned as an administrative centre. The Mercians converted to Christianity in 654 AD with the death of the pagan king Penda . From about 889 the area was conquered by the Danes (as at one point almost all of England was, except for Athelney marsh in Somerset ) and became part of
4255-523: The Port of Wisbech . The first recorded attempts to improve the upper river for navigation occurred in 1567 and 1606, when the people of Northampton commissioned surveys. In 1653, a printed pamphlet suggested that 33 locks to bypass the mills could be built for £8,000, to make the river navigable. Eventually, an act of Parliament , the River Nene (Northampton to Peterborough) Navigation Act 1713 ( 13 Ann. c. 19)
4370-627: The Soke of Peterborough . The county is characterised by low, undulating hills, particularly to the west. They are the source of several rivers, including the Avon and Welland , which form much of the northern border; the Cherwell ; and the Great Ouse . The River Nene is the principal river within the county, having its source in the southwest and flowing northeast past Northampton and Wellingborough. The highest point
4485-563: The South Midlands has been described as " Motorsport Valley ... a global hub" for the motor sport industry. The Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin Formula One teams have their bases at Brackley and Silverstone respectively, while Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines and, formerly, Cosworth , are also in the county at Brixworth and Northampton respectively. International motor racing takes place at Silverstone Circuit and, formerly, Rockingham Motor Speedway ; Santa Pod Raceway
4600-713: The Wars of the Roses , the Battle of Northampton took place and King Henry VI was captured. The now-ruined Fotheringhay Castle was used to imprison Mary, Queen of Scots , before her execution. During the English Civil War , Northamptonshire strongly supported the Parliamentarian cause, and the Royalist forces suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Naseby in 1645 in the north of
4715-519: The 1998 Easter floods. In 2002, a siren warning system was installed in Northampton to warn residents in the event of further flooding, and embankments and flood walls were bolstered to protect the town. In Kislingbury village, a flood alleviation scheme was completed in 2004. In 2007, the Government announced it would spend £6 million on flood defences at Upton Mill in the west of Northampton; wetland areas and embankments were to be constructed along
River Nene - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-409: The 19th century. In the north of the county a large ironstone quarrying industry developed from 1850. In 1823 Northamptonshire was said to "[enjoy] a very pure and wholesome air" because of its dryness and distance from the sea. Its livestock were celebrated: "Horned cattle, and other animals, are fed to extraordinary sizes: and many horses of the large black breed are reared." Nine years later,
4945-545: The 73 electoral divisions in the county elected a single councillor, had been held by the Labour Party; it had been under no overall control since 1981. The councils of the rural districts – Daventry, East Northamptonshire, and South Northamptonshire – were strongly Conservative, whereas the political composition of the urban districts was more mixed. At the 2003 local elections, Labour lost control of Kettering, Northampton, and Wellingborough, retaining only Corby. Elections for
5060-571: The Brampton Nene. At Cotton End, the Nene passes under South Bridge, then through Beckett's Park and past the University of Northampton 's Waterside Campus, which is on the site of the former Northampton Power Station , on the south bank of the river opposite Midsummer Meadow on the north bank. Northampton Sea Cadets is based in Nunn Mills, and uses the river for the training of boating skills, following
5175-709: The Commissioners to court in 1859 for obstructing the river, and when an initial judgement was made in their favour, gangs of men destroyed most of the Waldersea dam overnight. An appeal to the Court of Chancery by the Commissioners also failed, and the dams were removed, as was the Wisbech weir, after an accident involving a train of lighters. Navigation was always hampered by the Northey Gravel shoal near Dog-in-a-Doublet. Together with
5290-623: The County of Huntingdon and Peterborough, was not reinstated as a Shire county in its own right in 1974. Instead, Huntingdonshire was transferred to and became a district of Cambridgeshire. Since 1965, Northamptonshire has been one of the small number of English counties that does not contain a city. In 1879, a local government district was created covering the three parishes of Market Harborough and Great Bowden and Little Bowden . When elected county councils were established in 1889, local government districts were placed entirely in one county, and thus
5405-612: The M1 to the M40 motorway , passing through the south of the county to the junction west of Brackley, and the A45 links Northampton with Wellingborough and Peterborough. The county road network (excluding trunk roads and motorways), managed by West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, includes the A45 west of the M1 motorway , the A43 between Northampton and the county boundary near Stamford,
5520-498: The Nene now flows past the demolished Nene Park , one of the former grounds of Kettering Town F.C. Further on, the river is crossed by the disused track bed of the Northampton and Peterborough Railway which was constructed in 1845. The river is now characterised by large curving meanders as it passes the villages of Little Addington, Great Addington , Woodford and Denford. At Denford the river divides into two channels, one of which
5635-426: The Nene, one to four feet high in height. This ceased after the opening of a new cut. There are canal locks at fairly regular intervals which will accommodate boats up to 78 by 13 feet (23.8 by 4.0 m), with a draught of 4 feet (1.2 m), although most of the boats on the upper river are canal-type narrowboats and river cruisers. Below Peterborough, boats are restricted by the size of Dog-in-a-Doublet lock, which
5750-556: The Nene. The river gave its name to a boat Nene of Wisbech, one of whose crew was drowned in the river in 1830, the former football team Wisbech Nene Rovers, the former Nene College of Higher Education in Northampton, now the University of Northampton , the Nene derby , and also to the Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine, Rolls-Royce 's practice being to name their gas turbine designs after British rivers. The river may also be linked to
5865-543: The Soke had its own county council , making it an autonomous district of Northamptonshire. In 1965, the ancient Soke of Peterborough was abolished by the Local Government Boundary Commission ; the city of Peterborough and the surrounding villages that were previously part of the Soke, were transferred to the newly created county of Huntingdon and Peterborough . The new county of Huntingdon and Peterborough
SECTION 50
#17328372001765980-504: The average weather for Northamptonshire from the Moulton weather station. Between 1974 and 2021, Northamptonshire, like most English counties, was divided into a number of local authorities. The seven borough/district councils covered 15 towns and hundreds of villages. The county had a two-tier structure of local government and an elected county council based in Northampton , and was also divided into seven districts each with their own district or borough councils: Northampton itself
6095-424: The bare essential services. According to The Guardian the problems were caused by "a reckless half-decade in which it refused to raise council tax to pay for the soaring costs of social care" and "partly due to past failings, the council is now having to make some drastic decisions to reduce services to a core offer." Some observers, such as Simon Edwards of the County Councils Network , added another perspective on
6210-420: The canal company constructed the entire link as a railway, which opened in 1805. In a bid to get a navigable link, the Commissioners opposed the bill to build a link between the Grand Junction Canal and the Old Union Canal, but relented when they had a firm agreement that a navigable link to Northampton would be built. The link cost £35,000, was supervised by Benjamin Bevan , and was built between 1812 and 1815. It
6325-441: The cause of the financial crisis, the United Kingdom government austerity programme : "It is clear that, partly due to past failings, the council is now having to make some drastic decisions to reduce services to a core offer. However, we can't ignore that some of the underlying causes of the challenges facing Northamptonshire, such as dramatic reductions to council budgets and severe demand for services, mean county authorities across
6440-413: The commissioners wide powers to manage the river, but created an administrative structure that was too complex to be workable. With the river in a poor state, James Rendel was appointed as engineer, and began dredging the channel and raising the banks, which cost £124,000. Another Act of Parliament was obtained in 1854, to allow the Commissioners to borrow £325,000 to pay for the work. A new iron swing bridge
6555-412: The confluence. From Dodford, the river passes through the village of Weedon where it flows under the main west coast railway line , the Grand Union Canal , and Watling Street . A little west of Weedon, the river converges with a further northerly tributary arising at Nenmoor Spring to the northwest of West Haddon . The river then flows towards Northampton, passing Flore and Nether Heyford , where it
6670-452: The country face funding pressures of £3.2bn over the next two years." In early 2018, following the events above, Government-appointed commissioners took over control of the council's affairs. Consequently, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government commissioned an independent report which, in March 2018, proposed structural changes to local government in Northamptonshire. These changes, implemented on 1 April 2021, saw
6785-519: The county and provides a range of county-level music groups. There are seven colleges across the county, with the Tresham College of Further and Higher Education having four campuses in three towns: Corby , Kettering and Wellingborough . Tresham, which was taken over by Bedford College in 2017 due to failed Ofsted inspections, provides further education and offers vocational courses and re-sit GCSEs . It also offers Higher Education options in conjunction with several universities. Other colleges in
6900-765: The county are: Fletton House , Knuston Hall , Moulton College , Northampton College , Northampton New College and The East Northamptonshire College . Northamptonshire has one university, the University of Northampton . It has two campuses 2.5 miles (4.0 km) apart and 10,000 students. It offers courses for needs and interests from foundation and undergraduate level to postgraduate, professional and doctoral qualifications. Subjects include traditional arts, humanities and sciences subjects, as well as entrepreneurship, product design and advertising. The main acute National Health Service hospitals in Northamptonshire Northampton General Hospital , which also operates Danetre Hospital in Daventry, and Kettering General Hospital . In
7015-437: The county was described as "a county enjoying the reputation of being one of the healthiest and pleasantest parts of England" although the towns were "of small importance" with the exceptions of Peterborough and Northampton. In summer, the county hosted "a great number of wealthy families... country seats and villas are to be seen at every step." Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of
SECTION 60
#17328372001767130-404: The county was relatively settled, although Northampton was the location of engagements during the First and Second Barons' Wars and the Wars of the Roses , and during the First English Civil War Naseby was the site of a decisive battle which destroyed the main Royalist army. During the Industrial Revolution Northamptonshire became known for its footwear, and the contemporary county has
7245-455: The county, Northampton being the largest and most populous. At the time of the 2011 census a population of 691,952 lived in the county, with 212,069 living in Northampton. The table below shows all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants. As of 2010 there were 16 settlements in Northamptonshire with a town charter: Like the rest of the British Isles , Northamptonshire has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification ). The table below shows
7360-417: The county. King Charles I was imprisoned at Holdenby House in 1647. George Washington , the first President of the United States of America, was born into the Washington family who had migrated to America from Northamptonshire in 1656. George Washington 's ancestor, Lawrence Washington, was Mayor of Northampton on several occasions and it was he who bought Sulgrave Manor from Henry VIII in 1539. It
7475-411: The course of the river are known as the "Nene Navigation". The Nene is navigable from just above its junction with the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal to the sea. Most leisure use is between Northampton and Peterborough, where it makes a junction with the Middle Level Navigations at Stanground Sluice, which give access to the River Ouse. There is no longer any significant commercial traffic above
7590-434: The entire County Council were held every four years – the last were held on 4 May 2017 . The County Council used a leader and cabinet executive system and abolished its area committees in April 2006. Historically, Northamptonshire's main industry was manufacturing of boots and shoes. Many of the manufacturers closed down in the Thatcher era which in turn left many county people unemployed. Although R Griggs and Co Ltd,
7705-521: The existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place. One unitary authority, West Northamptonshire , consists of the former districts of Daventry , Northampton and South Northamptonshire ; the other, North Northamptonshire , consists of the former East Northamptonshire district and the former boroughs of Corby , Kettering and Wellingborough . Northamptonshire returns seven Members of Parliament (MPs). As of 2024 , five are currently from
7820-441: The fact that Sir Henry Royce was born in Alwalton , a village which is by the river, near Peterborough. The former Nene Inn on Nene Parade, Wisbech were both named after the river. Nene Pet Supplies on Nene Quay, Wisbech are also both named after the river. Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( / n ɔːr ˈ θ æ m p t ə n ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / nor- THAMP -tən-shər, -sheer ; abbreviated Northants. )
7935-504: The government is encouraging development in the South Midlands area, including Northamptonshire. The city and Soke of Peterborough were part of the historic county of Northamptonshire; from the time that formal county boundaries were established by the Normans in the 11th century, to 1965. The Church of England Diocese of Peterborough that covers Northamptonshire is still centred at Peterborough Cathedral . The city of Peterborough had its own courts of quarter sessions and, later,
8050-405: The late nineteenth century, with a slate roof, from which all the machinery has been removed. Adjacent is a Mill House, built of coursed limestone rubble, and dated 1725. At Earls Barton the river again passes an area of mature gravel pit lakes, and lock gates numbers 9 and 10. Further on, the river passes through Doddington Lock No 11 and the nearby Hardwater Watermill. This watermill, mentioned in
8165-535: The manufacturer of Dr. Martens , still has its UK base in Wollaston near Wellingborough , the shoe industry has deeply declined as manufacturing has moved away from England. There were over 2,000 shoemakers in the region in the mid 19th century, today the number is over 30 left. Large employers include the breakfast cereal manufacturers Weetabix , in Burton Latimer , the Carlsberg brewery in Northampton , Avon Products , Nationwide Building Society, Siemens , Barclaycard , Saxby Bros Ltd and Golden Wonder . In
8280-539: The mills. A little further on, the river is joined from the north by the River Ise . On the opposite bank are the remains of the Roman town of Irchester . The river now passes under a viaduct that carries the Midland Main Line , which links London St Pancras to Sheffield in northern England via Luton , Bedford , Kettering , Leicester , Derby and Chesterfield . Passing Irthlingborough on its north-western bank,
8395-482: The mitre gates are chained open and the guillotines lifted to allow the water to flow straight through. This precludes navigation at these times. Traditionally the guillotines were manually operated by turning a large wheel some 150 times to raise or lower the gate; since the locks have to be left empty this operation will always have to be done twice to pass through. In recent years the Environment Agency, who are
8510-437: The navigable section towards Northampton. It took the Commissioners two years to agree who should carry out the work, but on 22 June 1758, John Smith jnr from Attercliffe, Yorkshire was contracted to construct 20 pound locks, 20 horse haling bridges and various other works at a cost of £14,070. The river opened to navigation in stages over the next three years, with a great celebration being held at Northampton on 7 August 1761 when
8625-418: The navigation authority for the river, have been installing electric operation of the guillotines and in some cases replacing them altogether with mitre gates. On 11 and 12 January, the 1978 North Sea storm surge caused extensive coastal flooding . Higher water levels were reached than during the devastating North Sea flood of 1953 . Flooding affected both banks of the river at Wisbech . A 70-year-old woman
8740-455: The north end of the village, a small children's play area, a tennis court, a pétanque area, a cricket pitch with pavilion and car park, and links to numerous countryside paths, such as the Jurassic Way . In the middle of the village there is a bowls lawn. West Haddon has many active sports clubs, such as a tennis club, bowls club, 3 senior football teams, several youth football teams,
8855-479: The north-east, passing the town of Wellingborough on its north bank and the village of Little Irchester to the south. At Wellingborough, the river passes through Victoria Mills. Founded in 1886 by the Whitworth family, they are still run by the firm today, producing fine flours for the bakery trade. In front of the mill, there remains a jetty from the days when the river was used for transportation of goods to and from
8970-442: The numbers of stately homes and ancient churches. Prior to 1901 the ancient hundreds were disused. Northamptonshire was administered as four major divisions: Northern, Eastern, Mid, and Southern. During the 1930s, the town of Corby was established as a major centre of the steel industry. Much of Northamptonshire nevertheless remains rural. Corby was designated a new town in 1950 and Northampton followed in 1968. As of 2005
9085-532: The parish of Little Bowden, a neighbourhood of Market Harborough, was transferred from Northamptonshire to Leicestershire . Until 1832 and 1835, Stamford Baron St Martin which forms the southern part of the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire was part of Northamptonshire as St Martin Without . It was later incorporated into the then Municipal Borough of Stamford under the then Parts of Kesteven . Northamptonshire
9200-537: The planned developments, two urban regeneration companies have been created: North Northants Development Company (NNDC) and the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation. The NNDC launched a controversial campaign called North Londonshire to attract people from London to the county. There is also a county-wide tourism campaign with the slogan Northamptonshire, Let yourself grow . Northamptonshire County Council previously operated
9315-535: The project failing. Sporadic traffic managed to use the river, but its condition continued to deteriorate. In 1893, a boating tragedy occurred near Sutton Bridge, in which 9 people died. By the time the Nene Catchment Board took control of the river, as a result of the passing of the Land Drainage Act 1930 , the river was "in unparalleled decay and dilapidation". They rebuilt all of the locks, and replaced
9430-479: The remaining staunches with locks. A new lock and sluice were built at Dog-in-a-Doublet, to prevent salt water passing up the river, and to maintain water levels to Peterborough. The Thorney River was closed for navigation, arrangements were made for the supply of fresh water to the Thorney Estate, and the Northey Gravel shoal was blown up with dynamite. The banks of the river at Wisbech were protected with piling for
9545-450: The river falls a total of 300 feet (91 m) in 17 miles (27 km). For the remainder of its course, the Nene falls less than 200 feet (61 m). It has a catchment area of 631 square miles (1,630 km) and a mean flow of 328 cubic feet per second (9.3 m/s). The final 88 miles (142 km) from Northampton to the Wash is navigable. The river's most westerly source can be found near
9660-487: The river flows along a broad valley, formed by the enormous amount of water released by the melting ice during the Ice Age , towards the east coast. The Nene now meanders through this wide, flat valley with flood plains, lakes, pools and mature gravel pits on either bank, a byproduct of the large glacial deposits in the valley. At Great Billing is Billing Aquadrome , a popular caravan and camping park with leisure facilities and
9775-727: The river flows under the A47 bridge at Guyhirn , through the port of Wisbech , then Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire , and it finally enters The Wash between two towers known as "the lighthouses". The Nene links the Grand Union Canal to the River Great Ouse , via the Middle Level Navigations . Much of its route has been upgraded to a wide canal with locks at regular intervals. Some sections where artificial cuts run adjacent to
9890-479: The river to be improved in stages, the work to be carried out at the contractor's expense, with the cost to be recouped from tolls. Robert Wright and Thomas Squire agreed to these terms for the section from Peterborough to the bridge at Oundle North in September 1726, and completed the work by 1730. Squire then agreed to the same terms for the next section to Thrapston in 1736, and completed it by late 1737. This part of
10005-611: The river was then designated as the Eastern Division. A failure to find anyone prepared to work on the Western Division from Thrapston to Northampton resulted in a third act, the River Nene Navigation Act 1756 ( 29 Geo. 2 . c. 69) being obtained, which allowed the Commissioners to borrow money to finance the work. Lenders would become proprietors of the navigation, and the work was to begin at Thrapston and extend
10120-545: The river's name has altered over time; it was called the "Nenn" or "Nyn" in an 1810 engraving by draughtsmen George Cole and John Roper, while the Ordnance Survey of 1885 used what has since become standard spelling, "Nene". The origin and meaning of the River Nene's name is unknown. The earliest known examples, which date back to the 10th century AD, have been linked to Indo-European root words for snow, rain, or washing, but
10235-456: The river. In December 2013, the 2010 £12 million project to protect 10,590 residents and 1,200 businesses with an improved flood defence regime prevented another major incursion of water. The water came within inches of reaching the top of the flood walls and water poured across the roads near flood gates, bringing traffic on North End Road, Wisbech to a standstill. In 2016, composer, Benjamin Till
10350-560: The south-west of the county, the towns of Brackley, Towcester and surrounding villages are serviced by the Horton General Hospital in Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire for acute medical needs. A similar arrangement is in place for the town of Oundle and nearby villages, served by Peterborough City Hospital . In February 2011 a new satellite out-patient centre opened at Nene Park, Irthlingborough to provide over 40,000 appointments
10465-478: The territory of the Catuvellauni , a Belgic tribe , the Northamptonshire area forming their most northerly possession. The Catuvellauni were in turn conquered by the Romans in 43 AD. The Roman road of Watling Street passed through the county, and an important Roman settlement, Lactodurum , stood on the site of modern-day Towcester . There were other Roman settlements at Northampton , Kettering and along
10580-621: The training schemes of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and the British Canoe Union (BCU). A short way downstream, a weir can divert some of the Nene's flow to supply the Nene Whitewater Centre . The River Nene at Northampton was the location of England's first water-powered cotton spinning mill. It was installed on the site of a former corn mill, to the south-west of the town centre, in 1742. From Northampton,
10695-469: The village of Badby , near Daventry . On the eastern slopes of Arbury Hill , and in pools between Arbury Hill and Sharmans Hill, are two tributaries that converge at Dodford Mill to form the upper reaches of the Daventry Nene. The northern stream flows by the villages of Badby and Newnham to the confluence, whilst the southerly stream runs through Fawsley Park and past the village of Everdon before
10810-568: The water crisis. The gap in the hills at Watford Gap meant that many south-east to north-west routes passed through Northamptonshire. Watling Street , a Roman Road which is now part of the A5 , passes through here, as did canals, railways and major roads in later years. Major national roads, including the M1 motorway (London to Leeds) and the A14 (Rugby to Felixstowe), provide Northamptonshire with transport links both north–south and east–west. The A43 joins
10925-639: The west of the county is the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal ; which is a major rail freight terminal located on the West Coast Main Line near Rugby . Wellingborough also has a smaller railfreight depot on Finedon Road, called Nelisons sidings. This is a chart of trend of the regional gross value added of Northamptonshire at current basic prices in millions of British Pounds Sterling (correct on 21 December 2005): The region of Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and
11040-555: The west, passing between the suburbs of St James (locally known as Jimmy's End), Cotton End and Far Cotton . The Nene's third northern source, the Naseby Source or Brampton Nene, converges at the Carlsberg Brewery. This tributary flows through the north of Northampton where several streams join. Three of these streams supply water for reservoirs at Pitsford , Hollowell and Ravensthorpe , north of Northampton, before joining
11155-441: The work was completed. The proprietors had the right to use tolls as they saw fit, and the Commissioners found that they had no powers to ensure the navigation was maintained in good order. They obtained another act of Parliament, the River Nene Navigation Act 1794 ( 34 Geo. 3 . c. 85), which aimed to rectify the situation, but it was not until 1801 that Thomas Wright replied to their requests, and some repairs were made. There
11270-491: Was George Washington's great-grandfather, John Washington , who emigrated in 1656 from Northamptonshire to Virginia . Before Washington's ancestors moved to Sulgrave , they lived in Warton , Lancashire. In the 18th and 19th centuries, parts of Northamptonshire and the surrounding area became industrialised. The local specialisation was shoemaking and the leather industry and became one of Britain's major centres for these crafts by
11385-511: Was also a problem, but the Commissioners had no powers to act as Commissioners of Sewers, to address the problems of drainage. With serious flooding in December 1848, a public meeting was held, and a committee was elected to consider Nene drainage. The main problem was a restriction at Wisbech, and the engineer James Rendel estimated that £120,000 was required to reconstruct the river below Peterborough. The Nene Valley Drainage and Improvement Act 1852
11500-514: Was badly affected, flooding low-lying parts of Northampton, Wellingborough, Earls Barton and other settlements on its banks. The town centre of Northampton lies on the northern slope of the Nene Valley and escaped the river's flooding. However, the Cotton End, Far Cotton and St James End areas of the town occupy the flood plain and have borne the brunt of severe flooding over the years, culminating in
11615-555: Was boasted that "not a single brook, however insignificant, flows into it from any other district". In the west of the county, the hills most commonly referred to as the Northamptonshire Uplands can be found, in this area, the highest point in the county, Arbury Hill , at 225 metres (738 ft), can be found, just to the south of Daventry . The boundary with Lincolnshire is England's shortest ceremonial county boundary, at 20 yards (18 metres). There are several towns in
11730-402: Was built in Wisbech, to replace a narrow stone bridge which restricted the flow of the river, and although it was tested on installation, it was not operated subsequently. In 1856 a very high tide came within two feet of the newly installed pilings. Dams across the river were built at Waldersea and Guyhirn, and an underwater weir was constructed below the bridge at Wisbech. Wisbech Corporation took
11845-526: Was commissioned by NMPAT (Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust) to create a major orchestral and choral work about the Nene. The composition was scored for 800 musicians and premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017, before being performed at Northampton's Derngate Theatre and Peterborough Cathedral . The piece quotes tradition folk melodies from towns and villages along the river, and explores ghost stories, myths and legends associated with
11960-553: Was first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1011), as Hamtunscire : the scire ( shire ) of Hamtun (the homestead). The "North" was added to distinguish Northampton from the other important Hamtun further south: Southampton – though the origins of the two names are in fact different. Rockingham Castle was built for William the Conqueror and was used as a Royal fortress until Elizabethan times. In 1460, during
12075-505: Was improved in 1570 and 1631. In 1631 a sluice was built at Wisbech by Vermuyden . Morton's Leam was largely superseded by Smith's Leam, a straight cut from Peterborough to Guyhirn made by the Bedford Level Corporation in 1728. In order to improve the mouth of the river, which followed a tortuous route through salt marshes, the construction of a new channel was proposed by Nathaniel Kinderley, and work started on it in 1721. It
12190-461: Was investigated and a European rabbit which had strayed into it, causing the problem, was found. About 250,000 residents were affected; by 14 July 2008, 13 cases of cryptosporidiosis attributed to water in Northampton had been reported. Following the end of the investigation, Anglian Water lifted its boil notice for all affected areas on 4 July 2008. Anglian Water revealed that it would pay up to £30 per household as compensation for customers hit by
12305-479: Was little traffic and income from tolls was low, at just £488 per year between 1801 and 1804. The commissioners were also keen to see a link constructed from Northampton to the Grand Junction Canal , but the canal company argued that there was an insufficient supply of water. It was agreed that a link would be built in two halves, but that there would be 1 mile (1.6 km) of railway in the middle. When built,
12420-507: Was nearly 5 miles (8.0 km) long, and dropped 107 feet (33 m) through 17 locks. Tolls rose to a little over £1,000 per year, but the Commissioners decided that the canal boats damaged the locks, and all traffic had to be transferred to river barges. This order was withdrawn in 1827, but the condition of the river gradually deteriorated, and the arrival of the Blisworth to Peterborough Railway in 1845 further reduced profitability. Flooding
12535-505: Was nearly completed when Wisbech Corporation's support turned to opposition, and they destroyed the work. The cut was eventually completed in 1773, but was not long enough to be a complete success. The Wisbech Canal , opened in 1797, joined the river at Wisbech, the canal was filled in during the 1960s. Various proposals for improvements near Wisbech were made, notably in 1814 by John Rennie and again in 1821 by Thomas Telford , but all were opposed by Wisbech Corporation. An act of Parliament
12650-640: Was obtained in 1827 to enable the works and Wisbech contributed £30,000 to the project. The contractors for the new cut below Wisbech were Jolliffe and Banks, who charged £149,259 for the channel. Once the old channel was dammed up, the tidal scour in the new channel was sufficient to remove silt deposits, and large volumes of stone were needed to stabilise the banks. The effects on the Port of Wisbech were immediate, with tonnage rising from 63,180 long tons (64,190 t) in 1830 to 159,678 long tons (162,240 t) in 1845. The Nene Valley Drainage and Navigation Improvement Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. cxxviii) gave
12765-413: Was obtained to allow this work to be completed. Below Peterborough, the river meandered to Tydd Gote , where it shared an outfall to the Wash with the River Great Ouse . Once the latter was diverted to Bishop's Lynn in 1236, the Nene outfall deteriorated. Navigation was improved in the 1470s when Morton's Leam , a straight channel between Peterborough and Wisbech, was constructed by Bishop Morton . It
12880-561: Was obtained, which appointed large numbers of Commissioners, but stated that work could only proceed if any nine of them could find someone to make the entire river navigable. No-one was prepared to take on the task, although it appears from the Act that the river was navigable from Peterborough to Alwalton at the time. The act was superseded by a second act of Parliament, the River Nene (Norfolk) Navigation Act 1724 ( 11 Geo. 1 . c. 19), which allowed
12995-532: Was once public land. The Historic England website contains details of a total of 32 listed buildings in the parish of West Haddon, all of which are Grade II except for All Saints’ Church which is Grade I. These include: It also has a General Stores and a Londis shop which incorporates a branch of the Post Office Ltd . There are two public houses , The Crown, which was recently refurbished and The Sheaf Inn, which re-opened in September 2018. The Pytchley Hotel
13110-467: Was reported drowned in her flooded home in Wisbech after the Nene burst its banks forcing 1000 people to evacuate their homes. Clarkson Geriatric Day Hospital was closed for weeks as repairs were made. On 8 and 9 April 1998, constant torrential rain caused flooding across large parts of the English Midlands . On Good Friday , 10 April 1998, the floods peaked and many rivers burst their banks. The Nene
13225-404: Was short lived; it was abolished in 1974. Upon its abolishment, the city of Peterborough and the other settlements that were once part of the former Soke, were transferred to the county of Cambridgeshire, instead of being transferred back to Northamptonshire. Additionally, the former historical county of Huntingdonshire , which had been abolished along with the Soke of Peterborough in 1965 to create
#175824