Discover Northamptonshire - northamptonshire tourism website

Rural Kettering, Northamptonshire

The countryside in this county here is very beautiful, offering country parks, canals and miles of walks. If you’re a cyclist there’s plenty for you here too. Miles of cycle paths follow the landscape of the Brampton Way. There are many stately homes and ancestral seats here too, including the home of the Spencer family in Althorp.

History of Northampton

Northampton started as a Saxon village called Hamm tun, which means the village beside the well-watered meadow. Later it went on to be called North Hamm tun, most likely to distinguish it from Southampton.

Northampton suffered a considerable fire in 1516 when many of its houses were ruined. Fire was a continual hazard because many of the buildings were made of wood and had thatched roofs. Like all towns during the Tudor time, Northampton also suffered outbreaks of plague. However, the town continued to grow in size and prosperity.

The rapid growth in population during the later 1800s reached a plateau after 1900. Northampton grew only gradually in the 1920s and 1930s. However, the first council houses were constructed in the 1920s. The first electric streetlights were turned on in 1892 and the early 20th century saw electric streetlights replace gas ones.

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