Braunston
Encyclopedia
Braunston is a village
and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire
, England. It has a population of 1,675 (2001 census). Braunston is situated just off the A45
main road and lies between the towns of Rugby
and Daventry
.
The main village of Braunston is situated on a hill above the road and the canals, and formerly had a windmill
, the building of which still stands but without any sails. The village contains several pubs (The Boathouse, The Admiral Nelson, The Plough, and The Wheatsheaf), a selection of shops (including Londis), a fish and chip shop, and a primary school. There is also a hotel called the Braunston Manor Hotel.
Braunston's main claim to fame is its canal
junction between the Oxford Canal
and the Grand Union Canal
, which was once an important part of the national transport system. Many former boating families have links to Braunston, the churchyard in the village having many graves of boatmen and women.
The unique triangular junction between the two canals has two bridges made at Horseley Ironworks
carrying the towpath over the canal. This was not the original meeting point of the Grand Junction
and Oxford
Canals: the junction was moved in the course of improvements to the Oxford Canal
in the 1830s, prior to which the junction was near where the marina
is today, and where a third Horseley Ironworks bridge can be seen.
The canals are no longer used for carrying freight, but are now used mostly by pleasure boats. Braunston has a marina filled with these pleasure boats and is usually quite busy.
From the marina, six locks carry the Grand Union Canal
up to Braunston Tunnel
, some 2,049 yards (1,874 m) long.
Despite its small size, Braunston was once served by two railway stations, both now closed. The first, on the former LNWR Weedon
to Leamington Spa
branch line, via Daventry, was located near the marina and closed in September 1958. A couple of miles north-west of Braunston was Braunston and Willoughby station
on the former Great Central Main Line
, which served Braunston and the village of Willoughby
, which it was closer to. This was the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London
and opened in March 1899. Braunston and Willoughby station closed in April 1957 and the line itself in September 1966. To the south of the station was the 13-arch Willoughby viaduct crossing the River Leam: the viaduct was demolished about 1980.
called Little Braunston. The lost settlements are called Braunston Cleves or Fawcliff
, Braunstonbury
and Wolfhampcote
.
in France.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England. It has a population of 1,675 (2001 census). Braunston is situated just off the A45
A45 road
The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
main road and lies between the towns of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
and Daventry
Daventry
Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 .-Geography:The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles west of Northampton and 10.2...
.
The main village of Braunston is situated on a hill above the road and the canals, and formerly had a windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
, the building of which still stands but without any sails. The village contains several pubs (The Boathouse, The Admiral Nelson, The Plough, and The Wheatsheaf), a selection of shops (including Londis), a fish and chip shop, and a primary school. There is also a hotel called the Braunston Manor Hotel.
Braunston's main claim to fame is its canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
junction between the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
and the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
, which was once an important part of the national transport system. Many former boating families have links to Braunston, the churchyard in the village having many graves of boatmen and women.
The unique triangular junction between the two canals has two bridges made at Horseley Ironworks
Horseley Ironworks
The Horseley Ironworks was a major ironworks in the Tipton area in the county of Staffordshire, now the West Midlands, England....
carrying the towpath over the canal. This was not the original meeting point of the Grand Junction
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
and Oxford
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
Canals: the junction was moved in the course of improvements to the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
in the 1830s, prior to which the junction was near where the marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
is today, and where a third Horseley Ironworks bridge can be seen.
The canals are no longer used for carrying freight, but are now used mostly by pleasure boats. Braunston has a marina filled with these pleasure boats and is usually quite busy.
From the marina, six locks carry the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
up to Braunston Tunnel
Braunston Tunnel
Braunston Tunnel is situated on the Grand Union Canal just past Braunston, Northamptonshire, England.Braunston Tunnel is 2042 yards in length...
, some 2,049 yards (1,874 m) long.
Despite its small size, Braunston was once served by two railway stations, both now closed. The first, on the former LNWR Weedon
Weedon Bec
Weedon Bec , usually just called "Weedon", is a large village and parish in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. It lies close to the source of the River Nene.-Geography:...
to Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
branch line, via Daventry, was located near the marina and closed in September 1958. A couple of miles north-west of Braunston was Braunston and Willoughby station
Braunston and Willoughby railway station
Braunston and Willoughby railway station was a station on the Great Central Railway main line, the last main line to be built from the north of England to London...
on the former Great Central Main Line
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
, which served Braunston and the village of Willoughby
Willoughby, Warwickshire
Willoughby is a village and civil parish about south of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. The village is only about northwest of Daventry in neighbouring Northamptonshire and the eastern boundary of the parish forms part of the county boundary....
, which it was closer to. This was the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and opened in March 1899. Braunston and Willoughby station closed in April 1957 and the line itself in September 1966. To the south of the station was the 13-arch Willoughby viaduct crossing the River Leam: the viaduct was demolished about 1980.
Surrounding Settlements
There are, close to the village, three lost settlements and one small hamletHamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
called Little Braunston. The lost settlements are called Braunston Cleves or Fawcliff
Braunston Cleves or Fawcliff
The lost village of Braunston Cleves or Fawcliff once stood north of the village of Braunston in the English county of Northamptonshire. The village stood on the southwest slope of Cleve’s hill within the parish of Braunston. The history of this settlement is virtually unknown. It is thought that...
, Braunstonbury
Braunstonbury
The lost village of Braunstonbury lies in low ground south-west of the village of Braunston in the English county of Northamptonshire. Its site is on the eastern bank of the River Leam, which also marks the border between Northamptonshire and Warwickshire....
and Wolfhampcote
Wolfhampcote
Wolfhampcote is an abandoned village and civil parish in the English counties of Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, which it straddles.The old village of Wolfhampcote is located west of the A45 road near Braunston in Northamptonshire, and can be reached by a track from the main A45 road, or by a...
.
Twin Village
The village is twinned with Quincy-VoisinsQuincy-Voisins
Quincy-Voisins is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-Twin towns:The town is twinned with the village of Braunston in Northamptonshire, England.-External links:* * *...
in France.
Further reading
- At the Heart of the Waterways: The story of the canals in the village of Braunston, Northamptonshire, by David Blagrove, third edition, Buchebroc Press, 2003, ISBN 1-871918-05-7.
- Images of Old Braunston, Braunston History Society, Beaublade Limited, 2006.
- Braunston Yesterday and Today, Braunston History Society, 2010.