Helmdon
Encyclopedia
Helmdon is a village and civil parish in the district of South Northamptonshire
, Northamptonshire
, England. The parish covers an area of about 1500 acres (607 ha) and includes the village of Helmdon and the hamlets of Astwell and Falcutt
.
, 7 miles (11 km) east-north-east of Banbury
and 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Northampton
. The village lies both sides of a small valley at the headwaters of the River Tove
. The river and the trackbed of a former Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
branch line divide the village into two parts.
, the population of Helmdon parish was 938. In 2010 it had increased to about 953. There were approximately 350 properties, 50 of which lie outside the village.
means "Helma's Valley" and is recorded in the Domesday Book
as "Elme Dene". At that time it belonged to the Robert, Count of Mortain
, half-brother of William the Conqueror.
The Church of England parish church
of Saint Mary Magdalene
dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries and has been restored several times since. Prior to the Reformation
it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas
. The oldest of the six bells in the tower dates from 1679. In the churchyard is a yew tree estimated to be 1,700 years old.
Historically the village developed along Church Street, Wappenham Road and Cross Lane. A village based on agriculture is clearly identified by the number of former and continuing farmhouses in the village, which run into double figures.
For many centuries stone-quarrying was the major industry in the village, with evidence of its existence going back to the 14th century; a stained-glass window in the north wall commemorates stonemason William Campiun at work in 1313. In the 18th century lace-making was a significant business, with up to a quarter of the village women being lace-makers.
The village at one time had four public houses: The Bell, The Chequers, The Magpie (which some accounts refer to as the Cock and Magpie) and The Cross. The Bell was originally named The King William, but was renamed because it was closest to the church, and is the only remaining pub, with The Magpie and The Cross converted into houses, and The Chequers demolished and subsequently built on.
The Reading Room was originally a men's meeting place as an alternative to the pub. This Victorian building was given to the village by Charles Fairbrother in 1887. Around the time of World War I
women started using it. Today it is the village hall
.
Helmdon had two railway stations: the first, in its latter years called , was on the former Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
between Stratford-upon-Avon
and Towcester
mentioned above. British Rail
ways closed it in April 1952. The second station was on the former Great Central Main Line
, opened in March 1899. The line crossed the nine-arch Helmdon Viaduct over the River Tove to the west of the village. The Great Central Railway
station was sometimes called Helmdon for Sulgrave
, although Sulgrave
village is 2 miles (3 km) away. BR closed the station in March 1963 and the line in September 1966. The viaduct still stands.
, Helmdon Acorns for children two to four years old, and a primary school for children aged 4 to 11 years. In 1969, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2011, Helmdon won the Northamptonshire Village of the Year competition.
South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
, 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. The parish covers an area of about 1500 acres (607 ha) and includes the village of Helmdon and the hamlets of Astwell and Falcutt
Falcutt
Falcutt is a hamlet in the English county of Northamptonshire. It forms part the civil parish of Helmdon and is south of the village of that name....
.
Geography
The village of Helmdon is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of BrackleyBrackley
Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Oxford and miles form Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford...
, 7 miles (11 km) east-north-east of Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
and 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. The village lies both sides of a small valley at the headwaters of the River Tove
River Tove
The River Tove is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Rising in Northamptonshire, it flows for around 15 miles past the town of Towcester before meeting the Ouse near Milton Keynes. Its final 5 miles form part of the border between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, running...
. The river and the trackbed of a former Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
branch line divide the village into two parts.
Demography
At the time of the 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population of Helmdon parish was 938. In 2010 it had increased to about 953. There were approximately 350 properties, 50 of which lie outside the village.
Governance
Helmdon elects a parish council. The current nine members were elected in May 2011. The chairman is Cllr Peter Burns.History
Records date the beginnings of the village back to the Anglo-Saxon era. Its toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
means "Helma's Valley" and is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as "Elme Dene". At that time it belonged to the Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st Earl of Cornwall was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother of William I of England. Robert was the son of Herluin de Conteville and Herleva of Falaise and was full brother to Odo of Bayeux. The exact year of Robert's birth is unknown Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st...
, half-brother of William the Conqueror.
The Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries and has been restored several times since. Prior to the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
. The oldest of the six bells in the tower dates from 1679. In the churchyard is a yew tree estimated to be 1,700 years old.
Historically the village developed along Church Street, Wappenham Road and Cross Lane. A village based on agriculture is clearly identified by the number of former and continuing farmhouses in the village, which run into double figures.
For many centuries stone-quarrying was the major industry in the village, with evidence of its existence going back to the 14th century; a stained-glass window in the north wall commemorates stonemason William Campiun at work in 1313. In the 18th century lace-making was a significant business, with up to a quarter of the village women being lace-makers.
The village at one time had four public houses: The Bell, The Chequers, The Magpie (which some accounts refer to as the Cock and Magpie) and The Cross. The Bell was originally named The King William, but was renamed because it was closest to the church, and is the only remaining pub, with The Magpie and The Cross converted into houses, and The Chequers demolished and subsequently built on.
The Reading Room was originally a men's meeting place as an alternative to the pub. This Victorian building was given to the village by Charles Fairbrother in 1887. Around the time of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
women started using it. Today it is the village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
.
Helmdon had two railway stations: the first, in its latter years called , was on the former Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
between Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
and Towcester
Towcester
Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...
mentioned above. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed it in April 1952. The second station was 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...
, opened in March 1899. The line crossed the nine-arch Helmdon Viaduct over the River Tove to the west of the village. The Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
station was sometimes called Helmdon for Sulgrave
Helmdon railway station
Helmdon was a railway station serving the village of Helmdon in Northamptonshire on the former Great Central main line .-History:The GCR main line was the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London and opened for passenger services on 15 March 1899...
, although Sulgrave
Sulgrave
Sulgrave is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The Church of England parish Church of St James the Less is part of the benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave and Thorpe Mandeville and Chipping Warden with Edgcote and Moreton Pinkney.By...
village is 2 miles (3 km) away. BR closed the station in March 1963 and the line in September 1966. The viaduct still stands.
Amenities
The last village shop closed in 2011, but Helmdon still has a parish church, one public house, a public park with play equipment and benches, and two ponds. There are more than 30 active community groups. The village has a pre-schoolNursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
, Helmdon Acorns for children two to four years old, and a primary school for children aged 4 to 11 years. In 1969, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2011, Helmdon won the Northamptonshire Village of the Year competition.