Irthlingborough
Encyclopedia
Irthlingborough (ˈɜrθlɪŋbərə), originally called Artleborough, is a small town on the River Nene
in Northamptonshire
, England
with a population of 6,179 people according to the 2001 census. It is the smallest town in England to have possessed a league association football
team, Rushden & Diamonds. The parish church, St Peter, has a lantern tower which is unusual for Northamptonshire churches. This was built to guide travellers across the Nene valley in foggy weather. It also has doors at the four cardinal points; of note are the eight misericord
s in the chancel
. Services still continue daily with the main service being at 10:00 am on Sunday mornings.
was mined
near Irthlingborough, and as part of the local ironstone mine, a tunnel
was bored between Irthlingborough and nearby Finedon
. The tunnel is still in existence although the Irthlingborough end has been landscaped over and the Finedon end sealed with concrete
. Irthlingborough railway station
closed in 1964 to passengers.
For the first time in 2007 Irthlingborough decided to elect a Town Mayor.
floodplains located between the town and its neighbour, Higham Ferrers
, have been quarried for gravel. Quarrying in the area was extensive, stretching to Northampton
in the West (upstream) and Thorpe Waterville
to the North-Northeast (downstream). The quarries were later left to fill with water creating man-made lakes.
The A6 used to pass through the town, but was bypassed in the 1930s to the north. The former route is the B5348. Irthlingborough Viaduct was built in 1936 and connects the town to Higham Ferrers
and the busy A45. The A45
(former A605
) is a more dependable road than the A6, being less twisty and fewer tractors.
, the home baking and healthy snack products company, is based in the town, starting in 1886 and employs 310 people at the plant on the B571 (Wellingborough Road). Sonifex, a manufacturer of radio broadcast products has been in the town since its beginning in 1969 with its research and manufacturing base on Station Road. Dr. Martens
has a long history with the town; the manufacturer R Griggs, owned by Max Griggs
, had its head office in the town until production moved to China in 2003, much to the displeasure of the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
. In 2003, the company made a loss of £60m, having lost £32m in 2002. The company's office is now in Wollaston
. The Wellingborough factory was the first to close in July 2002.
has a sixth-form at the Huxlow Science College. The Huxlow school, on Finedon Road (B5348) gets results above average at GCSE, and especially at A-level. It used to be known as Irthlingborough & Finedon Secondary Modern School until 1972. David Frost
taught there for a term in 1958, before going to university. Snooker star and former world champion Shaun Murphy
was a notable pupil.
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
in 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a population of 6,179 people according to the 2001 census. It is the smallest town in England to have possessed a league association football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Rushden & Diamonds. The parish church, St Peter, has a lantern tower which is unusual for Northamptonshire churches. This was built to guide travellers across the Nene valley in foggy weather. It also has doors at the four cardinal points; of note are the eight misericord
Misericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...
s in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. Services still continue daily with the main service being at 10:00 am on Sunday mornings.
History
In the past, ironstoneIronstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
was mined
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
near Irthlingborough, and as part of the local ironstone mine, a tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
was bored between Irthlingborough and nearby Finedon
Finedon
Finedon is a civil parish and village in the Borough Council of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, with a population at the 2001 census of 4,188 people. Along with Wellingborough, it is twinned with Wittlich, Germany, and Niort, France....
. The tunnel is still in existence although the Irthlingborough end has been landscaped over and the Finedon end sealed with concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
. Irthlingborough railway station
Irthlingborough railway station
See also Higham Ferrers Midland Railway station.Irthlingborough railway station is a former railway station in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire on a the former Northampton and Peterborough Railway line which connected Peterborough and Northampton....
closed in 1964 to passengers.
For the first time in 2007 Irthlingborough decided to elect a Town Mayor.
Quarrying
More recently the River NeneRiver Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
floodplains located between the town and its neighbour, Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers is a market town in the Nene Valley in East Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single urban area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated population of 6,086...
, have been quarried for gravel. Quarrying in the area was extensive, stretching to 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...
in the West (upstream) and Thorpe Waterville
Thorpe Waterville
Thorpe Waterville is a village in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is combined with Achurch to form the ecclesiastical parish of 'Thorpe Achurch'; in turn this is added to another combined parish, Lilford-cum-Wigsthorpe, to form the civil parish of Lilford-cum-Wigsthorpe and Thorpe Achurch...
to the North-Northeast (downstream). The quarries were later left to fill with water creating man-made lakes.
Geography
The town can be divided quite easily into areas with Pine Trees to the south-west, Victoria and Allen roads in the centre running parallel to the High Street on either side, Knightlands to the North, Crow Hill to the extreme north-east (over a mile from the town centre) and the football ground and training facilities to the east.The A6 used to pass through the town, but was bypassed in the 1930s to the north. The former route is the B5348. Irthlingborough Viaduct was built in 1936 and connects the town to Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers
Higham Ferrers is a market town in the Nene Valley in East Northamptonshire, England, close to the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire borders. It forms a single urban area with Rushden to the south and has an estimated population of 6,086...
and the busy A45. 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...
(former A605
A605 road
The A605 road is a main road in the English counties of Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.-Route :The A605 strikes north from junction 13 of the trunk A14 road through the eastern parts of Thrapston, skirts the village of Thorpe Waterville, bypasses Oundle to its east, crosses the River Nene,...
) is a more dependable road than the A6, being less twisty and fewer tractors.
Local economy
WhitworthsWhitworths
Whitworths is a dried fruit, home baking and snack products company, established in 1886 based in Irthlingborough Northants UK. As of March 2009 it employed 310 people....
, the home baking and healthy snack products company, is based in the town, starting in 1886 and employs 310 people at the plant on the B571 (Wellingborough Road). Sonifex, a manufacturer of radio broadcast products has been in the town since its beginning in 1969 with its research and manufacturing base on Station Road. Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens is a traditional British footwear brand, which also makes a range of accessories – shoe care products, clothing, luggage, etc. In addition to Dr. Martens, they are known as Doctor Martens, Doc Martens, Docs or DMs...
has a long history with the town; the manufacturer R Griggs, owned by Max Griggs
Max Griggs
Max Griggs is the president of the R Griggs Group, current owner of the Dr. Martens shoe company, and one of largest shoe manufacturers in the United Kingdom. The company moved all factories etc...
, had its head office in the town until production moved to China in 2003, much to the displeasure of the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades was a trade union in the United Kingdom.It was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers and the National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades...
. In 2003, the company made a loss of £60m, having lost £32m in 2002. The company's office is now in Wollaston
Wollaston, Northamptonshire
Wollaston is a large village in the borough of Wellingborough. in Eastern Northamptonshire, England. The name is derived from the Saxon "Wulfaf's Town" - named after a Saxon chief of that name.-Wollaston Today:...
. The Wellingborough factory was the first to close in July 2002.
Education
The East Northamptonshire CollegeThe East Northamptonshire College
The East Northamptonshire College or TENC for short is a consortium of secondary schools in East Northamptonshire that offer Post-16 education.-Structure:...
has a sixth-form at the Huxlow Science College. The Huxlow school, on Finedon Road (B5348) gets results above average at GCSE, and especially at A-level. It used to be known as Irthlingborough & Finedon Secondary Modern School until 1972. David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
taught there for a term in 1958, before going to university. Snooker star and former world champion Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy may refer to:*Shaun Murphy , English snooker player*Shaun Murphy , retired Australian soccer player*Shaun Murphy , aka Stoney, American singer-See also:...
was a notable pupil.
External links
- Irthlingborough Historical Society
- A History of Irthlingborough Iron Ore Mine.
- Parish Church of St Peter, Irthlingborough
- BBC page
- 1st Irthlingborough Scout Group