Oundle
Encyclopedia
Oundle is an ancient market town
on the River Nene
in Northamptonshire
, England
, with a population of 5,345 (2001 census
) or 5,674 (2006 estimate). It lies some 68 mi (109.4 km) north of London
and 12 mi (19.3 km) south-west of Peterborough
. The nearest railway station is at Corby
, 9.3 mi (15 km) west of Oundle.
, Oundle was originally a trading place and market for local farmer
s and craftsmen
. As the area became prosperous, wealthy traders set up shops and houses, and guild
s were formed. Unlike other settlements in the vicinity, Oundle was unaffected by the Black Death
in the mid-14th century.
Oundle had a grammar school
since at least 1465, at which Sir William Laxton (Lord Mayor of London) was educated. He founded Laxton Grammar School
in 1556, administered by the Worshipful Company of Grocers
, from which Oundle School
evolved.
. Other public house
s include the Rose & Crown, the Ship Inn (a 14th century coaching inn
), the Angel, the George and the Riverside, which is currently derelict.
There are a number of churches. By far the most prominent – with the largest steeple
in the area – is St Peter's parish church
which occupies the main churchyard
. There are also Methodist, Baptist
and Roman Catholic churches. However, the Baptist church does not have its own building and holds services on Sunday mornings in the Prince William School
.
Other major buildings include the Stahl Theatre, a primary school, and Oundle School
buildings which are sometimes open to the public. These include a full-length swimming pool and the Great Hall.
A farmers' market
is held in the Market Place on the second Saturday of every month.
There is also a park with swings and climbing frames, as well as a skatepark which was built in 2005.
A fair annually attracts many locals.
Oundle is home to two of the three factories producing Fairline Boats
, the third being in Weldon
, near Corby
. The original factory is at Barnwell Road in Oundle and the newer at the Nene Valley site.
, Prince William School
as well as a public school - Oundle School
, each of which have over a thousand pupils.
Oundle was, and still is, renowned throughout the world for it education, it has pointed the way to many solutions of our educational problems.
(OIF) is a music festival and pipe organ
school. The festival was founded in 1985, with the training of young organist
s as its core. The summer schools are centred on an organ, built by Frobenius
of Denmark
and installed in Oundle School chapel
. A concurrent festival programme for the public was also planned as a recurrent feature.
Close by in Ashton
, the World Conker Championships
take place on the second Sunday of October. The championship started in 1965.
Oundle also hosts an annual literary festival; the Oundle Festival of Literature.
Returning in 2009, Oundle holds an annual carnival
.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
on the River Nene
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 5,345 (2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
) or 5,674 (2006 estimate). It lies some 68 mi (109.4 km) north of 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 12 mi (19.3 km) south-west of Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. The nearest railway station is at Corby
Corby railway station
Corby railway station, owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains , serves the town of Corby in Northamptonshire, England. The current station, opened on 23 February 2009, replaces an earlier one dating from 1879 and first closed in 1966 .Plans for the current station, built on a...
, 9.3 mi (15 km) west of Oundle.
History
Inhabited since the Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, Oundle was originally a trading place and market for local farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s and craftsmen
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
. As the area became prosperous, wealthy traders set up shops and houses, and guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
s were formed. Unlike other settlements in the vicinity, Oundle was unaffected by the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
in the mid-14th century.
Oundle had a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
since at least 1465, at which Sir William Laxton (Lord Mayor of London) was educated. He founded Laxton Grammar School
Laxton Grammar School
Laxton Grammar School was a historic school located in Oundle, Northamptonshire, founded after the death of Sir William Laxton in 1556.-The Gild School:...
in 1556, administered by the Worshipful Company of Grocers
Worshipful Company of Grocers
The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London. It is ranked second in the order of precedence of the Companies and, having been established in 1345, is one of the original Great Twelve City Livery Companies....
, from which Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
evolved.
Buildings
Among the oldest buildings is the Talbot Inn. This was constructed of timber; it was rebuilt with stone from the ruins of nearby Fotheringhay CastleFotheringhay Castle
Fotheringhay Castle was in the village of Fotheringhay 3½ miles to the north of the market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire .King Richard III was born here in 1452 and it was also where Mary, Queen of Scots, was tried and executed in 1587....
. Other public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s include the Rose & Crown, the Ship Inn (a 14th century coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
), the Angel, the George and the Riverside, which is currently derelict.
There are a number of churches. By far the most prominent – with the largest steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
in the area – is St Peter's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
which occupies the main churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
. There are also Methodist, Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Roman Catholic churches. However, the Baptist church does not have its own building and holds services on Sunday mornings in the Prince William School
Prince William School
Prince William School is a comprehensive school in Oundle, Northamptonshire. The school was built in 1971 and currently holds 1156 pupils. It was named in honour of Prince William of Gloucester whose family home, Barnwell Manor is a few miles away. Prince William was killed in an air crash less...
.
Other major buildings include the Stahl Theatre, a primary school, and Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
buildings which are sometimes open to the public. These include a full-length swimming pool and the Great Hall.
A farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
is held in the Market Place on the second Saturday of every month.
There is also a park with swings and climbing frames, as well as a skatepark which was built in 2005.
A fair annually attracts many locals.
Oundle is home to two of the three factories producing Fairline Boats
Fairline Boats
Fairline Boats Ltd are an English motor yacht builder, currently owned Better Capital and the RBS. Started in 1963 by Jack Newington, the company presently builds motor yachts in both its original Oundle base as well as Corby, Northamptonshire-History:...
, the third being in Weldon
Weldon, Northamptonshire
Weldon is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire, two miles due east of the town centre of Corby. It is administered by Corby Borough Council; at the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 1,644 people....
, near Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
. The original factory is at Barnwell Road in Oundle and the newer at the Nene Valley site.
Schools
The town has a primary school and a middle school which joined Kings Cliffe in 1992.. It is also home to the comprehensive schoolComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
, Prince William School
Prince William School
Prince William School is a comprehensive school in Oundle, Northamptonshire. The school was built in 1971 and currently holds 1156 pupils. It was named in honour of Prince William of Gloucester whose family home, Barnwell Manor is a few miles away. Prince William was killed in an air crash less...
as well as a public school - Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
, each of which have over a thousand pupils.
Oundle was, and still is, renowned throughout the world for it education, it has pointed the way to many solutions of our educational problems.
Festivals
The Oundle International FestivalOundle International Festival
The Oundle International Festival is a music festival and organ school held in Oundle, England.- Background :Oundle International Festival was founded in 1985, with the training of young organists as its core component. The summer schools were to be centred upon a new organ, built by Frobenius of...
(OIF) is a music festival and pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
school. The festival was founded in 1985, with the training of young organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
s as its core. The summer schools are centred on an organ, built by Frobenius
Frobenius Orgelbyggeri
-History:Frobenius Orgelbyggeri was founded in Copenhagen by Theodor Frobenius in 1909. The firm moved to Lyngby in 1925. Theodor's sons Walther and Erik joined the company in 1944, at the same time that they began to build organs in the classical tradition, with mechanical actions and slider...
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and installed in Oundle School chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. A concurrent festival programme for the public was also planned as a recurrent feature.
Close by in Ashton
Ashton, East Northamptonshire
Ashton is a village and civil parish about ¾ mile east of Oundle in the east of the English county of Northamptonshire forming part of the district of East Northamptonshire.-History:...
, the World Conker Championships
World Conker Championships
The World Conker Championships are held annually on the second Sunday in October in the village of Ashton near Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. Since 1965, conker players from around the world have gathered on the village green to compete for the world title. The male champion is crowned King...
take place on the second Sunday of October. The championship started in 1965.
Oundle also hosts an annual literary festival; the Oundle Festival of Literature.
Returning in 2009, Oundle holds an annual carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
.
Notable people
- Sir William Laxton
- William AbellWilliam AbellWilliam Abell was an English vintner who became master of the Vintners' Company. As a politician he was an alderman and later sheriff of London...
- Rowan AtkinsonRowan AtkinsonRowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
- Louise Mensch
- Ebenezer ProutEbenezer ProutEbenezer Prout , was an English musical theorist, writer, teacher and composer, whose instruction, afterwards embodied in a series of standard works, underpinned the work of many British musicians of succeeding generations....