Weedon Bec
Encyclopedia
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
.
, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Northampton
and is at the crossroads of the A5 and A45 main roads. The Grand Union Canal
(1796) and West Coast Main Line
both pass through the village. The village station
, just north of the A45 road bridge closed in the 1960s. Between 1888 and 1963 there was a branch line just north of Weedon to Leamington Spa
via Daventry
. There are plans to build a 'Daventry Parkway' railway station on the site of the former station.
Lower Weedon and Upper Weedon are to the south of the village. The northern boundary of the village follows the A45 to the west, then south to just outside Everdon
, then skirts Everdon Wood and Everdon Stubbs, and borders Stowe Nine Churches
to the south-east, and lies to a short distance east of the A5 up to the A45, next to Flore
parish. To the south of the parish is the 162m Weedon Hill. The village is close to the boundary of South Northamptonshire
and Daventry district.
Weedon Lois
or Lois Weedon is in a different part of the county.
The name came from the Old English "Wēo-dūn" meaning "Temple Hill". Before the Christian
era there may have been a heathen temple here.
it had a population of 2,485, 1,248 male and 1,237 female, 1,237 households and average age 38.34 years.
of Watling Street
from London to Holyhead was known as "Road Weedon" and earlier "Weedon on the Street". The "Bec" part of the name is derived from the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, in Normandy, France, which owned most of the village until the dissolution of the monasteries
, when King Henry VIII
gave it to Eton College
.
demonstrated radar, from radio waves from the Borough Hill
transmitter on 26 February 1935. It is often stated as taking place near Weedon Bec, but actually took place in a field just off the A5, towards Litchborough
, in the parish of Stowe Nine Churches
(Upper Stowe).
A memorial to the event is located off the A5 just south of Weedon on the Litchborough
Road (NGR SP650557).
On 26 February 2010 the event was re-enacted 75 years after the event. This was done by radio amateurs from the Coventry Amateur Radio Society and the Northampton Radio Club. A working RADAR set was constructed using the two-metre amateur radio
band. As with the original experiment the source signal was transmitted from Borough Hill in Daventry
. The four target aircraft were flown by pilots with amateur radio licences.
, it has a Norman
west tower, with the main body 1825 (chancel 1863). there is also a Congregational Chapel of 1792.
At the crossroads as might be expected for a major road prior to the railway, there are a large number of pubs, café
s and shops. It is now growing as a centre for the antique
trade and more specialist shops.
. The Depot, which was the central small arms depot for the British Army, opened in 1803 and was originally served by the canal, by way of its own branch which entered the depot through a portcullis. When the railway was built, it too had a branch into the depot. There was also a Barracks in the village, holding a standing battalion, plus a troop of cavalry and a troop of horse artillery. The Barracks were demolished in the 1950s. Because the barracks and depot were situated in the heart of England, they were considered a safe haven. In the event of a Napoleonic invasion of Britain, King George III
and other members of the Royal family would have been sent there from London on the canal. Three large Pavilions were built between the Depot and the Barracks to house them. These were demolished in the 1960s. Next door to the barracks was the Army School of Equitation, which was also demolished in the 60s. The Depot became redundant to the Army, in 1965, but is still in use for storage and light industry.
It is hoped that the Fire Services National Museum will be opening at the depot in the near future.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the district of Daventry
Daventry (district)
The Daventry district is the largest local government district of western Northamptonshire, England. The district is named after the town of Daventry which is the administrative headquarters and largest town...
, 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 lies close to the source of 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...
.
Geography
Weedon is located about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-east of DaventryDaventry
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...
, 7 miles (11.3 km) 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...
and is at the crossroads of the A5 and A45 main roads. 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...
(1796) and West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
both pass through the village. The village station
Weedon railway station
Weedon railway station was a railway station situated to the north of and serving the village of Weedon and the Weedon Royal Ordnance Depot in Northamptonshire, England. On the West Coast Mainline the station was the start of the Weedon to Leamington Spa line...
, just north of the A45 road bridge closed in the 1960s. Between 1888 and 1963 there was a branch line just north of Weedon 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...
via 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...
. There are plans to build a 'Daventry Parkway' railway station on the site of the former station.
Lower Weedon and Upper Weedon are to the south of the village. The northern boundary of the village follows the A45 to the west, then south to just outside Everdon
Everdon
Everdon is a village in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England some two miles south of Daventry.Nearby The Stubbs is a wood belonging to the Woodland Trust, a UK conservation charity...
, then skirts Everdon Wood and Everdon Stubbs, and borders Stowe Nine Churches
Stowe Nine Churches
Stowe Nine Churches is a civil parish incorporating the settlements of Church Stowe and Upper Stowe in the English county of Northamptonshire.-Name:...
to the south-east, and lies to a short distance east of the A5 up to the A45, next to Flore
Flore, Northamptonshire
Flore is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. The A45 road divides the upper part of the village from several older, lower streets. The population at the 2001 census was 1,221.- External links :...
parish. To the south of the parish is the 162m Weedon Hill. The village is close to the boundary of South Northamptonshire
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...
and Daventry district.
Weedon Lois
Weedon Lois
Weedon Lois is a village in the English county of Northamptonshire due west of the town of Towcester.It is part of South Northamptonshire district and forms a civil parish with neighbouring Weston....
or Lois Weedon is in a different part of the county.
The name came from the Old English "Wēo-dūn" meaning "Temple Hill". Before the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
era there may have been a heathen temple here.
Demographics
The 2001 censusCensus
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...
it had a population of 2,485, 1,248 male and 1,237 female, 1,237 households and average age 38.34 years.
History
The village is usually called just "Weedon" when including "Lower Weedon" and "Upper Weedon" which were once distinct villages now merged into one. The settlement patterns of all three villages have been distorted by the presence of the major road, the canal, the military establishments and the railway station and present an unusual example of urban sprawl in an otherwise rural part of England. The area on the A5, the Roman roadRoman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
of Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
from London to Holyhead was known as "Road Weedon" and earlier "Weedon on the Street". The "Bec" part of the name is derived from the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, in Normandy, France, which owned most of the village until the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, when King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
gave it to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
Experiments with radar in 1935
Arnold Frederic WilkinsArnold Frederic Wilkins
Arnold Frederic Wilkins O.B.E., was a pioneer in developing the use of radar.-Early life:...
demonstrated radar, from radio waves from the Borough Hill
Borough Hill
Borough Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Daventry in the English county of Northamptonshire. It is over above sea level and dominates the surrounding area.-Archaeology:...
transmitter on 26 February 1935. It is often stated as taking place near Weedon Bec, but actually took place in a field just off the A5, towards Litchborough
Litchborough
Litchborough is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 300 people. It is about north-west of Towcester....
, in the parish of Stowe Nine Churches
Stowe Nine Churches
Stowe Nine Churches is a civil parish incorporating the settlements of Church Stowe and Upper Stowe in the English county of Northamptonshire.-Name:...
(Upper Stowe).
A memorial to the event is located off the A5 just south of Weedon on the Litchborough
Litchborough
Litchborough is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 300 people. It is about north-west of Towcester....
Road (NGR SP650557).
On 26 February 2010 the event was re-enacted 75 years after the event. This was done by radio amateurs from the Coventry Amateur Radio Society and the Northampton Radio Club. A working RADAR set was constructed using the two-metre amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
band. As with the original experiment the source signal was transmitted from Borough Hill in 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 four target aircraft were flown by pilots with amateur radio licences.
Weedon rail crashes
Weedon has been the site of two serious rail crashes in 1915 and 1951 in which in total 25 people were killed.Churches
The parish church of SS Peter and Paul is at the south of the village hemmed in and overlooked from both the Grand Union Canal embankment and the West Coast Main Line viaduct. According to PevsnerPevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
, it has a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
west tower, with the main body 1825 (chancel 1863). there is also a Congregational Chapel of 1792.
Other buildings
The Priory in Oak Street is all that remains of a larger house. The Firs on Queen Street is a house dated 1692.At the crossroads as might be expected for a major road prior to the railway, there are a large number of pubs, café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s and shops. It is now growing as a centre for the antique
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
trade and more specialist shops.
Barracks
Next to the canal is the former Napoleonic War era Military Ordnance DepotMilitary base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
. The Depot, which was the central small arms depot for the British Army, opened in 1803 and was originally served by the canal, by way of its own branch which entered the depot through a portcullis. When the railway was built, it too had a branch into the depot. There was also a Barracks in the village, holding a standing battalion, plus a troop of cavalry and a troop of horse artillery. The Barracks were demolished in the 1950s. Because the barracks and depot were situated in the heart of England, they were considered a safe haven. In the event of a Napoleonic invasion of Britain, King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
and other members of the Royal family would have been sent there from London on the canal. Three large Pavilions were built between the Depot and the Barracks to house them. These were demolished in the 1960s. Next door to the barracks was the Army School of Equitation, which was also demolished in the 60s. The Depot became redundant to the Army, in 1965, but is still in use for storage and light industry.
It is hoped that the Fire Services National Museum will be opening at the depot in the near future.
Notable residents
- Leo G. CarrollLeo G. CarrollLeo Gratten Carroll was an English-born actor. He was best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Topper.-Early life:...
(1886–1972), actor (The Paradine CaseThe Paradine CaseThe Paradine Case is a 1947 American courtroom drama film, set in England, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by David O. Selznick. The screenplay was written by Selznick and an uncredited Ben Hecht, from an adaptation by Alma Reville and James Bridie of the novel by Robert Smythe Hichens...
, North by NorthwestNorth by NorthwestNorth by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
and others), was born in Weedon Bec. - Patrick Leigh FermorPatrick Leigh FermorSir Patrick "Paddy" Michael Leigh Fermor, DSO, OBE was a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Cretan resistance during World War II. He was widely regarded as "Britain's greatest living travel writer", with books including his classic A Time of...
(1915–2011), writer, spent his first four years in Road Weedon.