Walk 15: Northampton Town Centre…a look at our history

The ‘Needs to Know’

Distance: Roughly 4 miles (6.4km) but as you’re exploring you may do more or less

Time to walk: This is a town walk so no time limits as there’s lots to explore so why rus

Difficulty: Flat & all on hard surfaces

Dog Friendly?: A town walk with visits inside buildings so not really suitable

Parking: We parked at the start of this walk in The Mounts Car Park. Postcode NN1 3NR. what3words hood.buzz.tables

Public toilets: Cafes etc en route

Map of the route:

This walk was one the first I did & wrote up 14 years ago. Since then the town has changed considerably & I have learned so much more that I wish to share with people &, hopefully persuade them, that it has sooo much to offer

The name Northampton means ‘North Home Farm or Homestead’

Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire & is situated on the River Nene, 60 miles north-west of London & 50 miles south-east of Birmingham. It’s one of the largest towns in England & archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates it back to the Bronze Age, Romans & Anglo-Saxons

In the Middle Ages, the town rose to national significance with the establishment of Northampton Castle, an occasional royal residence which regularly hosted the Parliament of England

The Saxon town was sacked & burned by the Danes; the Normans built the great castle which stood on the site of the railway station. The town reached the heights of its prosperity in the 13th & 14th centuries

Medieval Northampton had many churches, monasteries & the University of Northampton, all enclosed by the town walls. It was granted a town charter by Richard I in 1189 & a mayor was appointed by King John in 1215. The town was also the site of two medieval battles, in 1264 & 1460

The town largely supported the Parliamentary Roundheads during the English Civil War, which prompted Charles II to order the destruction of the town walls & most of the castle

The Great Fire of Northampton in 1675 also destroyed much of the historic town but  Northampton was soon rebuilt & grew rapidly with the industrial development of the 18th century

The town continued to expand with the arrival of the Grand Union Canal & the railways in the 19th century. But…it was roused from its slumber by the Industrial Revolution as the shoe & boot industry in the town began to boom &, in the 17th century, it supplied much of the Parliamentarian army with its footwear

Why not do our short walk around the Shoe Quarter to learn the role the town played – see this link 

Let’s Walk!

1. This walk is basically a ‘wander’ but I parked in The Mounts car park from where you exit on the western side & turn left along Church Lane…

…passing, on your right, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The churchyard is normally locked so, to get the best view, turn right at the bottom of the road where you’ll find the impressive lych gate

2. The Holy Sepulchre is a Norman round church dating back to around 1100. There are four medieval round churches still in use in England, the others being Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge; Temple Church, London; & St John the Baptist, Little Maplestead, Essex

Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, was responsible for making Northampton a Norman stronghold by building Northampton Castle & a town wall

In around 1096, he joined the First Crusade to the Holy Land. There he would have seen the Church of the Holy Sepulchre near the centre of Jerusalem. He would have seen it as a round church supported on eighteen columns or piers with an ambulatory around the perimeter on the west of the church, & the well attested site of Christ’s tomb at the centre. There would have been four apses at each of the cardinal points, & on the east side there would have been a facade, so that the east apse was accessible directly from the rotunda

It’s likely that after his return to Northampton, Simon de Senlis built the “Holy Sepulchre” in Northampton designed by what he had seen. It’s approximately half the size of the church in Jerusalem

If you can attend one of the open days then visiting is a must. Also the space is in an incredible place to watch plays performed by local theatre companies

3. With your back to the lych gate turn left & walk along Sheep Street…

At the traffic lights walk straight across towards the town centre, noting the large building over to the left. This is the old Corn Exchange & we’ll see the main entrance to it shortly

4. Continue down Sheep Street past The Bear & Cromwell Cafe…

On the right’s the new Bus Station, which was built on the site of the old Fish Market, which is really missed

The Fish Market closed & then reopened in 2008 as an arts venue. The new bus station opened in 2014 & the old Greyfriars one, known locally as the ‘Mouth of Hell’ was demolished in 2015

5. Turn left to enter the Market Square…

Northampton Market Square is one of the UK’s oldest & largest, established in the place we see today in 1235 by King Henry III after moving from All Saints churchyard

On the left is the front of the Corn Exchange we saw earlier. In 2025 a grant has been obtained to hopefully restore & reopen it

6. Walk along the northern side. It’s still possible get an idea, from the upper parts of the buildings that surround the square, just how grand it once must have been…

…although much of it required reconstruction following the Great Fire of 1675 which we’ll look at later in the walk

In the north-west corner is the Grade II listed ‘Welsh House’ which has had many uses since it was first built in 1595 & is the oldest building on the square. As one of the few stone buildings, it was through here that many people escaped the ravages of the Great Fire as it tore through the wooden buildings

7. The Square used to have the most wonderful fountain, the ‘twin’ of which can now be found in Mumbai, India. The original stood in the square between 1863 – 1962 to commemorate the marriage of Prince Albert to Princess Alexandra

The area has since had a fascination with fountains from the failed one dedicated to Princess Diana & the fun, new water feature following the square’s recent development

8. Explore the square & move down to the south-west corner & look up again to see some stunning buildings…

Walk down the narrow alley where, on the right you’ll find the recently revamped Shipmans pub…one of the town’s oldest & most atmospheric inns. Opening at some point in the early to mid 1700’s, Shipmans was originally called The Roebuck. This was changed in 1768 to The White Hart when a new landlord took over & renamed it

The Shipman name was mentioned in 1827 when wine & brandy merchants Whitmy & Shipman advertised from the pub. It’s possible the locals shortened the name to Shipmans, but by 1862 the Shipman family were running it without Whitmy

In 1948 the Welsh brewery Felinfoal acquired Shipmans & ran it until 1985 before selling it to J.T Davies & Sons Ltd. Brakspear & J.T Davies & Son Ltd became one company & rebranded under Brakspear in 2007, but carried on looking after the pub until it closed in 2014

In 2015 the McManus Pub Company announced plans to reopen Shipmans & the building underwent an intense restoration project, opening once again in July 2022

9. The alley opens to reveal, ahead of you, one of Northampton’s jewels..All Saints Church

Simon de Senlis’ church of All Hallows, Northampton, England, lasted with medieval alterations until 20 September 1675 when much of the old town was destroyed by the Great Fire of Northampton…

“All Hallows Bells jangled their last and doleful Knell, presently after the Chimes had gone Twelve in a more pleasant Tune: And soon after the wind which did flie swifter than Horsemen, carried the Fire near the Dern-Gate, at least half a Mile from the place where it began, and into St Giles-street in the East, and consumed every house therein, save one, whose end-Walls were higher than the Roof, and by them preserved.”

After the fire, Charles II, whose statue is adorned annually on 29th May (Oak Apple Day) with a garland…

…gave a thousand tons of timber for the rebuilding of All Hallows’ Church, & one tenth of the money collected for the rebuilding of the town was allocated to the rebuilding of All Hallows’, under the management of the King’s Lynn architect, Henry Bell & Edward Edwards. Bell was resident in Northampton at the time, & he set to rebuild the church in a manner similar to Sir Christopher Wren’s designs

The central medieval tower survived the fire, as did the crypt. The new church of All Saints’ was built east of the tower in an almost square plan, with a chancel to the east & a north & south narthex flanking the tower

It truly is magnificent. The church also played a major part on 12th November 1844 when Queen Victoria visited the town. A stage to accommodating 4000 ‘charity children,’ built in the area in front of the church collapsed. Luckily no-one was seriously hurt

10. Come out of the church & head west down beautiful Gold Street…

Once this street was the home of the Goldsmiths  & old photos show its wealth. Today, whilst at ground level it may look poorer, look up up see what it once looked like

11. Continue down Gold Street passing the Travelodge on the left…

The Travelodge was once the historic former Grand Hotel, built in 1897 for the Phipps Northampton Brewery Company. Once considered the town’s top hotel, it was known for its luxurious, detailed architecture & served as a premier venue for weddings & events for decades

The Beatles also stayed here after playing at The Deco on Wednesday 27th March 1963

12. Walk to the bottom of Gold Street & cross into Mare Fair

On the left, opposite the Ibis Hotel is Hazelrigg House. It’s not known exactly when the building was built, but it’s thought it dates from the early 16th century & was one of the few houses to escape the Great Fire of Northampton when only a part of it was destroyed

The original building stretched along almost double its length & the gardens behind it ran down to the Nene

The building’s name derives from the Hazelrigg family who owned it for many years. It has also been known as Cromwell House & Hazelrigg Manor. The Cromwell reference derives from a local tradition that Oliver Cromwell spent the night at Hazelrigg House on his way to the Battle of Naseby in 1645. Unfortunately this local reference isn’t supported by any documentary evidence

The house stayed in the Hazelrigg family until 1831. After this, the new owner let the property. In 1913 the Northamptonshire Ladies Club purchased the building to use as its meeting place, sharing it with the local Women’s Institute branch as well as the Northamptonshire Architectural & Archaeological Society

In the early 1960s it was acquired by the national architects practice of Marshman Warren Taylor who remained there until the late 1970s. After this the building sat empty for most of the 1980s, by which time it had been acquired by Northampton Borough Council

Since then it’s been occupied by various tenants

12. After the end of the Vue building on the right, turn right up the narrow cobbled street…

On the corner is where the Great Fire of Northampton started on 20th of September 1675. There’s several conflicting stories as to how the fire started, including ladies taking lighted coals to each house in the area on shovels

The fire devastated the town centre, destroying about 700 of the town’s 850 buildings in six hours. Three quarters of the town was destroyed, 11 people died & about 700 families were made homeless

13. Continue up the street & ahead of you is the Doddridge United Reform Church…

During the first half of the 18th century, independent colleges for the training of future non-conformist ministers were established in various parts of the country, because such people were not allowed to study at the Universities of Oxford & Cambridge

One of these colleges was the famous Academy founded by the Rev. Dr. Philip Doddridge at Castle Hill, Northampton in 1730

In 1827, a group of members of this non-conformist church which you see ahead you now, reacting to a new & less liberal theology, left to form a Unitarian church

14. Turn left & walk into the new (2026) & wonderful Castle Park…

This park stands on the eastern edge of the great Northampton Castle & was one of the most prominent Norman castles in England. The castle site was outside the western gate, & defended on three sides by deep trenches

A branch of the River Nene provided a natural barrier on the western side. The castle had extensive grounds & a large keep. The gates were surrounded by bulwarks made of earth, used to mount artillery

The castle was “obliterated” by the arrival of a railway branch of what is now the West Coast Main Line in the 19th century, the station of which was built on the castle site & the construction of the original Northampton Castle railway station

If you’re standing on Platform 1 of the Station you are standing where the moat once was

The castle was built under the stewardship of Simon de Senlis, the first Earl of Northampton, in 1084. In the First Barons’ War between King John & his barons, the latter used it as a stronghold. When the King prevailed, the castle was entrusted to Falkes de Breauté, whom the King admired for his courage during the war

In 1164, Thomas Becket was tried at the castle before a great council. Having escaped by dressing as a monk, Becket then fled to France

In 1264, in the Second Barons’ War between King Henry III & his nobles, the castle was owned by the confederate barons & governed by Simon de Montfort. When the King defeated the garrison at the Battle of Northampton in 1264, the castle again reverted to the Crown. It remained so until three years into King Edward III’s reign, when Thomas Wake, who was then sheriff of Blisworth, claimed it belonged to the county under his jurisdiction

In 1452, thirty years into King Henry VI’s reign, the castle was rented to Robert Caldecote for 20 years

During the English Civil War, the castle was used by the Parliamentarians. In 1662, in revenge for this, King Charles II ordered that the town walls & castle’s defences be slighted so that they could not be used again as a fortification. From then on, what remained of the castle was used as a court & a gaol, but its state of repair gradually worsened. By the late 17th century, it was in the hands of Robert Haselrig

Parts of the castle were still intact until the late 19th century, when the remains were sold to a railway company

15. Walk back into Black Lion Hill, turn right, & cross over the junction…

Walk forward &, on the right’s the Postern Gate…all that remains of the castle &, even this, isn’t in its original position

16. Ahead’s Northampton’s Station…

Just before it turn right to find a wonderful, hidden timeline…

17. Come back out of the station area & cross back into Black Lion Hill once more stopping outside the recently restored Old Black Lion Inn…

The oldest pub in Northampton is now hone to the Churches Conservation Trust but, as of April 2026, is still awaiting a tenant to run it. Out the back will be the headquarters of the National Bell Ringing School

18. Next door’s the wonderful St Peter’s Church which is considered to be “the most outstanding Norman church in the county”

The church stands on a site between a former Anglo-Saxon palace & Northampton Castle. Two previous churches have been on the site, one built in wood, the other in stone. The present church was probably built between 1130 & 1140 by Simon de Senlis II

The church closed in 1995 & was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust in 1998

St Peter’s also had a story to tell on the day of Queen Victoria’s visit. Shortly before she arrived in the town a parish clerk was showing people the bells. He was stood next to one of them when someone below pulled the rope.

The clerk threw himself flat upon his back, & the bell swung over him, leaving him with some cuts, but fortunately he escaped without more serious injury. The bell weighs 13 cwt

19. We just mentioned a Saxon Palace….so walk past the church & turn right & then left  into St Peter’s Gardens to find a plinth that not many people in Northampton realise is there…

The tablet tells us that…

…“this site marks the beginning of the town of Northampton. In the early 8th century it was the centre of an extensive royal estate or minser, a complex of buildings& land belonging to the Church & to Mercian Kings. The land experienced further transformation with te building of a large timber hall to the east of the present St Peter’s Churc, proably in the late 8th century. This was replaced in the 9th century by an even larger stone hall. As Mercia shrank in the face of Viking invasion, the buildings & estate served as an administrative centre for the Danelaw, covering an area roughly the size of the present County or Shire

The later stone hall itself probably survived in use until the late 9th or early 10th century having been abandoned, either on the arrival of another Danish invasion in the last quarter of the 9th century or because the settlement was re-organised when it was recaptured by the Saxon army of King Edward in 917

Famous figures from history are associated with this place. The Anglo Saxon soldier – Saint Ragener, said to have been executed by the Danes alongside King Edmund (c870) is reputed to be buried in St Peter’s Church. King Canute (c990-1053) may have met & married his first wife Aelfgifu (c990-1035) here. She was called ‘The Woman from Northampton’ & became the King’s Regent in Norway & mother to Harold I, King of England (c1035-1040)

Despite its changes of fortune as a fortified border estate, by the end of the 10th century & possibly earlier, Northampton was a real town with its own mint. It extended over around 60 acres of land to the north & west, complete with its own defensive walls”

20. On your left’s the rear of what remains of Hazelrigg House…

I’ve heard a story that there was once a well in this courtyard & Oliver Cromwell had an argument with one of his soldiers, beat him, & threw him into the well. Some people were once working in the modern kitchen of the building & saw a bloodied man in uniform walk past the window

21. Walk down the steps ahead or come back via the slope & bear left…

Ahead of you now is a car park which stands on what was once the site of St Gregory’s Church

There’s a wonderful article written by Jack Preston (History Writer) the full details of which can be found at this link

In summary… the car park sits on a site that once claimed it was the ‘Centre of England.’ Looking at modern maps it most certainly isn’t anywhere near the centre, but maps in those days weren’t so accurate. However Northampton is about two days walk from both Canterbury Cathedral & York Minster & these were the religious centres of the south & the north respectively, so it may have been seen as a “centre between the two

A story was told of a pilgrim who visited the Holy Land. We know locally that Simon de Senlis definitely visited there because of the construction of the Church of the Holy Seplchre

When he was near the site of Christ’s execution, known as Golgotha or Calvary, he was visited by an angel who instructed him to carry a stone cross to the centre of his homeland

He therefore carried it all the way to Northampton & to St Gregory’s Church, standing on the spot before you, where it was embedded into a wall. It was known as ‘The Holy Rood in the Wall’, &, for a time, it marked the spiritual centre of the kingdom

A guild was formed for the Rood in 1473 & it became a site for pilgrimages, & even Richard III appointed a chaplain to “pray for him in a chapel before the Holy Rood at Northampton”

By the sixteenth century the church had fallen into disrepair. The remaining good parts of the building were used to house the grammar school which moved here in 1557, some 36 years after being formed. Today that school is Northampton School for Boys on the Billing Road

After the school left the rest of the building was demolished. However stories still exist of tunnels underneath the car park where the Holy Rood may still be located….

22. Bear left & walk back up to Black Lion Street…

…& then turn right back to the traffic lights once more. Look at the building ahead of you which houses a mobile phone shop & snooker club

Here once stood a magnificent theatre, initially in 1901, called the Palace Theatre of Varieties. Before that & over the years it had many different names until it was demolished in 1950. It’s said that Charlie Chaplin trod the boards here. To read more about it & see pictures of how it looked click on this link

23. Walk back up the right side of Gold Street & turn immediately right after the Hotel down Kingswell Street…

…where, on the left you’ll find, one of my favourite buildings, Becket & Sargeant’s School for Girls. Originally founded in 1738 it was a charity school for 30 girls & dedicated to educating & training girls in household management

It was often known as a ‘Blue Coat’ school because of the distinctive blue uniform originally worn by their pupils. The colour blue was traditionally the colour of charity & was a common colour for clothing at the time. The uniform included a full-length blue coat & yellow stockings with white bands. It closed as a school in the 1960s

24. Continue down Kingswell Street to arrive at a factory on the right which was once location of the Bassett Loake factory producing fine model trains. We’ll look more at this person later in the walk…

Next door’s one of Northamptonshire most famous institutions, Phipps NBC Brewery & the Albion Brewery Bar

25. The company began in Towcester where founder Pickering Phipps started brewing in 1801. A second brewery was opened on Bridge Street, Northampton in 1817. All production was moved to Northampton in 1901 following a fire which destroyed the original brewery

The company grew to become the largest brewer in the Midlands by the end of the 19th century. In 1960, London based brewer Watney Mann launched a successful bid for the company. The new owner’s keg bitter, Red Barrel, was developed by being brewed in Northampton alongside the local beers. However, to ensure a consistent product, Watneys shipped up tanker loads of water from the Mortlake Brewery in London where the eventual mass production occurred

At the beginning of the 1970s, a partnership was formed between Watney Mann & Danish brewer Carlsberg Group with the aim of rebuilding the Phipps Bridge Street Brewery site into a modern lager plant. Watney Mann ale and stout brewing ended on 26 May 1974, & most of the original brewery was demolished

The pub chain’s Northampton managers had been preparing to re-introduce a Phipps draught bitter & took the opportunity to take over the dormant company name & trademark. Draught Phipps IPA was re-launched in December 2008. This was followed by NBC’s Red Star, Ratliffe’s Celebrated Stout in 2009 & Phipps Diamond Ale in 2012. The beers were brewed from original recipes at Grainstore brewery, Oakham under the supervision of a number of old Phipps brewers

In early 2014 the company returned production to Northampton by restoring & back converting the Albion Brewery on Kingswells Street

In August 2015 the Albion Bar opened its doors in the brewery & is well worth visiting, plus the guided tours are superb

26. Turn around to see ‘The Church’ restaurant over the road…

The former Saint John’s Hospital was opened in 1138 &, in the 885 years since then, it has been a hospital, hostel & hospice, a soldiers’ burial ground, part of Northampton’s first railway station, & a Roman Catholic church, before its present use as a restaurant

Today it’s one of the oldest surviving buildings in Northampton & located close to one the main gates of the walled town of Northampton, in a time when hospitals were hostels for pilgrims on their way to Rome or Canterbury, & places of rest for the poor, the sick & orphans.

The buildings consisted originally of a chapel & infirmary, & a master’s house that was demolished in the 19th century. It was run by a religious community consisting of the Master & Brothers

Henry II granted the hospital a Royal Charter in 1154-1162. One of the witnesses to this charter was ‘Thomas the Chancellor’, who was later to become Archbishop of Canterbury

During the Battle of Northampton fought in 1460 on the fields of Delapre between Lancastrians & Yorkists, many of the 10,000 troops were killed. Some of the bodies were buried in the grounds of Saint John’s, while many others were swept away down the river

Saint John’s station was demolished in 1939 & the chapel re-opened as a Catholic Church in 1955. However, dwindling congregations, a lack of money, a fire & several attacks by vandals led it to close again in October 1990

The Richardsons Group bought the site in 1997 & the building was restored & equipped as the modern restaurant we see today

27. Cross Bridge Street & walk along St John’s Street…

…& turn left up Fetter Street passing the headquarters of West Northamptonshire Council on the left

28. At the top is Angel Street. Look across to the left to see The Constabulary Block which dates back to the 19th century & was once the headquarters of Northamptonshire Police…

Turn right & look through the barrier, across the car park, at the arch in the wall & steps from the building. This is the back of the Judges’ Lodgings & we’ll come back to it later. But it was from the Court that the ‘condemned person’ was led through the arch, down the steps to be hung near this spot

The building to the right of the door’s part of the old Victorian Gaol

29. Walk along Angel Street & turn left into Guildhall Road…

This is Northampton’s ‘Theatre Land’ & on the right’s the Derngate Theatre. Opened in 1983, it was designed as a modern, multi-purpose venue to complement the adjacent Victorian Royal Theatre. It’s a really versatile space hosting a variety of major touring productions

Next door’s the wonderful Royal Theatre…

30. The Royal Theatre, which opened in 1884, was designed by the renowned Victorian theatre architect C J Phipps who also designed the Theatre Royal Bath, The Lyceum in Edinburgh, Theatre Royal Glasgow & the Grand in Wolverhampton. If ever you get the chance of a tour take it…the ‘rake’ on the stage is frighteningly steep

In 1927 it became home to the Northampton Repertory Players & has run as a producing house ever since, staging at least six ‘in-house’ productions each year. Amongst many famous actors to tread the boards, the most notable is arguably Errol Flynn who was a member of Northampton Repertory Players in the early 1930s. Allegedly he ran off without paying his very large bar bill!

It’s famed, amongst other things, for its beautiful safety curtain, also known as the ‘Sipario Dipinto’ (meaning the Separator Painted). Created & painted by Henry Bird, this iconic feature was inspired by sources such as Commedia dell’Arte and Hamlet’s mirror

It might never have been here as, with all the preparations for the grand opening, it wasn’t noticed until too late that the stonemasons had carved the wrong name on the front of the theatre, naming it the ‘Royal Theatre’ rather than ‘Theatre Royal’

The former title is only given to establishments directly under Royal patronage. A message was hastily despatched to Queen Victoria appealing to her to consent to the name already built into the façade of the theatre. Luckily, just before the grand opening, she graciously agreed. Perhaps she was amused…

31. Almost opposite’s Northampton Museum & Art Gallery which houses one of the largest collection of shoes in the world, with over 15,000 pairs. The museum has been collecting footwear since the 1870s

The museum was established in 1865, but moved to the current site in 1884, where it shared its space with the town’s library. After the library moved in 1910, the museum took over the whole building. The museum was extended in 1935 & again in 1988. In 2012, the it was refurbished for better access

The second & third floors of the museum house exhibits about Northampton’s history & displays of Oriental ceramics & Italian art from the 15th to the 18th century

32. Walk round to the left, past the cafe & look at the wall in the picture below…

The building was originally designed as a Victorian addition to the County Gaol. The small cell windows are original & date from 1846 when they were used to house male prisoners. The gaol closed in 1880 & the buildings were split & used for different purposes, the east wing being used for the museum

33. At the top of the hill’s the magnificent Guildhall…

The first Guildhall in Northampton was a 12th century building at the junction of Gold Street & Horsemarket. The second one was an early 14th-century, battlemented, structure at the corner of Abington Street & Wood Hill

The current building, the third Guildhall, designed by Edward William Godwin in the Gothic Revival style, was officially opened on 17 May 1864. The original part of the building was symmetrical with three first-floor windows either side of the main entrance, above which rose a clock tower with a steeply pitched roof. The clock was installed in 1867 along with a hemispherical bell to strike the hours

The building was extended to the west in 1892. A modern extension to the east, which we’ll look at shortly, was built to accommodate the expanding office needs of Northampton Borough Council, & was completed in 1992

If you get the chance to go inside grab it. The incredible great hall displays murals of famous local men, painted by Colin Gill in 1925. It also contains murals of The Muses Contemplating Northampton, painted by Henry Bird in 1949. A statue by Sir Francis Chantrey of Spencer Perceval, Member of Parliament for Northampton & the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated, was originally unveiled in 1817 is also on display

34. Walk into the courtyard at the right side of the Guildhall, which is one of my favourite places in the town. It’s a calming space that contains statues of Northampton’s ‘History Makers’ – I call them ‘Heroes’….

There’s a separate tab on my website that covers them in full – see this link as they are incredible

35. Walk back past the main Guildhall & look at the magnificent house across the road. Built as an impressive town house shortly after the Great Fire of 1675, the house was acquired by the town corporation shortly afterwards for the use of visiting circuit judges & their retainers…

On the right hand side of the road bear right down the passage into St Giles Churchyard

48. St Giles’ Church probably dates back, in parts, to the 12th century but it went under considerable restoration in the Victorian era

Take the diagonally left path, back on yourself, passing some rather ornate gravestones

49. Exit the churchyard & turn left up to the junction. Across the junction ahead of you the original part of Northampton General Hospital…

As mentioned previously, Northampton General Hospital (NGH) was founded in 1743 & opened in 1744 on George Row as one of England’s first voluntary hospitals. Due to growth, a new purpose-built site you see ahead of you opened in 1793

Bear right along Cheyne Walk, following the route of the old town walls again, passing the famous Cheyne Walk Club which is open to all for food & drink

50. On reaching the traffic lights you’ll see Becket’s Park which is visited on many of our other walks that cover this area & the River Nene which runs through it…

Turn left around the corner to arrive at Becket’s Well…

Legend has it that in 1164, the Archbishop of Canterbury sought refuge after being convicted for contempt of royal authority. It’s believed that he stopped at this well to quench his thirst while fleeing the town, hence giving it its name. Other opinions are that he may have headed in the other direction but it’s a great story

51. Walk back to the junction & cross the road to the ‘Cultural Quarter’ to walk along Derngate…

Look immediately across to the right to see a building not many people know exists in the town – the Headquarters of the Budgerigar Society

The budgie was introduced into England in 1840 & the Society’s headquarters have been here since 1925

52. On the opposite side of the road is, the rather more famous, 78 Derngate…

Originally built in 1815 the interior of this building was extensively remodelled in 1916 & 1917 by the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh for businessman Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke as his first marital home. Mackintosh’s designs for the house are considered to be one of the first examples of the Art Deco style to be seen in Britain

In 1926 the Bassett-Lowkes moved to New Ways, a modernist house designed by Peter Behrens close to Abington Park; this house is also Grade II listed

Between 1964 & 1993 the building was used by Northampton High School for girls, initially as offices but later as classrooms. In 2002 work started to restore the house to Mackintosh’s original design. After eighteen months of restoration, the house was opened to the public in late 2003. Group guided tours or self-guided visits are available & provide an insight into this Mackintosh-designed house in England

A supporting museum adjoins 78 Derngate & is housed in number 80

53. Further along the road’s a magnificent building that now houses a private vaccination clinic & a dental surgery…

This was once the Northampton High School

Continue ahead & then turn right up Castilian Street which houses some lovely independent restaurants. On the left look for the unique Memorial Hall…

It was built in a Scottish Baronial style for Inglis director David Paton Taylor after his son was killed on the Somme in 1916 & first used as a military hospital

54. At the top turn left to see one of Northampton’s most famous pubs..the Wig & Pen which, if you look at the front, you’ll understand why it was once called the Black Lion…

It’s a fab place to watch Northampton Saints games, but has a much more sinister tale to tell…

Annie Pritchard was murdered in 1892 by her lover, Andrew MacRae. Annie came from Birmingham & got involved with MacRae who worked for his brother, selling bacon on the Market Square. She & her baby were murdered, & her head, arms & the baby’s body were boiled in the brother’s premises on Dychurch Lane. The rest of her remains were found in a sack near Althorp Station

Macrae was, thankfully, found guilty of this horrific murder, but despite justice being served, many believe Annie’s ghost remains unsettled. The story goes that if you’re sitting by the back wall you may hear the cries of a baby…

55. Facing the pub turn right & then left up Fish Street…

…where you just need to follow the fish

56. At the crossroads turn right into Abington Street once more & then look for an alley on the left & walk up it…