The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 7.1 miles (11.4km)
Time to walk: Around 3 hours with stops
Difficulty: Easy & mainly all on hard surfaces apart from the start & finish at Delapre Abbey. Please note that, at the time of writing this walk (Mar 2024), new hard paths were being built
Parking: Free parking at Delapre Abbey
Public toilets: Delapre Abbey & various places en route
Map of the route:
In 2015 a selection of wooden knights were positioned in & around Northampton, each one representing a part of the town’s history. They were initially in the town centre, but now have been spread across the town & its surrounding areas
The walk can also be done in conjunction with Walk 15 which covers the town’s heritage & history trail, where you’ll find out all of the historical information about the town
It also takes in part of other walks around the town such as the Binty Bint Graffiti Walk, the Riverside Meadows Walk & the two Delapre Walks
Shall we go then?…
Let’s Walk!
1. Where better to start this tale of Knights than at the site of the Battle of Northampton…beautiful Delapre Abbey
Exit the carpark & walk towards the Abbey where you’ll find our first two Knights guarding the entrance…
2. The two Knights here signify the Battle of Northampton which took place here on 10th July 1460
One of the first major battles in the War of the Roses, the opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to King Henry VI of the House of Lancaster, his Queen Margaret of Anjou & their six year old son Edward, Prince of Wales, on one side, & the army of Edward, Earl of March, & Warwick the Kingmaker on the other. The battle was the first in which artillery was used in England
It’s unusual for being one of the shortest battles because…it rained!
At 2pm the Yorkists advanced. The men were in column, but the hard rain blowing in their faces somewhat hindered them. As they closed with the Lancastrians, Warwick was met by a fierce hail of arrows, but the rain had rendered the Lancastrian collection of cannon quite useless.
When Warwick reached the Lancastrian left flank, commanded by Lord Grey of Ruthin, treachery ensued. Grey had his men lay down their weapons & simply allow the Yorkists to have easy access into the camp beyond. This treachery was the result of a secret message from Lord Grey to March saying that he would change sides if the Yorkists would back him in a property dispute with Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter (his maternal cousin). Certainly Warwick had ordered his men not to lay violent hands on ordinary soldiers, especially those wearing the black ragged staff of Lord Grey’s men. There may also have been inducements & promises of high office by Warwick. Grey became Treasurer of England in 1463
After this, the battle lasted a mere 30 minutes
The defenders were unable to manoeuvre inside the fortifications & fled the field as their line was rolled up by attacking Yorkists
The Duke of Buckingham, the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Egremont & Lord Beaumont all died trying to save Henry from the Yorkists closing on his tent. Three hundred other Lancastrians were slain in the battle. King Henry VI was captured by an archer, Henry Mountfort
King Henry was escorted to Delapre Abbey where he was held before being taken to London
3. Pass in front of the main entrance to the Delapre Abbey, one of the best jewels in our County…
At the corner turn left & walk along the building
4. At the end turn left again & follow the path through the trees & garden. This forms part of our Delapre Inner Grounds Walk…
At the end bear left through the gate…
5. Turn right & then take the left fork along the smaller path which I’ve never expored before…
This is a lovely little alley of trees…
6. At the junction turn left up to the hard path with the posts…
Cross between them & follow the narrow hard path up to the University
7. At the other end of the path pass though a couple more posts into the Uni grounds…
The town had a university in medieval times between 1261 & 1265 of the same name, established by royal charter after approval from King Henry III in 1261. It was the third university in England, after Oxford & Cambridge, & the 22nd in Europe. After being advised by bishops & magnates that Northampton was a threat to Oxford, Henry III dissolved the university in 1265, & signed a Royal Decree that banned the establishment of a university in Northampton
That decree was only finally repealed a few years ago to allow the new university to be established. The current University of Northampton was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of a number of training colleges, & gained full university status in 2005. The Waterside Campus opened to students in September 2018 with the facilities on both Park & Avenue campuses transferring to it
8. After passing through the two posts turn immediately left through the gap in the fence & continue along the ‘Trim Trail’…
…passing one of the many sculptures that exist around the grounds
9. At the junction bear right towards the ‘Engine Shed’…
What a wonderful building! Built in the early 1870’s for the Midland Railway to service trains on the Bedford to Northampton line, this fantastic Victorian building had a long & sometimes hard life. After over 50 years of servicing trains, the building was first converted into a workshop, then a Welding School for British Rail Engineers, before finally closing in 1998. Although the shed received protection as a Listed Building in 1995, an Arson attack in 2000 gutted the building, & it was left to decay, unloved & forgotten
Salvation for the building came in 2014, when the University of Northampton bought the site for developing its new Waterside Campus. After initially struggling to find a viable & sympathetic use for the building, it was decided to turn the building into the new home for the Students’ Union. With the support of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Engine Shed has been lovingly restored & reinvented to become the new home for Student Union services
And they will give you a warm welcome & a coffee / tea!
10. Walk across the front of the building & keep going in a straight line, crossing the road…
Don’t change direction, just keep going to arrive at the wonderful footbridge over the Nene
Over to the right’s Northampton Marina
11. At the end of the bridge turn left & then right to follow the path past the lock…
On reaching the footbridge go up the steps & cross the river
12. At the end turn right & follow the riverside path up to the road bridge…
Across to the right’s Carlsberg. Brewing started at the new Carlsberg brewery in Northampton in 1973. Inspired by a Danish longship, the building is the vision of Danish architect Knud Munk.
13. On reaching the road turn left & walk to the crossing…
Cross over & turn right down the side of The Ruby Chinese takeaway
14. Follow the right path down to the first set of houses & turn right down to the river…
At the end is an old loading crane. This is the start / end of the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal…
15. “The go ahead for the Northampton Arm was given in April 1793 when the Grand Junction Canal received its Enabling Act in Parliament authorising the construction of a canal branch to Northampton. This was fantastic news, however the town had to wait another 18 years before the branch became a reality. The height difference of just over 32m (107 ft) between the Grand Junction & Northampton was a tough obstacle to overcome, but 17 narrow-beam locks were installed to scale the difference & on 1st May 1815 the first boats arrived at Far Cotton greeted by crowds of onlookers”
Almost immediately the Arm began to carry a large volume of merchandise & stayed busy for over 100 years through to after the First World War. In the post war years coal, grain & timber were supplemented by goods needed for the show industry such as strawboards for packing as well as iron ingots for castings. After World War II the carriage of goods ceased as road competition strengthened” (Inland Waterways Association)
Pass one of my favourite benches…
16. On reaching the next bridge leave the canal & turn left up to the road…
…but first maybe have a look at the mural on the bridge wall that Binty Bint painted especially for this group
17. Walk up the steps to the road…
…& then turn right passing the roundabout & then crossing over the road at the traffic lights near Starbucks
18. Continue in the same direction. Cross the river & then turn down the path on the left beside the traffic sign…
Continue along the narrow path through ‘Foot Meadow’. It was called Foot Meadow due to its tendency to flood & was originally probably owned by the Monastery of St James, & was one of the town’s old Freemen’s Commons, started in 1582, where freemen of the town could pasture their livestock
This ended in 1882, when all rights to those commons were sold to Northampton Corporation. The other Freemen’s Commons were The Racecourse, Cow Meadow, Midsummer Meadow, Calves Holme & Baulms Holm, all of which you can visit on our Walk 153 ‘Northampton’s Riverside Meadows Walk
19. Pass under the railway bridges…
…&, at the junction, take the left path up to the road
20. Exit onto the road & cross over at the crossing…
Once across turn right & walk over the railway bridge towards the station
21. Have you ever seen Northampton’s time-line? If not bear left down the alley outside the station entrance. It’s on the right wall…click on the video below
22. Come back out to the front of the station & continue left. The station stands on the site of Northampton Castle, one of the most famous Norman castles in England. The Castle was so massive & important that Parliament was held there during the mediaeval period
The castle site was outside the western city 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
In the reign of Henry II, the castle was in the hands of the Crown. 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
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 (damaged & made useless as defences) 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. Parts of the castle were still intact until the late 19th century, when the remains were sold to a railway company
Just on the left all that remains of the castle today is the Postern Gate, which isn’t in its original location
23. Continue straight across into Black Lion Hill…
…& turn left up Chalk Lane towards the new Castle Park
24. The area on the left where the new park is used to be a car park in the shadow of Castle Mound. In 2025 it was redeveloped & open by the Lord Lieutenant in October as a brand new Heritage Park &…it’s wonderful
25. As you enter you past the town crest, granted to Northampton by King Edward I. The tower is thought to be one of the medieval town gates & the two lions are taken from the King’s shield since Northampton was a royal borough. The inscription translates to “Peace is stronger than a fortress”
26. The children’s playground is excellent & the tower represents the castle. Just a word of warning mind…the slide looks very steep for ‘little ones’
Take some time to walk along the heritage poles with their storytelling panels & interactive elements that reflect the site’s history, including its links to Northampton Castle…
27. Return back down Chalk Lane to Black Lion Hill. Ahead across the road is the Old Black Lion pub. The newly renovated pub, which dates back to the 16th century has, together with St Peter’s Church next door, been purchased by the Churches Conservation Trust
The Central Council of Church Bellringers will also be setting up a dedicated national training centre to support new bellringers on the site. It’s also supposed to be one of the most haunted places in Northampton
28. Turn left past St Peter’s Church. The church closed in 1995 & was placed into the hands of the Trust. Known as one of the most outstanding Norman Churches, 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
29. Continue up the hill, stopping to admire Hazelrigg House on the right. The original house used to be much bigger & had large gardens to the rear
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 in September 1675, when only a part of it was destroyed. The building’s name derives from the Hazelrigg family who owned it for many years
It’s 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
The house stayed in the Hazelrigg family until 1831 & since has had many different tenants
30. On reaching the main road cross straight over & head up Gold Street…
The street is named after the goldsmiths who operated at the top end of the street. Gold Street, like many has many facias over the bottom of the buildings. Look up though & you’ll see what it looked like when trams ran up & down it
At the top on the right, now a Travelodge, stands the old Grand Hotel which once belonged to the Phipps Northampton Brewery Company. The Beatles once stayed there after performing at The Deco
31. Much of this area’s explored in detail on Walk 15: A brief walk around the historic town centre so we won’t go into too much detail on this one
At the top of Gold Street’s beautiful All Saints Church…
Simon de Senlis’ church of All Hallows lasted with medieval alterations until 20 September 1675 when much of the old town was destroyed by the Great Fire of Northampton. The fire began in St Mary’s Street, near the castle, & the inhabitants fled to the Market Square, but then were forced to evacuate, leaving the buildings to burn, including All Hallows
After the fire, Charles II 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
Visitors enter the church through the existing tower into a barrel vaulted nave. At the centre is a wonderful dome, supported on four Ionic columns, which is lit by a lantern above
It truly is one of the jewels of our town
32. Facing the church, cross over & walk up the right side, passing the old Sessions House which was built on the site of an early 17th century public house known as “The Bell”. The property was acquired for the county & converted into a gaol in 1634
A Quaker, John Maidwell, was imprisoned in the cells of the gaol in 1664 for not swearing allegiance to King Charles II. The gaol was destroyed in the Great Fire of Northampton in September 1675 & the Sessions House was completed in 1678
The original cells from the old 17th century gaol were incorporated into the basement of the building & were accessed by staircases in the courtrooms. Prisoners sentenced to death were executed in Angel Lane, at the back of the Sessions House
The building continued to be used as a facility for dispensing justice until 1987, when the Crown Court in Lady’s Lane was completed. The Sessions House was converted for use as a tourist information centre in 2010
33. Continue ahead passing the wonderful Guildhall. This is the third Guildhall on this site & was officially opened on 17 May 1864
A modern extension to the east, built to accommodate the expanding office needs of Northampton Borough Council, was completed in 1992. Don’t forget to have a wander into the beautiful courtyard – see our ‘Northamptonshire’s Heroes’ link
If ever you get the chance of a tour grab it quickly. The 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 is also on display inside
34. Turn right down Guildhall Road…
…passing on the right the wonderful Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
The museum houses one of the largest collection of shoes in the world, with over 15,000 pairs, which was designated by Arts Council England as being of local, national & international importance
The town’s 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
35. Opposite on the left’s the Royal & Derngate theatres
The Royal Theatre was the first building of what now exists as the Royal & Derngate complex. The Royal, then called the Theatre Royal & Opera House, was built by Henry Martin & designed by renowned Victorian theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It opened on 5 May 1884 with a production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
The theatre suffered damage from fire in 1887, & was restored by Charles J. Phipps. He was the original architect & also built the Savoy Theatre in London. Actor Errol Flynn made early appearances on the Royal’s stage before embarking on his film career
Derngate Theatre was added to the rear of the Royal, & was constructed on the former site of Northampton’s bus station
36. At the junction cross straight over & walk down the hill…
On reaching the main road, turn left past the car park
37. Cross at the lights & take the left fork into Beckets Park once more
Continue straight to the other side of the park
38. Bear diagonally right to take the path under the river bridge…
The mural under the bridge never fails to impress…it’s huge & we also see it on the Binty Bint Walk
39. Continue along the path through Midsummer Meadow…
The area to the left was once home to Northampton’s Lido which opened in 1908. The pool was demolished in 1983
Continue to newly opened (May 2025) Smoke Craft restaurant
40. Turn right over the bridge & continue to follow the path with the Nene on your right…
…eventually passing under the Barnes Meadow flyover
41. At the junction of paths, take the right one…
At the White Water Centre cross the bridge & continue ahead
42. Bear right over the large bridge…
If you fancy a coffee, the Waterside Cafe’s on the left. To continue the walk, turn right & follow the path, keeping the river on your right
43. Cross the canal & pass under the low bridge…
Turn right & then, at the next junction, keep straight ahead under the dual carriageway once more
44. Just after the bridge bear left & follow the path around Delapre Lake…
It’s entirely up to you which of the paths you wish to take back to the car park. We chose to follow the fitness trail route by bearing left at the post in the picture below
45. Cross the meadow…
…turning right at the junction
46. At the next junction with the dog poo bin turn left through the trees…
This is one of my favourite areas of Delapre Park
47. When the trees change to the giant redwoods bear right towards the Abbey once more…
Cross the lawn to arrive back at the Abbey & follow the path around past the guardian Knights again to end this walk
So that’s it….a mixture of different walks, some of which we’ve done before but a great route
Plus shortly Delapre will be adding some new hard surface paths which may include some of this one
Go Walk!