The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 1.5 miles (2.4km)
Time to walk: If you move quickly you could walk this in 30 minutes, but there are 3 tea shops so why rush. Just stroll, stop & natter…& then walk back again
Difficulty: Flat & all pretty much on hard / accessible surfaces
Parking: Any of the car parks around Beckets Park
Public toilets: Morrisons at the start, the Uni in the middle & Delapre at the end
Map of the route:
This very short, linear, walk has been written to say thank you to Northampton University & Delapre Abbey for all the support they’ve given me over the years, especially in 2024, being awarded an Honorary Fellowship, & all their help with our Children in Need Walks
It covers 3 cafes…the Pavilion in Beckets Park at the start, the Engine Shed in the grounds of the Uni & two cafes at Delapre at the end – what’s not to like!
The park takes its name from the nearby Becket’s Well on the Bedford Road. Legend has it that Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, paused at this spot to draw water as he made his escape to France, following his trial at Northampton Castle in 1165
Let’s Walk!
1. The Pavilion Cafe has only recently reopened (November 2024) & is excellent so please go & support them…
Head from the cafe to the wonderful footbridge heading over to the University Campus
2. Take your time crossing this wonderful structure as there’s lots to see on either side. On the left’s the Marina…
Just love this bridge
3. Just over the bridge on the left’s the first sculpture…’The Visionary’…
This was designed & built by Nicolas Moreton
3. Walk ahead & then bear left alongside The Learning Hub to the small garden…
In the ‘garden is ‘Campus Thoughts’…
This bronze by John W Mills is set on a brick plinth, depicting a girl with a book on her knee, but who’s actually lost in thought. There’s about ten books scattered around the base, some with detail on the covers
4. Come back & continue along the front of the Learning Hub…
…where just around the corner on the left’s a small green area…
5. Here you’ll find the next sculpture…
This is the ‘Guardians II’ by Nicola Godden where the sculptor seeks to convey feelings of joy, pathos, isolation or the sense of female
6. Walk in the same direction & ahead of you you’ll see the next sculpture & the Engine Shed…
This sculpture is called ‘Geometry & Stone’ & was sculpted by the late Michael Kenny in 1997. It’s constructed from Kilkenny Limestone, which is graffiti resistant, & is a formal & classical composition intended to induce a sense of quiet & thought. The plaque states: “It is a combination of the solid and the ethereal, and symmetry and asymmetry; there is a balance between the symmetry of the circle and the casual symmetry of the placing of the stones”
7. Facing the sculpture turn left & walk along the road…
…but cross over where, in the hedge on the right, you’ll find ‘Shine’…
This stone carving is made from Clipsham stone, a Lincolnshire limestone, popular with sculptors, & is decorated with gold leaf
8. Continue ahead past the Senate Building on your left…
At the end, in the hedge on the right, is ‘Journey’ by Charlotte Mayer & is accompanied by lines from T. S. Eliot’s fourth quartet, ‘Little Gidding, canto V’:
“What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning”
9. Walk though the bollards – ahead you’ll see ‘Bird of Transformation’…
This was erected in 1993 in the University’s jubilee year (then as Nene College). It has often been referred to as the bald eagle or the headless chicken. The sculptor was Roland Piche
10. Walk back to ‘Geometry & Stone’ as it’s time for the second refreshment stop at the wonderful Engine Shed…
The Engine Shed was originally built as a locomotive shed in the early 1870s for the Midland Railway to service trains on the Bedford to Northampton line. After over 50 years of servicing trains, the building was 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, it was destroyed by an Arson attack in 2000. It reopened in 2018, having been restored with Heritage Lottery funding as part of the University campus
It’s now home to the Northampton Students’ Union, but the welcoming cafe is open to all. Note the original train tracks outside that also run through the building
11. When you’re ready to move on come back out of the building. Facing the doors walk around to the right side, looking for a narrow path that bears right
Follow this along the fence to arrive at the final sculpture…’Sun Horse’
Sculpted in bronze, note the Sun Insurance Company fire marks as harness decoration. These marks can still be seen on many old cottages in the County. If a property was on fire the first thing the fire brigade would look for is the fire mark to signify the property was insured
12. This small path arrives at a gap in the fence…
Our route is right, but have a quick look at the board which gives some really good information about the Battle of Northampton which took place in this immediate area
13. Walk along the hard path to the end & pass through the barriers…
Go straight ahead down the slope & bear right along the woodland path
14. On reaching the junction bear right. When we did this walk Delapre were setting up for their Winter Light Trail
Exit between the pillars & turn left. Now you have the choice of refreshment places…firstly on your left in the courtyard’s the small takeaway cafe…
Or, if you fancy sitting down inside with something more substantial, continue around the house to find the Orangery
So that’s it…1.5 miles, 3 fab cafes & a chance to explore each location more!
Now all you have to do is turn round & walk back, maybe stopping again…
Go Walk!