The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 2.8 miles (4.5km)
Time to walk: If you just walk it would be less than an hour but, if you explore & look more closely at the information it could easily take a couple of hours
Difficulty: All on hard surfaces so accessible for all
Parking: We used the free 3 hour parking in Morrisons car park what3 words rising.closed.prompting
Public toilets: Cafes etc en route
Map of the route:
I first wrote a walk around Wellingborough centre around 2014 &, to be fair, I probably wasn’t the most complimentary but I did write what I saw
So, 11 years on, I thought it only fair I went back, armed with much more historical information & a pair of new eyes
The name ‘Wellingborough’ originally comes from ‘Wendelingburgh’ meaning ‘Homestead or Dwelling of a person a called Waendal’ – hence the annual Waendal Walks that the town hosts
The town was established in the Anglo-Saxon period & is surrounded by five wells: Redwell, Hemmingwell, Witche’s Well, Lady’s Well & Whytewell, which appear on its coat of arms. Henrietta Maria, the Queen Consort of King Charles I, came with her physician Théodore de Mayerne to take the waters on 14 July 1627
We’ll come back to these later
Wellingborough was given a Market Charter dated 3 April 1201 when King John granted it to the “Abbot of Croyland & the monks serving God there continuing, “they shall have a market at Wendligburg (Wellingborough) for one day each week that is Wednesday”
During the English Civil War there was a minor skirmish in the town resulted in the killing of a Parliamentarian officer Captain John Sawyer. In All Hallows Church there’s a window that tells the story of the parish priest, Thomas Jones. The Roundheads arrested him & marched him towards Northampton. They had murdered a barber & taken his bear. They pressed Mr Jones to speed up but he couldn’t so they tied him to the bear to speed him up
Mr Jones died in prison & the Parliamentarian Mayor of Northampton ordered his burial service to be limited to the following phrase…
“Ashes to Ashes
Dust to Dust
Here’s the Pit
And in you Must”
Wellingborough was bombed during World War II, on Monday 3 August 1942. Six people were killed & 55 injured. Fortunately it being a bank holiday, thousands of people were away at a fair at a nearby village. Many houses & other buildings in the centre of the town were damaged in the attack
We’ll look at more of the history as we go so…
Let’s Walk!
1. This walk starts outside the wonderful Tithe Barn, close to the car park…
The original barn dates back to the 15th century but has been much (& wonderfully) renovated. It originally belonged to Croyland Abbey in Lincolnshire which, as we’ll see later, owned a manor here & was used for storing Manorial Tithes
2. Walk eastwards along the path towards The Hind…
The Hind & The Golden Lion are two of the oldest inns that survived the fire of Wellingborough. The Hind was probably rebuilt between 1645 & 1669 & the Cromwellian Room was finished about the same time as the Battle of Naseby
The Hotel does have its fair share of ghosts…
A rather unfriendly one has walked here for over 300 years & is known as The White Lady who tends to appear between September & October between 10pm & midnight. She’s allegedly a serving wench who was strangled after overhearing the Parliamentarians planning their strategy for the Battle of Naseby
If you stay here you may also encounter the Grey Lady or Mrs Priddy, both of whom are known to walk the corridors & rooms
But possibly the saddest tale is of the ghost of a little girl who centuries ago fell down the stairs & died. She has often been seen in the restaurant under the tables. Crying has been heard when the room gets dark & these days a lamp is kept turned on to comfort her
3. Walk to the end of the alley & look up to the front of the hotel…can you see The Golden Hind? We’ll tell you more about that shortly…
But for now turn left & walk up the High Street passing the traffic lights…
4. At the top’s Broad Green, in front of which is the impressive War Memorial…
Walk behind it into the small park
5. This is Broad Green. Look straight ahead at the large house, across the road, behind the wall…
This is Hatton Hall, owned in the 15th century by Sir Christopher Hatton who owned much land in Northamptonshire including Kirby Hall & Holdenby House. During his life he funded many explorer’s expeditions to discover new lands, including those of Francis Drake whose ship was of course called…The Golden Hind…remember seeing that?!
6. Turn around & walk back down the other side of the High Street stopping outside the bulk of the United Reform Church…
Affectionately known within the local community as ‘The Pork Pie Church’, due to it’s shape, the church was first ‘dedicated’ in 1875
7. Before turning left along Church Street look at the beautiful Grade II listed Leighton House…
Bear left along Church Street & cross the the road at the zebra…
8. Turn right through the gap into the churchyard…
The building on your right’s the Old Grammar School, which dates back to the 16th century & has Greek & Latin inscriptions. Note the wonderful sundial
9. The impressive 13th century spire nearby stands proud on the Church of All Hallows, the earliest parts of which date back to Anglo Saxon times…
The door on the south side’s believed to be Norman. Walk round to the right of the church & down Pebble Lane towards the modern shopping area
10. At the bottom’s the Swansgate Centre…
Turn left & walk along past the various shops & restaurants…
…& then turn right along Cambridge Street which its many varied restaurants
11. At the top of the street’s the BAPS Shri Swaminaravan Mandir, the Hindu Temple…
Continue up Mill Road with the Temple on your right
12. On the left’s the Masonic Hall…
…& then the beautiful property that was once home to Rudlens Boot & Shoe factory
13. Continue along Mill Road passing the old Victoria Road School with its many towers & turrets. Turn right down Vivian Road…
Ahead now you can see the huge bulk of St Mary’s Church…
14. At the end walk into the grounds of the church & admire the sheer size of it. There are details of who to contact for admission, but sadly we didn’t get a response
It was funded by the Sharman sisters & constructed started in 1908. Whilst it may look somewhat daunting from the outside, the inside is what everyone comes to see, which is why we tried picture@greatenglishchurches
15. Come back out of the courtyard & turn left along Knox Road, west towards the town centre again…
On reaching the junction with Ranelagh Road turn left. On the corner’s Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. In 1869, a mission was founded in Wellingborough which was supported by the Arkwright family from Knuston Hall, one of whom was the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Herbert Robert Arkwright. Mass was celebrated in Wellingborough in rented properties
Between 1873 & 1882, the land for the current church was bought in stages. In 1884, Samuel Joseph Nicholl was commissioned to design the church. He was from London & also designed St Charles Borromeo Church, Westminster & taught Alexander Scoles. On 2nd September 1886 the church was opened. The total cost of the church was £5,281. From 1893 to 1894, the presbytery was built at a total cost of £1,558
16. Continue to the bottom of the road & carefully cross over & into Castlefields…
Take the diagonally right path up the hill &, at the junction, take the right one through the barriers…
17. On reaching the edge of the park, leave it & at the road turn right & then left through the gap in the wall & down the slope into the Castle Theatre complex…
Walk up to the theatre &, if it’s open, through both sliding doors to the other side. If not go left out of the gate near the cemetery, bear right & then right again to reach the same place. The Castle Theatre was opened in 1995 on the site of Wellingborough’s old Cattle Market
16. Bear left towards the road passing Wellingborough Museum…
The building has seen many incarnations through the years. It began life in 1892 as a swimming pool, known as ‘Dulley’s Baths’. The pool was built by David Dulley, a local brewer. Later in 1919, the Baths were converted into a shoe factory. Today, the museum welcomes visitors to explore a range of exhibits. There are two main museum gallery areas:
Downstairs gallery: These exhibits explore early history. Find information on the Iron Age & other eras including Roman Britain & the Middle Ages, through to Victorian times & WWI.
Upstairs gallery: Focuses on the 20th century & features a recreation of a 1940s living room & kitchen. Other highlights include a recreation of a haberdashery shop of the era.
Look out for part of the original swimming pool too
17. At the road bear left & walk to the crossing at the lights & cross…
The large Georgian house opposite’s Swanspool House which, until 1918, was home to four generations of the Sharman family until it was gifted to the town on June 10, 1919, by shoe manufacturer FC Chamberlain. It’s currently used as council offices
18. Begin to head up the hill. On the right’s the second of Wellingborough’s oldest pubs dating back to 1540, Ye Golden Lion…
Having been closed for several years, it’s really good see it open again. Buy some refreshments & go into the room on the right where you’ll find a wonderful minstrel gallery
19. Walk to the lights where ahead you’ll see the Tudor House…
20. Just before the Tudor House look for the entrance into Croyland Gardens, former home of Wellingborough Zoo…
Wellingborough Zoo park opened in 1943 by a local pet shop owner, Mr. Stevens & exhibited exotic animals including monkeys, lions, panthers, a baby elephant, a giant tortoise & even penguins
By the late 1960s the zoo was under pressure from the RSPCA & matters came to a head when a man broke into the zoo & was mauled by a leopard, losing part of his arm
The zoo closed in 1970 when some of the animals were auctioned off. Records show the following sales:
1 Lioness £45
A pair of Tawny Eagles £22
1 Goat £10, bought by a Northampton man to keep his grass down
The highest amount was £84 for a pair of penguins
21. Go into the park & turn left down to the bottom & then turn right again past the information boards up the hill…
Take time to explore all the wonderful animal statues representing the Zoo
22. Look to the right to see part of Croyland Abbey…
The building was never an abbey. It’s named after Croyland (or Crowland) Abbey in Lincolnshire, for which it was a monastic grange from the 10th century. Although there was never an Abbey here, there were monks here who lived & worshipped at the site
The front of it’s much older…
The present structure is Jacobean & was constructed in the 17th century. It has been heavily altered & rebuilt
23. Stop at the raised beds halfway up the hill…
These 5 large circles represent the 5 wells of the town
Continue to the top of the hill by the Tithe Barn, stopping to admire the carvings
So that’s it…our updated look at this town which has so many tales to tell us in us the story of Northamptonshire
We saw it in a new light & hope you will too
Go Walk!