Daventry is a
market townMarket town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with a population of 22,367 (2001
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
). The town is also the administrative centre of the larger
Daventry districtThe 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...
, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 124 km (77 miles) north-northwest of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, 22.4 km (13.9 miles) west of
NorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene...
and 16.4 km (10.2 miles) southeast of
RugbyRugby is a market town in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
. Daventry is near the
M1 motorwayThe M1 is a major north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
with access to two junctions to the northeast and southeast of the town. The town is also served by the
A45The A45 is a major road in England. It runs east from Birmingham past the National Exhibition Centre and the M42, then bypasses Coventry and Rugby, where it briefly merges with the M45 until it continues to Daventry...
and the
A361The A361 is a major road in England and at 195 miles is the longest 3 digit A road in the UK. It runs south from Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast to Barnstaple, turning south-east to Tiverton then, after a break , north east from Taunton in Somerset through Street and Glastonbury, past Frome...
. The nearest railway station is at
Long BuckbyLong Buckby railway station is a small railway station that serves the village of Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, England. The station is 15 km north west of Northampton....
where access is gained to the
London MidlandLondon Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands Franchise since 11 November 2007....
services to Birmingham New Street and
NorthamptonNorthampton railway station is the railway station that serves Northampton and parts of the south of Northamptonshire in England. Other parts of South Northamptonshire are better served by Kings Sutton, Banbury and Milton Keynes stations....
, on the Northampton loop of the
West Coast Main LineThe West Coast Main Line is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom. It provides fast, long-distance Intercity passenger services between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and southern Scotland....
. Inter-city services (
Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, which currently provides services from London Euston to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, and from Birmingham New Street to North West England and Scotland, on the West Coast Main Line...
) can be accessed from
Rugby railway stationRugby railway station serves the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England. It opened during the Victorian era, in 1885, replacing earlier stations situated a little further west...
. The nearest major international airport is at Birmingham International with a more local facility serving some European destinations at
Coventry AirportCoventry Airport is located south southeaset of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about outside Coventry boundaries. Coventry Airport was a hub for Thomsonfly...
.
Description
The town comprises a historic
marketA market is any one of a variety of different systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby persons trade, and goods and services are exchanged, forming part of the economy. It is an arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to exchange things...
centre surrounded by much modern housing and light industrial development. On the edge of the town centre is the popular
Daventry Country ParkDaventry Country Park is a country park located on the north-eastern outskirts of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. It is managed by Daventry District Council, and covers 140 acres ....
and reservoir.
A street market is held every Tuesday and Friday in High Street, although its original site was on the aptly-named Market Square. On the first Saturday of each month a
farmers' marketFarmers
' markets, sometimes called greenmarkets, are markets, usually held out-of-doors, in public spaces, where farmers can sell produce to the public.-History:...
is held in High Street.
The town once had a
railway stationDaventry was a railway station serving the town of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. It was on the Weedon to Leamington Spa line. In 1888 a branch from the main line at Weedon reached the town...
on the former
LNWRThe London and North Western Railway was a railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. During the late...
branch-line
from Weedon to Leamington SpaThe Weedon to Leamington Spa line was a branch line that linked the West Coast Main Line at Weedon to Leamington SpaThe single track line was constructed in two phases. First a branch from the West Coast Main Line at Weedon to Daventry was constructed in 1888. This line was extended in 1 August...
, but it was closed in September 1958. The local weekly newspaper, the
Daventry Express, is
nicknameA nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. It can also be the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, which may sometimes be used simply for convenience A nickname (also spelled "nick name") is a descriptive name...
d 'The Gusher', after the steam engine that used to serve the town.
Owing to its good transport links, Daventry is now a
warehousingA warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and...
and distribution centre. North of the town
Daventry International Railfreight TerminalDaventry International Rail Freight Terminal is a rail port and logistics centre located near Rugby, Warwickshire and Crick, Northamptonshire just south of the beginning of the M6 and a short distance from J18 of the M1 motorway....
(DIRFT) is a major terminal for freight interchange between road and rail.
Nearby places to Daventry include:
RugbyRugby is a market town in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands of England, on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
,
SouthamSoutham is a small market town in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 6,509 in the town .The nearest sizeable town to Southam is Leamington Spa, located roughly 7 miles to the west...
,
BanburyBanbury is a market town and civil parish in the district of Cherwell in northern Oxfordshire, England, located on the River Cherwell. It lies northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
,
NorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene...
and
CoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham with a population of 300,848...
. The town is
twinnedSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
with
WesterburgWesterburg is a small town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is named after the castle built on a hill above the mediaeval town centre - Location :...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
.
An alternative pronunciation for Daventry used by locals is 'Daintree,' but this has become less common.
Early history
On the 653-foot (199 m)-high
Borough HillBorough 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:...
that overlooks the town, remains have been found of an
Iron AgeIn archaeology, the Iron Age is the prehistoric period in any area during which cutting tools and weapons were mainly made of iron or steel. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles.The...
hill fort – one of the largest found in Britain. Remains have also been found on the hill of a
Roman villaBorough Hill Roman villa is located on the north tip of Borough Hill, a prominent hill near the town of Daventry in Northamptonshire. The villa’s remains lie within the ramparts of an Iron Age fortress which covers the summit of the hill...
.
Daventry began as a small
Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
village in around 920 and by the 12th century had become home to a
prioryA priory is a house of men or women under religious vows headed by a prior or prioress. Priories are Catholic institutions.Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the...
. In 1255 Daventry was granted a charter to become a
market townMarket town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
. In 1576 Queen
Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
granted Daventry
boroughA borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
status.
The town was mentioned by
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
in
Henry VI, Part I, which refers to "the red-nosed innkeeper of Daintree".
The earliest form of the name of Daventry, the Celtic
dwy-afon-tre, "the town of two avons,"(i.e. "the town of two rivers"), describes its geographical situation between the nearby sources of the
river LeamThe River Leam or River Leame is a river which flows through eastern and southern Warwickshire. It is a small river about 25–30 miles long...
, which flows west, and the
river NeneThe 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 ninth longest river in England, and the twelfth longest in the United Kingdom. From the source...
which flows east. The "Daintree" Shakespeare wrote about, the name persisting to this day, spelt
Danetre, grew from a tradition that Danish settlers planted an
oakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 400 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree on the summit of Borough Hill to mark the centre of England. This part of the town's history is reflected in the town's seal of a
VikingA Viking is one of the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far...
/
SaxonThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
axeman and an oak tree. The town appears as
Dauentre on the
Christopher SaxtonChristopher Saxton was a British cartographer, probably born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire around 1540.Saxton grew up in the village of Dunningley, near Wakefield. As a young man he was employed as a servant of Dewsbury and Thornhill vicar John Rudd, who was a keen cartographer and passed on his skills to...
map of 1637.
During the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, the army of King
Charles ICharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
stayed at Daventry in 1645 after storming the Parliamentary garrison at
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and on its way to relieve the siege of
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
. The
RoyalistCavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War . Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I's cavalry, is often considered an archetypical Cavalier.-Early usage:...
army, made up of 5,000 foot and as many horse, camped on Borough Hill (then spelt Burrow Hill) while Charles went hunting in the nearby forests.
According to local legend, it was during his stay at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Daventry that Charles was twice visited by the ghost of his former adviser and friend,
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of StraffordThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
, who advised him to keep heading north and warned him that he would not win through force of arms.
However, Parliament's newly formed
New Model ArmyThe New Model Army of Great Britain was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration. It differed from other armies in the same conflict in that it was intended as an army liable for service anywhere in the country, rather than being...
, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, was marching north from besieging Oxford after being instructed to engage the King's main army. Fairfax's leading detachments of horse clashed with Royalist outposts near Daventry on the 12th of June, alerting the King to the presence of the Parliamentary army. The Royalists made for their reinforcements at
Newark-on-TrentNewark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands athwart the River Trent, the Great North Road and the East Coast Main Line railway.-Geography:...
but after reaching
Market HarboroughMarket Harborough is a market town in Leicestershire, England and in the district of Harborough. It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. Although it is in Leicestershire, its surrounding villages which form its natural hinterland are half...
turned to fight, which resulted in the decisive
Battle of NasebyThe Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The campaign:...
. The village of Naseby is approximately northeast of Daventry.
Stagnation and decline 1840–1960
The main roads from
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to
HolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the north west of Wales.Although it is the largest town in the county, with a population of 11,237 , it is neither the county town nor actually on the island of Anglesey...
passed through Daventry and the town for centuries flourished as a
coaching townA stagecoach is a type of four-wheeled closed coach for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach...
. There were many coaching inns in the town of which only the
Dun Cow,
Saracens Head, and the
Coach and Horses remain as inns.
But when the
London and Birmingham RailwayThe London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846 when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
was opened in 1838 the coaching trade slumped and the town entered a long period of stagnation and decline which lasted for over a century. The
Industrial RevolutionThe Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in the United Kingdom. The changes subsequently spread throughout Europe, North...
largely passed Daventry by owing to its poor transport links. The
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
s passed around Daventry, although the
Grand Junction CanalThe Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
(now Grand Union) passed a few miles north. A branch from the Grand Union Canal to Daventry was proposed but was never built.
The railways did not connect Daventry until quite late in the 19th century. Although the town was only a few miles from the main London to Birmingham line it took until 1888 before a branch line was built from
WeedonWeedon 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.-Demographics:...
to
Daventry railway stationDaventry was a railway station serving the town of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. It was on the Weedon to Leamington Spa line. In 1888 a branch from the main line at Weedon reached the town...
. In 1895 the line was extended to
Leamington SpaLeamington Spa, properly Royal Leamington Spa, commonly 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...
, although being only a branch line this failed to spur much growth. Daventry's economy remained largely rural, with
shoemakingShoemaking is a traditional handicraft profession, which has now been largely superseded by industrial manufacture of footwear.Shoemakers or cordwainers may produce a range of footwear items, including shoes, boots, sandals, clogs and moccasins...
as the main industry.
The Parish Church
Holy Cross is the parish church of Daventry and is the only 18th-century town church in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
. It was built between 1752 and 1758 by David Hiorne and is constructed of the local
ironstoneIronstone is a fine-grained, heavy and compact sedimentary rock. Its main components are the carbonate or oxide of iron, clay and/or sand. It can be thought of as a concretionary form of siderite. Ironstone also contains clay, and sometimes calcite and quartz.-Appearance:Freshly cleaved ironstone...
. The western elevation is broad with large
pilasterA pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s at the angles and the angles of the centre bay. The entrance porch was added in 1951. The tower rises from the centre bay and is square ending with an
obeliskAn obelisk is a tall, narrow, four-sided, tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top...
spireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from Anglo-Saxon, so it is related to "spear," rather than the Romance languages and "spirit."...
rising above. Inside, the church has three wooden galleries, to the north, south and west elevations. The
pulpitA pulpit is a small elevated platform from which a member of the clergy delivers a sermon in a house of worship....
is decorated with
marquetryMarquetry is the craft of covering a structural carcass with pieces of veneer forming decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furniture or even seat furniture, to decorative small objects with smooth, veneerable surfaces or to free-standing pictorial panels...
and
fretworkFretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood and metal. Fretwork is used to adorn furniture and...
and has a staircase with a twisted
balusterA baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, in stone or wood and sometimes in metal, standing on a unifying footing and...
s. Above the
altarAn altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religious purposes, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place. Altars are usually found at a shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
at the eastern elevation is a three-bayed stained glass window.
The Moot Hall
The
Moot HallA moot hall is meeting or assembly building, traditionally to decide local issues.In Anglo-Saxon England, a low ring-shaped earthwork served as a Moot hill or moot mound, where the elders of the hundred would meet to decide on issues. Some of these acquired permanent buildings, known as moot halls...
stands on the north side of the market square next to the
Plume of Feathers inn. It was built in 1769 from
ironstoneIronstone is a fine-grained, heavy and compact sedimentary rock. Its main components are the carbonate or oxide of iron, clay and/or sand. It can be thought of as a concretionary form of siderite. Ironstone also contains clay, and sometimes calcite and quartz.-Appearance:Freshly cleaved ironstone...
and has had various uses over the years, including town council building, a women’s
prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
, the mayor's parlour, town museum and tourist information office and in recent years as an
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n restaurant. The building, which is currently unused, is of two and a half storeys, and has three bays of windows. The main entrance and its porch is on the western elevation where the building is connected to a house built in 1806. The original staircase from the Moot Hall is now installed at
WeltonEngland*Welton, Cumbria*Welton, East Riding of Yorkshire*Welton, Lincolnshire**Once the centre of Welton Rural District*Welton, Northamptonshire*Welton, Somerset*Welton le Marsh in Lincolnshire*Welton le Wold in LincolnshireScotland*Welton, East Ayrshire...
Manor House.
Broadcasting station
In 1925 the newly created
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
constructed a broadcasting station on
Borough HillBorough 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:...
just outside the town. Daventry was chosen because it was the point of maximum contact with the land mass of England and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
. From 1932 the
BBC Empire Service (now the
BBC World ServiceThe BBC World Service is one of the most widely-recognised international broadcasters, currently broadcasting in 32 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays. It is politically independent, non-profit and...
) was broadcast from there. The radio announcement of "Daventry calling" made Daventry well-known across the world. It was the BBC's use of the literal pronunciation in this call-sign that resulted in the widespread displacement of the historical pronunciation "Daintree" , though the latter is still used in some circumstances locally, as in the name of Danetre Hospital.
On 26 February 1935 the radio station at Daventry was used for the first-ever practical demonstration of
radarRadar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for RAdio Detection And...
, by its inventor
Robert Watson-WattSir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt, Order of the Bath, LLD, DSc, FRS, FRAeS is considered by many to be the "inventor of radar"...
, who used a radio receiver installed in a trailer to receive signals bounced off a metal-clad bomber flying up and down the radio beam.
The station closed in 1992 and only one of the radio masts now remains. A busy directional radio beacon (VOR), identifier "DTY", for aircraft is situated approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the town. The town also gives its name to the busy Daventry
air traffic controlAir traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
sector.
See also
Borough Hill Roman villaBorough Hill Roman villa is located on the north tip of Borough Hill, a prominent hill near the town of Daventry in Northamptonshire. The villa’s remains lie within the ramparts of an Iron Age fortress which covers the summit of the hill...
.
Modern times
The modern growth of Daventry occurred from the 1960s onwards as part of a planned expansion of the town.
Daventry remained a small rural town until the 1950s; in 1950 it had a population of around 4,000. Real growth started in 1955 when the
tapered roller bearingTapered roller bearings are bearings that can take large axial forces as well as being able to sustain large radial forces.-Description:...
manufacturer
TimkenThe Timken Company is a major manufacturer of tapered roller bearings and specialty steels located in Canton, Ohio. Their products are used in transportation, industrial equipment, electronics, mining and drilling, aerospace and defense and in military applications...
located a large factory in the town (the factory closed in 2000).
In the early 1960s, Daventry was designated as an 'overspill' to house people and industry relocated from
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
; a planned expansion was carried out as part of an agreement with Birmingham City Council. The plan did not, however, live up to expectations. The target population was 36,000 by 1981, but actual growth was much slower than this; nevertheless, by 1981 the population had soared to 16,178 and by 2001 it was 22,367. More recently, a new wave of development has been proposed which could take the town's population to about 40,000 by 2021.
In 1974, the old
boroughA borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of Daventry was abolished and merged into the new
Daventry districtThe 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...
, which also included a large rural area and had a population of 71,838 in 2001. In 2003, Daventry gained its own Town Council when it became a
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
.
In 2006, the outdoor pool – which had been built and funded by Daventry residents in the 1950s following the drowning of three children in the local reservoir – was closed due to the district council's persistent underfunding and its plans for redevelopment. In 2007, Daventry began plans to modernise the town with a futuristic
personal rapid transitPersonal rapid transit , also called personal automated transport or podcar, is a public transportation concept that offers on-demand, non-stop transportation, using small, independent vehicles on a network of specially-built guideways...
system that would link outer estates to the town centre, and a canal arm with
marinaA marina is a sheltered harbor where boats and yachts are kept in the water and where services geared to the needs of recreational boating are found....
next to the former site of the outdoor pool.
Education
Daventry has two
secondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. It follows on from elementary or primary education....
s:
Daventry William Parker and
Danetre. Primary education facilities include
St James Infant School,
Falconer's Hill Junior School,
Abbey Junior School and Ashby Fields Primary School.
Daventry now has a lot of estates, which include: Drayton, Middlemore Farm, Lang Farm, Ashby Fields, Royal Oak, Timken and New Timken. As the district has spread out, other notable secondary schools have become joined to Daventry, including
Guilsborough SchoolGuilsborough School and Technology College is a co-educational comprehensive school in Guilsborough, Northamptonshire, England. It educates around 1,325 students from the ages of 11-18 . The school became a Technology College specialist school in 1998...
and Technology College, and
Moulton School and Science CollegeMoulton School & Science College is a secondary school located in the village of Moulton, Northamptonshire. Formerly known as Moulton School, it currently has 1299 students on roll, including the sixth form, and 135 teachers. It is a school for ages 11-18...
.
See also
- The hamlet of Drayton
Drayton is a hamlet in England, in the county of Northamptonshire, in the parish and union of Daventry, hundred of Fawsley, ¾ of a mile on the low-lying western side of the town of Daventry.-History:...
, now a suburb of Daventry.
- Stagecoach in Northants Bus routes in Northamptonshire
External links