Easton Neston Parish
Encyclopedia
Easton Neston Parish is a rural parish of Easton Neston is made up of about 70 people and about 1800 acres (728.4 ha) of mainly farmland and woods around the South Northamptonshire
communities of Easton Neston House
, and the hamlets of Hulcote and Showsley. The parish is named after the main estate around Easton Neston House.
. Showsley can accessed by a left turn off the A43 road
between Northampton
and Towcester about half a mile south of the Tiffield
and Blisworth
junctions. Alternatively, it can be approached in the other direction from Shutlanger
. Hulcote can be accessed by the second left turn of the A43 past the turn for Showsley. This turn follows the route of the old A43 prior to the construction of the Towcester by-pass. The old route itself was built west of the old road which followed the line of the "Old Road Spinney" marked on Ordnance Survey
maps. Immediately after turning make a sharp left turn towards Hulcote which is about half a mile at the end of a cul-de-sac
. The Easton Neston House and Estate are private property and may be periodically open to the public.
was built for Sir William Fermor (later Lord Lemstor) in 1685-1695 and remodelled by Nicholas Hawksmoor
, 1700-1702. It was built on the site of Easton Nestone village, the main Oxford to Northampton road being re-routed to the west. The grounds also have 18th century Stables and a Temple dated 1641. There are Entrance Lodges on the old Towcester Road north-west and south-west of the house of about 1822. There is a public footpath runs from the north-west lodge east to Hulcote.
The Parish Church of St Mary is on the south side of Easton Neston estate and in the Church of England
's Diocese of Peterborough. Its origins are 13th century and it has box pews. There are several monuments to the Fermor-Hesketh family from the main house including Sir Richard Fermor (d.1552).
Visitors to St Mary's are welcome on occasional Heritage Open Days.
In January 2011, the BBC were due to record a service from the church as part of a documentary on Easton Neston.
Towcester Racecourse is in the southern part of the estate.
's Time Team
in 2007 and the programme about their findings first screened on 27 January 2008. They found the priory church, about 90 feet by 20 feet in size, and the cloister, measuring about 45 feet square. There were some striking floor tiles decorated with images of a dog and others with a flower, and large amounts of pottery. The team also looked at what were thought to have been an antiquarian garden feature. They were actual graves, complete with the remains of the people who had been buried there. Two were of particular interest. These had not been cut together but were finished off together, suggesting that their occupants were connected in some way.
(SMJR) runs east to west between Showsley and north of Hulcote towards the site of Towcester Station, now the site of a Tesco
supermarket. The line ran from Towcester to Stoke Bruerne
and then east to join the West Coast Main Line
and then into Bedfordshire
.
South Northamptonshire
South Northamptonshire is a local government district in Northamptonshire, England. Its council is based in Towcester.The district is rural and sparsely populated with just over 79,293 people in 2000 and 91,000 in 2008, a 14.8% increase. The largest town in the district is Brackley, which has a...
communities of Easton Neston House
Easton Neston
Easton Neston is a country house near Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, and is part of the Easton Neston Parish. It was designed in the Baroque style by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Easton Neston is thought to be the only mansion which was solely the work of Hawksmoor...
, and the hamlets of Hulcote and Showsley. The parish is named after the main estate around Easton Neston House.
Location
The parish is adjacent to the north-east side of TowcesterTowcester
Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...
. Showsley can accessed by a left turn off the A43 road
A43 road
The A43 is a primary route in the English Midlands, that runs from the M40 motorway near Ardley in Oxfordshire to Stamford in Lincolnshire. Through Northamptonshire it bypasses the towns of Northampton, Kettering and Corby which are the three principal destinations on the A43 route...
between Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
and Towcester about half a mile south of the Tiffield
Tiffield
Tiffield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire; it is located north of the town of Towcester between the A5 road to its west and the A43 road to its east.-Demographics:...
and Blisworth
Blisworth
Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the South Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment...
junctions. Alternatively, it can be approached in the other direction from Shutlanger
Shutlanger
Shutlanger is a small village and civil parish in south Northamptonshire, England. The village is 5 miles east of Towcester and 7 miles south of Northampton....
. Hulcote can be accessed by the second left turn of the A43 past the turn for Showsley. This turn follows the route of the old A43 prior to the construction of the Towcester by-pass. The old route itself was built west of the old road which followed the line of the "Old Road Spinney" marked on Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps. Immediately after turning make a sharp left turn towards Hulcote which is about half a mile at the end of a cul-de-sac
Cul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
. The Easton Neston House and Estate are private property and may be periodically open to the public.
Estate
Easton Neston HouseEaston Neston
Easton Neston is a country house near Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, and is part of the Easton Neston Parish. It was designed in the Baroque style by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Easton Neston is thought to be the only mansion which was solely the work of Hawksmoor...
was built for Sir William Fermor (later Lord Lemstor) in 1685-1695 and remodelled by Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
, 1700-1702. It was built on the site of Easton Nestone village, the main Oxford to Northampton road being re-routed to the west. The grounds also have 18th century Stables and a Temple dated 1641. There are Entrance Lodges on the old Towcester Road north-west and south-west of the house of about 1822. There is a public footpath runs from the north-west lodge east to Hulcote.
The Parish Church of St Mary is on the south side of Easton Neston estate and in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
's Diocese of Peterborough. Its origins are 13th century and it has box pews. There are several monuments to the Fermor-Hesketh family from the main house including Sir Richard Fermor (d.1552).
Visitors to St Mary's are welcome on occasional Heritage Open Days.
In January 2011, the BBC were due to record a service from the church as part of a documentary on Easton Neston.
Towcester Racecourse is in the southern part of the estate.
Showsley
In Showsley there are the remains of a 12th century Cistercian Priory (known as "Sewardsley" Priory). The area was explored by Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
in 2007 and the programme about their findings first screened on 27 January 2008. They found the priory church, about 90 feet by 20 feet in size, and the cloister, measuring about 45 feet square. There were some striking floor tiles decorated with images of a dog and others with a flower, and large amounts of pottery. The team also looked at what were thought to have been an antiquarian garden feature. They were actual graves, complete with the remains of the people who had been buried there. Two were of particular interest. These had not been cut together but were finished off together, suggesting that their occupants were connected in some way.
Railway
Part of the trackbed of the dismantled Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction RailwayStratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
(SMJR) runs east to west between Showsley and north of Hulcote towards the site of Towcester Station, now the site of a Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
supermarket. The line ran from Towcester to Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne is a small village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England about north of Milton Keynes and south of Northampton.-History:...
and then east to join the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and then into Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.