Hannington, Northamptonshire
Encyclopedia
Hannington is a village in the Daventry district
of the county of Northamptonshire
in England
. At the time of the 2001 census
the parish's population was 207 people.
and from the time of the Roman occupation and also later from the Medieval period. Bronze Age worked flints have been found at three different locations in the parish, and there are traces of a Roman settlement just north of the present day village where Roman pottery has been found.
Just east of the church, an area of around two hectares shows signs of a medieval settlement which appears to have consisted of enclosures or paddocks, formerly part of the village itself. Hannington was mentioned in the Domesday book
, and it is of note that the parish was then much smaller than most settlements in the area as it continues to be today.
The church, once a major part of village life, was built in the late 13th century, though it incorporates some stonework from an earlier period. At the time of construction the church was “in the gift” of the Gilbertine Order of Sempringham in Lincolnshire. The Gilbertines are thought to have provided the first priests in exchange for annual “tythes” from the village. The arrangement of the nave with its two central pillars and three arches or arcades, may have been influenced by the plan of Sempringham Priory, started just 100 years previously and incorporating a central wall which separated the cannons (monks) and their accommodation from the nuns and their dormitory and refectory. It has been suggested that a monastic cell existed in Hannington and also that when Archbishop Thomas a Becket fled from the King and the General Council in 1164, accompanied by Gilbertine cannons, he stayed overnight in Hannington. There is no documentary evidence to support either belief. It is believed that Becket left St. Andrews, Northampton, in the evening and was in Lincoln the following day.
The church of St Peter and St Paul is one of only two in England with a bisected nave; the other is at Caythorpe in Lincolnshire. The latter had a north aisle added in Victorian
times, spoiling the symmetry. St Peter and St. Paul, Hannington, could therefore be considered to be unique in England. The delicate medieval screen now enclosing the vestry was originally placed across the arch separating the chancel (occupied only by the priest and assistants), from the nave (used by the people). The oak pulpit is of similar age.
In 1562 Thomas Godwin became Rector of Hannington. In the same year he baptised his baby son Francis in Hannington's church. The Reverend Thomas left to become Dean of Christ Church, Oxford
, and eventually Bishop of Bath and Wells
. His son Francis became Bishop of Hereford and wrote the first science-fiction novel in the English language, The Man in the Moone, a fascinating read with amazing predictions.
By the mid 19th century the church had fallen into a serious state of disrepair and was little more than a ruin, but thankfully in 1869 the building was restored to its former glory and a new Rectory was built alongside it. The person responsible for this was the Rector, John Downes
. He personally paid for the restoration and for the building of the Rectory, now called Hannington House. It was John Downe’s wife Lucy who founded the school in Hannington in 1871, and this school building still exists and is used as the Village Hall. A portrait of Lucy Downes hangs in the building to this day, having been donated by the family in the 1970s.
John Downes is perhaps one of the village's most notable past residents. A graduate of Cambridge University, he studied botany with Charles Darwin
under Professor Henshaw. It is believed that John Downes had been offered the position of botanist on the Beagle
which he declined, as his vocation was in the Church. He then went on to become a Parish Priest. This role of botanist was then taken on by the very famous Charles Darwin. But John Downes is famous in his own right for his work, and from time to time Hannington receives visitors interested in John Downes’ background. There is a memorial to John Downes, his wife and his daughter in the church in the form of a stained glass window in the east wall.
Clearly the church would have been at the heart of village life in Hannington. However, since 1954 the village has shared a vicar with the neighbouring parishes of Walgrave
and Old, and more recently, Scaldwell
. Older villagers can recall there being a good congregation and a choir made up of local boys. At one time there was also a Chapel in the village situated close to West Farm. Now, in common with many village churches, the congregation of the church is modest and the majority of villagers are not involved.
as:
A brook runs through the parish which feeds the nearby Pitsford Reservoir and there is a large fishing lake to the north of the village.
The pocket park
was established in 1996 and it lies to the south of the village. This is a wooded area of around a third of an acre and a variety of flora and fauna can be found there at different times of the year.
Historic traces of ridge and furrow
can be found in the majority of the fields surrounding Hannington, although this cannot always be seen from the ground.
), The Old Forge, and The Bakehouse are three examples of this. Surprisingly few of these older dwellings are listed buildings.
The village school closed its doors in 1931 and most children of the parish now attend Walgrave Primary School, going on to Moulton School or other schools in the surrounding towns. However, as one local amenity was lost another was born as the building subsequently became the Village Hall. There was also once a village shop in Hannington.
Farming became increasingly mechanised in the early 20th century leading to job losses on the farms and people began to look for jobs outside the village. A shoe factory in Walgrave employed people from several villages in the area, and being only a mile from Hannington this was a convenient place for residents looking for local work. However, car ownership became more common and villagers now find work in Kettering
, Northampton, and beyond.
Out of nine functioning farms in the community last century only one, Poplars Farm, continues to be actively farmed from within the village. West Farm, Mere Farm and Manor Farm are just some of those that ceased farming in Hannington during recent decades. Many different types of farming occurred here until recently, including dairy, poultry, livestock and arable. The staple crops produced, mainly being wheat and barley, are those we still see produced today in the surrounding area.
It is now very unusual to find someone who both lives and works in a village the size of Hannington. Some people do work from their homes, either part time or full time. The relatively recent addition of business units on Red House Lane does now make both living and working in Hannington a possibility
, Hannington had a narrow escape when bombs were dropped on Red House Lane close to the A43 road
. Some older residents remember that glass was blown from the windows of the nearby farmhouse and large craters were left, but luckily the village itself was unscathed.
At this time, land between the nearby villages of Harrington
and Lamport
was used as an airfield for an American air base. Planes from this airfield, including bombers, flew regularly near the parish. During this time a B-17 aircraft crashed at the Walgrave turning on the A43 leaving all of the American crew dead. Remains and fragments of this incident have subsequently been discovered in the area.
May Day
was also celebrated by decorating prams or baskets with flowers and parading a “May Queen
”. The children would sing and this was followed by tea in the Village Hall.
Barn dances were held at Poplars Farm until fairly recently, and were well attended by residents from the village and the surrounding area.
In 1978, the "Jubilee
" was celebrated in the village and a bed of 25 rose bushes was planted to mark the event. This rose bed is still flourishing on Main Street by West Farm Close.
The Millstone had a long tradition as a public house in the centre of the village, used by generations of farmers and villagers. It once had a popular skittles
room and was the major social amenity in the village until its closure in 1938. Residents of Walgrave also visited the pub. Now a private home, this most attractive building lost its thatch in the 1960s. The stonework reflects various periods of building when the property was extended and there is an old dovecote
in the back garden, now in a state of disrepair, that harks back to a much earlier time when this was a way to ensure fresh meat.
The fuel station on the A43 has been there for many years and was recently rebuilt. Mains water was not available in the village until just after the war and previously it had to be fetched from wells
at locations such as The Millstone, the Schoolhouse, or Poplars Farm, where there was a pump. Washing was often done using rainwater. Some properties have wells to this day but they are not used. As for sanitation, earth closets were still in use until the main sewer was installed.
As mentioned previously there was a village shop next door to The Millstone House. A local green grocer also visited the village on Saturdays and provided fish, fruit and vegetables. A butcher
from Moulton
paid regular visits, too. People certainly did not have to travel out of the village to buy their provisions even if they did not obtain them from the local farms.
The doctor
came to the village about three times a week, and if people needed medical attention a note had to be left until the next visit. There was also a district nurse
, and like today, doctors were available in the nearby villages of Brixworth and Moulton.
Today an hourly bus service operates through the village travelling to Northampton and Kettering, although the majority of residents travel by car to reach the services and amenities which are no longer available in the village.
Although travel outside the parish is now necessary for most things, a mobile library still visits the Hannington on a weekly basis.
.
Many small cottages have been lost on almost every street in the village, or combined to make larger dwellings. A chapel built in 1865 no longer stands on Main Street. It was once used by the village undertaker and later converted to a garage and workshop in 1972.
Main Street once curved sharply at the junction of Main Street and Bridle Road and was a very dangerous road. It has since been straightened out and there is now a small green which was created after diverting the road.
The church clock has not always been in its current position either. It once overlooked the Holcot Road and a small window can now be seen where the clock originally was. The window was fitted with glass after the removal of the clock.
Daventry (district)
The 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...
of the county of Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
in England
England
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the time of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the parish's population was 207 people.
Ancient history of Hannington and the Church of St Peter and St Paul
The parish of Hannington has been inhabited for a much greater period of time than many people may realise. Evidence exists from the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and from the time of the Roman occupation and also later from the Medieval period. Bronze Age worked flints have been found at three different locations in the parish, and there are traces of a Roman settlement just north of the present day village where Roman pottery has been found.
Just east of the church, an area of around two hectares shows signs of a medieval settlement which appears to have consisted of enclosures or paddocks, formerly part of the village itself. Hannington was mentioned in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, and it is of note that the parish was then much smaller than most settlements in the area as it continues to be today.
The church, once a major part of village life, was built in the late 13th century, though it incorporates some stonework from an earlier period. At the time of construction the church was “in the gift” of the Gilbertine Order of Sempringham in Lincolnshire. The Gilbertines are thought to have provided the first priests in exchange for annual “tythes” from the village. The arrangement of the nave with its two central pillars and three arches or arcades, may have been influenced by the plan of Sempringham Priory, started just 100 years previously and incorporating a central wall which separated the cannons (monks) and their accommodation from the nuns and their dormitory and refectory. It has been suggested that a monastic cell existed in Hannington and also that when Archbishop Thomas a Becket fled from the King and the General Council in 1164, accompanied by Gilbertine cannons, he stayed overnight in Hannington. There is no documentary evidence to support either belief. It is believed that Becket left St. Andrews, Northampton, in the evening and was in Lincoln the following day.
The church of St Peter and St Paul is one of only two in England with a bisected nave; the other is at Caythorpe in Lincolnshire. The latter had a north aisle added in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
times, spoiling the symmetry. St Peter and St. Paul, Hannington, could therefore be considered to be unique in England. The delicate medieval screen now enclosing the vestry was originally placed across the arch separating the chancel (occupied only by the priest and assistants), from the nave (used by the people). The oak pulpit is of similar age.
In 1562 Thomas Godwin became Rector of Hannington. In the same year he baptised his baby son Francis in Hannington's church. The Reverend Thomas left to become Dean of Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, and eventually Bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
. His son Francis became Bishop of Hereford and wrote the first science-fiction novel in the English language, The Man in the Moone, a fascinating read with amazing predictions.
By the mid 19th century the church had fallen into a serious state of disrepair and was little more than a ruin, but thankfully in 1869 the building was restored to its former glory and a new Rectory was built alongside it. The person responsible for this was the Rector, John Downes
John Downes
John Downes may refer to:*John Downes , English commissioner convicted of regicide of Charles I of England at the restoration of Charles II*John Downes John Downes may refer to:*John Downes (regicide) (1609 – c. 1666), English commissioner convicted of regicide of Charles I of England at the...
. He personally paid for the restoration and for the building of the Rectory, now called Hannington House. It was John Downe’s wife Lucy who founded the school in Hannington in 1871, and this school building still exists and is used as the Village Hall. A portrait of Lucy Downes hangs in the building to this day, having been donated by the family in the 1970s.
John Downes is perhaps one of the village's most notable past residents. A graduate of Cambridge University, he studied botany with Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
under Professor Henshaw. It is believed that John Downes had been offered the position of botanist on the Beagle
Beagle
The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game...
which he declined, as his vocation was in the Church. He then went on to become a Parish Priest. This role of botanist was then taken on by the very famous Charles Darwin. But John Downes is famous in his own right for his work, and from time to time Hannington receives visitors interested in John Downes’ background. There is a memorial to John Downes, his wife and his daughter in the church in the form of a stained glass window in the east wall.
Clearly the church would have been at the heart of village life in Hannington. However, since 1954 the village has shared a vicar with the neighbouring parishes of Walgrave
Walgrave
Walgrave is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 822 people.-Landmarks:...
and Old, and more recently, Scaldwell
Scaldwell
Scaldwell is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire in England.Scaldwell is tiny and has neither shops nor pubs; at the time of the 2001 census the parish had a population of 271 living in 113 households. It has an ageing population. The nearest place for school,...
. Older villagers can recall there being a good congregation and a choir made up of local boys. At one time there was also a Chapel in the village situated close to West Farm. Now, in common with many village churches, the congregation of the church is modest and the majority of villagers are not involved.
The local environment
Hannington was described in the late 19th century in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and WalesImperial Gazetteer of England and Wales
The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales...
as:
- "a parish in BrixworthBrixworthBrixworth is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a parish population of 5,162. The village is particularly notable for All Saints' Church, Brixworth, its historic Anglo-Saxon church....
district, NorthamptonNorthamptonNorthampton 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...
; 4½ miles ESE of Brixworth r. station, and 6 NW by W of WellingboroughWellingboroughWellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
. Post town, Walgrave, under Northampton. Acres, 1,270. Real property, £1,884. Pop., 226. Houses, 52. The property is subdivided. The living is a rectory, annexed to the rectory of Walgrave, in the diocese of PeterboroughDiocese of PeterboroughThe Diocese of Peterborough forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. Its seat is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, which was originally founded as a monastery in AD 655 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238.Founded at the Dissolution...
. The church is ancient, has a small tower, and was restored in 1869. Bishop Godwin was rector."
A brook runs through the parish which feeds the nearby Pitsford Reservoir and there is a large fishing lake to the north of the village.
The pocket park
Pocket park
A pocket park, parkette or mini-park is a small park accessible to the general public. In some areas they are called miniparks or vest-pocket parks....
was established in 1996 and it lies to the south of the village. This is a wooded area of around a third of an acre and a variety of flora and fauna can be found there at different times of the year.
Historic traces of ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
can be found in the majority of the fields surrounding Hannington, although this cannot always be seen from the ground.
Population and buildings
Although the architecture of the village and the families inhabiting it have changed enormously over the years, the population had not risen hugely until fairly recently, reaching a peak in 1861 before declining again into the next century and then rising rapidly once more during recent years. With the exception of the church and the village hall, the buildings with a historical focus were either demolished or have been converted into homes. The Millstone (once a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
), The Old Forge, and The Bakehouse are three examples of this. Surprisingly few of these older dwellings are listed buildings.
The village school closed its doors in 1931 and most children of the parish now attend Walgrave Primary School, going on to Moulton School or other schools in the surrounding towns. However, as one local amenity was lost another was born as the building subsequently became the Village Hall. There was also once a village shop in Hannington.
Employment in the village
Being a rural settlement, the majority of Hannington residents were once agricultural workers, both living and working in the community. Tending to the animals and of course farming the land, were jobs which people had been occupied with in and around the village, probably for centuries. The villagers were almost entirely self sufficient, obtaining their meat, eggs, milk, and other supplies from farms in the parish and ensuring that everything available was used in some way.Farming became increasingly mechanised in the early 20th century leading to job losses on the farms and people began to look for jobs outside the village. A shoe factory in Walgrave employed people from several villages in the area, and being only a mile from Hannington this was a convenient place for residents looking for local work. However, car ownership became more common and villagers now find work in Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
, Northampton, and beyond.
Out of nine functioning farms in the community last century only one, Poplars Farm, continues to be actively farmed from within the village. West Farm, Mere Farm and Manor Farm are just some of those that ceased farming in Hannington during recent decades. Many different types of farming occurred here until recently, including dairy, poultry, livestock and arable. The staple crops produced, mainly being wheat and barley, are those we still see produced today in the surrounding area.
It is now very unusual to find someone who both lives and works in a village the size of Hannington. Some people do work from their homes, either part time or full time. The relatively recent addition of business units on Red House Lane does now make both living and working in Hannington a possibility
Hannington in wartime
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Hannington had a narrow escape when bombs were dropped on Red House Lane close to 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...
. Some older residents remember that glass was blown from the windows of the nearby farmhouse and large craters were left, but luckily the village itself was unscathed.
At this time, land between the nearby villages of Harrington
Harrington
-People as a forename:*Arthur Edward Harington Raikes, British army officer*Audrey Harington, aka Ethelreda, alleged illegitimate child of Henry VIII of England and the royal laundress*Charles Harrington Elster, American writer...
and Lamport
Lamport, Northamptonshire
Lamport is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire, England. The village is on the A508, about south of Market Harborough and north of Northampton. Nearby is Lamport Hall...
was used as an airfield for an American air base. Planes from this airfield, including bombers, flew regularly near the parish. During this time a B-17 aircraft crashed at the Walgrave turning on the A43 leaving all of the American crew dead. Remains and fragments of this incident have subsequently been discovered in the area.
Village celebrations and fetes
There were at one time two village events per year in Hannington, held at Poplars Farm and in the Rectory gardens (Hannington House). People would come in fancy dress and it was a time when all villagers could come together, adults and children, to enjoy a shared social event.May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
was also celebrated by decorating prams or baskets with flowers and parading a “May Queen
May Queen
The May Queen or Queen of May is a term which has two distinct but related meanings, as a mythical figure and as a holiday personification.-Festivals:...
”. The children would sing and this was followed by tea in the Village Hall.
Barn dances were held at Poplars Farm until fairly recently, and were well attended by residents from the village and the surrounding area.
In 1978, the "Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
" was celebrated in the village and a bed of 25 rose bushes was planted to mark the event. This rose bed is still flourishing on Main Street by West Farm Close.
Services and amenities in Hannington
In the past there were two public houses in the parish; the Millstone in the village and The Red House at the edge of the parish on the A43. The Red House was a well used pub not only by residents of Hannington but also by residents of neighbouring Hardwick and passing motorists. The Red House has undergone several name changes over the last decade and was most recently known as "Henry’s". It is now derelict.The Millstone had a long tradition as a public house in the centre of the village, used by generations of farmers and villagers. It once had a popular skittles
Skittles (sport)
Skittles is an old European lawn game, a variety of bowling, from which ten-pin bowling, duckpin bowling, and candlepin bowling in the United States, and five-pin bowling in Canada are descended. In the United Kingdom, the game remains a popular pub game in England and Wales, though it tends to be...
room and was the major social amenity in the village until its closure in 1938. Residents of Walgrave also visited the pub. Now a private home, this most attractive building lost its thatch in the 1960s. The stonework reflects various periods of building when the property was extended and there is an old dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
in the back garden, now in a state of disrepair, that harks back to a much earlier time when this was a way to ensure fresh meat.
The fuel station on the A43 has been there for many years and was recently rebuilt. Mains water was not available in the village until just after the war and previously it had to be fetched from wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
at locations such as The Millstone, the Schoolhouse, or Poplars Farm, where there was a pump. Washing was often done using rainwater. Some properties have wells to this day but they are not used. As for sanitation, earth closets were still in use until the main sewer was installed.
As mentioned previously there was a village shop next door to The Millstone House. A local green grocer also visited the village on Saturdays and provided fish, fruit and vegetables. A butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
from Moulton
Moulton
- Places in the United Kingdom :In England*Moulton, Cheshire*Moulton, Lincolnshire**Moulton Windmill*Moulton St Mary, Norfolk*Moulton, Northamptonshire**Moulton College, agricultural college**Moulton Park, industrial estate*Moulton, Suffolk...
paid regular visits, too. People certainly did not have to travel out of the village to buy their provisions even if they did not obtain them from the local farms.
The doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
came to the village about three times a week, and if people needed medical attention a note had to be left until the next visit. There was also a district nurse
District nurse
District Nurses are senior nurses who manage care within the community, leading teams of community nurses and support workers. Typically much of their work involves visiting house-bound patients to provide advice and care, for example, palliative care, wound management, catheter and continence...
, and like today, doctors were available in the nearby villages of Brixworth and Moulton.
Today an hourly bus service operates through the village travelling to Northampton and Kettering, although the majority of residents travel by car to reach the services and amenities which are no longer available in the village.
Although travel outside the parish is now necessary for most things, a mobile library still visits the Hannington on a weekly basis.
Changes to the appearance of the village
Behind the Jubilee Rose Bed in Main Street once stood an old stone barn, which was demolished to make way for West Farm Close. Turners Farm, which included a large farmhouse on the corner of School Lane, was demolished earlier. This had been the last thatched house in the village until the modern Turners Farm Close was built to include two thatched buildings. Turners Farm Close, Orchard Close and West Farm Close are all relatively new housing developmentsHousing developments
Housing developments are structured building development of residential properties. Popular throughout the US and UK, these are often areas of high density, low impact residences of single family homes....
.
Many small cottages have been lost on almost every street in the village, or combined to make larger dwellings. A chapel built in 1865 no longer stands on Main Street. It was once used by the village undertaker and later converted to a garage and workshop in 1972.
Main Street once curved sharply at the junction of Main Street and Bridle Road and was a very dangerous road. It has since been straightened out and there is now a small green which was created after diverting the road.
The church clock has not always been in its current position either. It once overlooked the Holcot Road and a small window can now be seen where the clock originally was. The window was fitted with glass after the removal of the clock.