Stoke Bruerne
Encyclopedia
Stoke Bruerne is a small village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire
, England about 10 miles (16 km) north of Milton Keynes
and 7 miles (11 km) south of Northampton
.
in 1086 as "Stoche" meaning "an outlying farmstead or hamlet". The form "Stokbruer" is used in 1254 being a suffix by the "Briwere" family of the Manor House. The village is fairly typical for this area of south Northamptonshire containing many traditional stone and thatched cottages. The village's main claim to fame is its situation on the Grand Union Canal
making it a favourite destination for tourists. The population is split 196 male and 199 female in 169 households (2001 census
).
The parish is part of Tove Ward, named after the River Tove
, of the district council of South Northamptonshire
.
The nearby country estate of Stoke Park along Shutlanger
Road is occasionally open to the public in August, but all that remains of the main house are the two east and west wings known as Stoke Park Pavilions
.
In December 2008, the conservation project won the East Midlands' Royal Town Planning Institute
(RTPI) Award, alongside Foxton Locks
, another major canal restoration project in Leicestershire
, near Market Harborough
.
), housed in a restored corn
mill
at the top of a flight of canal locks. The museum vividly tells the story of Britain's inland waterways and the people who worked on them. It provides a fascinating insight into the transport system which was fundamental to the industrial revolution
in Britain. There are working models and 3-D
displays including a model of the short-lived inclined-plane mechanical lift at Foxton
in Leicestershire. The museum has a shop and café. Admission to the museum is £4.75 (ca.€8) with reduced rates for children, school parties, groups etc. It has a school/activity room available for educational visits. The museum is closed on Mondays in winter.
About half a mile north of the village is the south portal of Blisworth tunnel
- accessible by a walk along the old towpath (on the eastern side of the canal - north of the village, the western side is either private property or inaccessible.) The tunnel is 3056 yards (2,794.4 m) long and is one of the longest in the UK.
s, 'The Boat Inn', and 'The Navigation', both serving a variety of meals and drinks. There is a restaurant/takeaway, 'The Spice of Bruerne', various bed and breakfast facilities and tearooms. The village attracts many visitors all year round and especially during the summer months. There are parking restrictions at all times, except for residents, on village roads which are all marked with 'double yellow lines'. There is, however, a pay and display
car park close to the Museum (charge £2.50, ca.€4). The parking restrictions are strictly enforced. A variety of boat trips may be booked from the canalside. Most of the time there is plenty of activity on the canal with boats going through the locks regularly and plenty going in and out of the tunnel.
The village has a cricket club. Its ground is named after the late George Edward Tarry who donated the field to the village in the late 20th century. The pavilion is dedicated to his wife Elizabeth Fay Tarry, who died in the late 1960s.
, was the subject of a Daily Telegraph article. Other walks in and around Northampton are mentioned in the County Council Right of way site.
, part of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
(SMJR) and misnamed Stoke Bruern. This ran close to the village over Blisworth tunnel near the south portal. The former railway station has been converted to a private house and is along the road to Blisworth just outside the village. The line of the railway is still visible and the Blisworth road has a railway bridge still in position near the former station. The railway ran east to join the West Coast Main Line
and then into Bedfordshire
.
whose notable sucessess include The Lavender Hill Mob
(1951) and A Fish Called Wanda
(1988).
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...
, England about 10 miles (16 km) north of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and 7 miles (11 km) south of 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...
.
History
Stoke Bruerne is mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
in 1086 as "Stoche" meaning "an outlying farmstead or hamlet". The form "Stokbruer" is used in 1254 being a suffix by the "Briwere" family of the Manor House. The village is fairly typical for this area of south Northamptonshire containing many traditional stone and thatched cottages. The village's main claim to fame is its situation on the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
making it a favourite destination for tourists. The population is split 196 male and 199 female in 169 households (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 is part of Tove Ward, named after the River Tove
River Tove
The River Tove is a river in England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. Rising in Northamptonshire, it flows for around 15 miles past the town of Towcester before meeting the Ouse near Milton Keynes. Its final 5 miles form part of the border between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, running...
, of the district council of South Northamptonshire
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...
.
The nearby country estate of Stoke Park along 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....
Road is occasionally open to the public in August, but all that remains of the main house are the two east and west wings known as Stoke Park Pavilions
Stoke Park Pavilions
Stoke Park Pavilions are all that remain of the stately house and grounds of Stoke Park near the village of Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire, England, approximately south of Northampton and north of Milton Keynes.- Stoke Park :...
.
In December 2008, the conservation project won the East Midlands' Royal Town Planning Institute
Royal Town Planning Institute
The Royal Town Planning Institute is a body representing planning professionals in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1914.-Members:...
(RTPI) Award, alongside Foxton Locks
Foxton Locks
Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton....
, another major canal restoration project in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, near Market Harborough
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town within the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England.It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council. It sits on the Northamptonshire-Leicestershire border...
.
Canal Museum
The village is home to The Waterways Trust's canal museum (part of the National Waterways MuseumNational Waterways Museum
The National Waterways Museum holds the inland waterways collection at three museum sites in England: Gloucester, Ellesmere Port, and Stoke Bruerne....
), housed in a restored corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
mill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
at the top of a flight of canal locks. The museum vividly tells the story of Britain's inland waterways and the people who worked on them. It provides a fascinating insight into the transport system which was fundamental to the industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in Britain. There are working models and 3-D
Three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
displays including a model of the short-lived inclined-plane mechanical lift at Foxton
Foxton Locks
Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton....
in Leicestershire. The museum has a shop and café. Admission to the museum is £4.75 (ca.€8) with reduced rates for children, school parties, groups etc. It has a school/activity room available for educational visits. The museum is closed on Mondays in winter.
About half a mile north of the village is the south portal of Blisworth tunnel
Blisworth Tunnel
Blisworth Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire, England between the villages of Stoke Bruerne at the southern end and Blisworth at the northern end.-Measurements:...
- accessible by a walk along the old towpath (on the eastern side of the canal - north of the village, the western side is either private property or inaccessible.) The tunnel is 3056 yards (2,794.4 m) long and is one of the longest in the UK.
Facilities
There are two canalside 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...
s, 'The Boat Inn', and 'The Navigation', both serving a variety of meals and drinks. There is a restaurant/takeaway, 'The Spice of Bruerne', various bed and breakfast facilities and tearooms. The village attracts many visitors all year round and especially during the summer months. There are parking restrictions at all times, except for residents, on village roads which are all marked with 'double yellow lines'. There is, however, a pay and display
Pay and display
Pay and display machines are a subset of ticket machines used for regulating parking in urban areas or in car parks. It relies on a customer purchasing a ticket from a machine and displaying the ticket on the dashboard, or windscreen or passenger window of the vehicle...
car park close to the Museum (charge £2.50, ca.€4). The parking restrictions are strictly enforced. A variety of boat trips may be booked from the canalside. Most of the time there is plenty of activity on the canal with boats going through the locks regularly and plenty going in and out of the tunnel.
The village has a cricket club. Its ground is named after the late George Edward Tarry who donated the field to the village in the late 20th century. The pavilion is dedicated to his wife Elizabeth Fay Tarry, who died in the late 1960s.
Conservation area consultation
In November 2007 the area of the village and surroundings, including Stoke Park, were the subject of an extensive conservation consultation by South Northants Council. Extensive additional documentation, including maps, pictures and historical documentation, is available from the South Northants Council's Planning website.Walks
Many public footpaths cross the area around Stoke Bruerne. One such walk, taking in Grafton RegisGrafton Regis
Grafton Regis is a village and civil parish in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The village is east of the A508 road, on which it has a short frontage and two bus stops. It is ca. south of Northampton and north of Milton Keynes....
, was the subject of a Daily Telegraph article. Other walks in and around Northampton are mentioned in the County Council Right of way site.
Railway
Stoke Bruerne had its own railway stationStoke Bruern railway station
Stoke Bruern was a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which opened in 1893 near the Northamptonshire village of Stoke Bruerne after which it was misnamed...
, part of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-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) and misnamed Stoke Bruern. This ran close to the village over Blisworth tunnel near the south portal. The former railway station has been converted to a private house and is along the road to Blisworth just outside the village. The line of the railway is still visible and the Blisworth road has a railway bridge still in position near the former station. The railway ran 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....
.
Film
The village appears, with Blisworth, in the Ealing Studios film Painted Boats (1945), filmed at the end of World War II and directed by Charles CrichtonCharles Crichton
Charles Crichton was an English film director and film editor. He became best known for directing comedies produced at Ealing Studios...
whose notable sucessess include The Lavender Hill Mob
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T.E.B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and Alfie Bass...
(1951) and A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 crime-comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton. It was directed by Crichton and an uncredited Cleese, and stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. The film is about a jewel heist and its aftermath...
(1988).