Welford, Northamptonshire
Encyclopedia
Welford is a village
and civil parish in England
. It is located on the River Avon
border between the counties of Northamptonshire
and Leicestershire
. At the time of the 2001 census
, the parish's population was 1,016 people.
It is on the main A5199 road
connecting Northampton
and Leicester
and, being halfway between the two, was formerly an important stagecoach
stop. The A5199 is known as the 'Welford Road' for much of its length. It is close to the junction of the two major motor routes in England - the M1 motorway
and the M6 motorway
- and is 1½ miles north of Junction 1 of the A14, which connects that junction with the east of England. It is served by a short arm from the Grand Union Canal
and has two marina
s. The Jurassic Way
long distance footpath passes through the village on a SW/NE axis; although it officially makes its way through the fields to the east of the village, many walkers prefer to walk along the High Street to make use of the village's facilities.
Welford still has a village shop and post office
, a hairdresser, a primary school, a garage and two public houses. There is a Church of England
parish church and a URC
(Congregational) chapel. Other amenities include a village hall, a sports field which is home to Welford Victoria F.C., a youth centre and a pocket park
. There is also a spinney, which was a gravel quarry in the 19th century. To the North East of the village lie Welford Reservoir
and Sulby Reservoir.
It is now administered as part of Daventry District
having earlier been part of Oxendon Rural District
(1894–1935) followed by Brixworth Rural District
(1935–74).
In medieval times its Premonstratensian
Abbey
moved to Sulby
some two miles to the east and Welford lost its market charter which was sold to West Haddon
. There is clear evidence that Welford shrank considerably during the medieval period and it is notable that three of its neighbouring civil parishes — Elkington
, Stanford-on-Avon
and Sulby — are almost entirely depopulated.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish 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...
. It is located on the River Avon
River Avon, Warwickshire
The River Avon or Avon is a river in or adjoining the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the Midlands of England...
border between the counties 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,...
and 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...
. 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 1,016 people.
It is on the main A5199 road
A5199 road
The A5199 road is the direct road from Leicester to Northampton in England. It was formerly part of the A50 trunk road that ran from Bedfordshire to Lancashire...
connecting 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 Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and, being halfway between the two, was formerly an important stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon 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 travelers...
stop. The A5199 is known as the 'Welford Road' for much of its length. It is close to the junction of the two major motor routes in England - the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a 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...
and the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
- and is 1½ miles north of Junction 1 of the A14, which connects that junction with the east of England. It is served by a short arm from 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...
and has two marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s. The Jurassic Way
Jurassic Way
The Jurassic Way is a designated and signed long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town of Stamford in England...
long distance footpath passes through the village on a SW/NE axis; although it officially makes its way through the fields to the east of the village, many walkers prefer to walk along the High Street to make use of the village's facilities.
Welford still has a village shop and post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a hairdresser, a primary school, a garage and two public houses. There is a 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...
parish church and a URC
URC
URC may stand for:* Uniform Resource Characteristics, a computing term* Uniform Rules for Collections, ICC rule that governs the collection of payment, the current version is URC 522...
(Congregational) chapel. Other amenities include a village hall, a sports field which is home to Welford Victoria F.C., a youth centre and a 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....
. There is also a spinney, which was a gravel quarry in the 19th century. To the North East of the village lie Welford Reservoir
Welford Reservoir
Welford Reservoir is in the English county of Northamptonshire.Welford Reservoir is the lower of a pair of reservoirs owned by British Waterways - the other being Sulby Reservoir - that provide water to the summit level of the Grand Union Canal by way of the navigable Welford Arm....
and Sulby Reservoir.
It is now administered as part of Daventry District
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...
having earlier been part of Oxendon Rural District
Oxendon Rural District
Oxendon was a rural district in Northamptonshire, England from 1894 to 1935.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 from the part of the Market Harborough rural sanitary district which was in Northamptonshire...
(1894–1935) followed by Brixworth Rural District
Brixworth Rural District
The Brixworth Rural District was a rural district in Northamptonshire, England from 1894 to 1974,. It was named after and administered from the village of Brixworth.It was created by the Local Government Act 1894 from the Brixworth rural sanitary district...
(1935–74).
In medieval times its Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
moved to Sulby
Sulby, Northamptonshire
Sulby is a hamlet and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England.Sulby Reservoir lies to the south of the settlement.Rene Payne bought Sulby Hall in 1792.-External links:* parish meeting...
some two miles to the east and Welford lost its market charter which was sold to West Haddon
West Haddon
West Haddon is a village in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire, England about north-west of Northampton and east of Rugby and just off the A428 road which by-passes the village...
. There is clear evidence that Welford shrank considerably during the medieval period and it is notable that three of its neighbouring civil parishes — Elkington
Elkington, Northamptonshire
Elkington is a deserted medieval village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England.The village was described as Elkynton and other variants in 1377 having 30 taxpayers over the age of 14...
, Stanford-on-Avon
Stanford-on-Avon
Stanford-on-Avon is a hamlet in the civil parish of Stanford in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England. It lies next to the River Avon which here forms the county boundary between Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. On the Leicestershire side of the river is the historic house of...
and Sulby — are almost entirely depopulated.