Northampton Tourist Guide
Northampton is situated near junctions 15, 15a and 16 of the M1 motorway. The A45 and A43 go through the town and the A14 is close by to the north. By rail, Northampton railway station is served by the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line, and has regular services to London and Birmingham provided by Silverlink Trains (to London) and Central Trains (to Birmingham). Virgin Trains also provide some services to London and the north, with a small number of Pendolinos running each day. Sywell Aerodrome is the nearest airfield; for international links, East Midlands Airport and Luton Airport are quickly accessible by the M1, and Birmingham International Airport is accessible direct by train. Transport within the town exists in the form of buses run by two main companies; The Stagecoach Group and The First Group. National Express covers major routes between urban centres in Britain.
Northampton Tourist Guide – Parks and Leisure
The town is noted for its many parks, which include Abington Park (home to the Green Festival and Kite Festival). The Racecourse was originally a horse-racing course until 1904, when it was abandoned following a series of accidents. To the far side of the park is the White Elephant public house, so named after the closure of the racecourse led to the loss of its main clientele. During WWII the park was used for local residents to plant and grow vegetables. For the past 17 years Northampton Racecourse has hosted the Balloon Festival. Billing Aquadrome leisure park is situated on the town’s outskirts, which incorporates a caravan site, marina and funfair. As well as the ‘Marina’ bar, the site offers ‘The Quays’ riverside restaurant and ‘The Billing Mill’ which was converted from the original water mill, with many of the original workings still in place and visible through gallery windows.
Northampton Tourist Guide – Theatre and Cinema
As well as two indoor shopping centres, the town also claims to have Britain’s largest market square, which dates back to 1235. The square and surrounding shopping streets used to host the annual St Crispin Street Fair, held during the October half-term school holiday from 1993 to 2005. There are retail parks at Riverside and Towcester Road. The main leisure area is Sixfields, which includes bowling, restaurants and a cinema. The Derngate and Royal theatres are situated next door to each other in Guildhall Road, opposite Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. They have been recently renovated and reopened to the public in November 2006. The Deco is a theatre/conference centre based on the Grade II listed former Cannon Cinema. Three cinemas are also located in the town: Vue (formerly UCI) at Sol Central, Cineworld (formerly UGC, and before that Virgin Cinema) at Sixfields and the Forum Cinema at Lings Forum.
Northampton Tourist Guide – Buildings
Northampton’s oldest standing building, the Church of The Holy Sepulchre, is one of the largest and best-preserved round churches in Englan, built in 1100 on the orders of the first Earl of Northampton, Simon de Senlis, on his return from the first Crusade. It is based on a plan of the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The current All Saints’ Church was built on the site of a great Norman church, All Hallows, which was almost completely destroyed by the Fire of Northampton in 1675. All that remained was the medieval tower and the fine vaulted crypt, but by 1680 All Saints had been rebuilt, with the help of donations from all over England, including 1,000 tons of timber from King Charles II, whose statue can be seen above the portico. Famously, the poet John Clare liked to sit beneath the portico of the church.
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