History

If one were to imagine the quintessentially English village it might look very much like Easton on the Hill. Built largely of blonde local limestone, with roofs of Collyweston slate, the village is nestled into the summit of the Jurassic ridge which runs between the Nene Valley in the south, and the Welland in the north. It’s in Northamptonshire, but only just! And it’s the perfect spot for a winter wander, writes Laura Malpas. Although settlement was certainly present in earlier centuries, Easton on the Hill is first mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086, where it was recorded as a thriving settlement of thirty-one households, with three owners listed. These included Eudo, a powerful French noble who acted as steward to both William the Conqueror and his son. Eudo held the land during his lifetime and it may well have been he who started construction of the Church. After..

Black death, a royal love story, and the bloody Battle of Northampton are all explored in a new permanent exhibition celebrating the lives of the nuns who lived and worked at the Abbey between 1145 and 1538. Little was known about the history of the women who lived at Northampton’s popular Abbey until now, thanks to the research of a small group of female volunteers undertaken during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020/21. Vera, one of the Delapré Abbey volunteers who worked on the exhibition, said: “This exhibition is the result of two years of work and research into the fascinating lives of our nuns and finding untold stories. We have followed this intrepid group of women down the centuries and seen their courage and their failings.  We are very proud of them. We are excited to share these very human stories delving into the town’s early history with visitors.” The team have worked..

The story of Stowe is a tale of rise, fall and rise again but has left us with a glorious house and a beautiful landscape to enjoy writes Laura Malpas. It’s nearly in Northamptonshire, our county surrounds this prodigious treasure on three sides, so this month I’m visiting Stowe. The house dates back some 350 years and has been shaped by indulgence and towering ambition. Its landscape setting tells tales of vice, virtue and liberty. The estate was nearly lost, but a collaboration between the National Trust who manage the grounds, and the Stowe House Preservation Trust who maintain the house, means we can be inspired and impressed in equal measure. The visit begins at the coaching inn built specifically to cater for Georgian tourists over 300 years ago. We can visit and enjoy refreshments in much the same way. And then the walk to the gardens, entering through the..

The largest festival of history and culture in the country is ready to reveal itself, and Northamptonshire is playing its part in this year’s Heritage Open Days (HOD) season, giving you plenty of opportunity to discover new places and try new experiences, between September 10 and 19, writes Sammy Jones. Daventry Museum has a tasty new exhibit to share which explores the town’s culinary heritage; displays will feature old kitchen utensils and some cooking devices of old that we still recognise today. A photographic archive has been raided to share images of past food retailers and celebrations from the town, and wartime cookbooks give up their tips for eating well while being frugal. Traditional Northamptonshire recipes will be shared too; anyone for Hock and Dough or Curd Cheesecakes? Visit daventrymuseum.org.uk for dates and times. Remember the smell and the feel of an old United Counties bus? As a wee nipper,..

in the Nation’s favourite garden... This month Laura Malpas loses herself in the horticultural and historical delights of Coton Manor Garden. Sometimes you come across a place so sublimely beautiful that you must tell your friends about it, and maybe take them there. This month I’m sharing with you one of the loveliest spots in Northamptonshire, winner of ‘The Nation’s Favourite Garden’, and the perfect spot for lunch on a summer’s day, Coton Manor Garden. Although the gardens at Coton Manor have a timeless feel, their story begins only around a hundred years ago, but the history of Coton Manor itself goes back into the mists of time. Like many places in this now tranquil part of the county, it has seen conflict, battle, and civil war. Although the settlement is certainly much older, Coton’s first mention in the historic record appears in..

The Deco sits in the heart of Northampton and has acted as a magnet for audiences for the past 80 years. It has been there through wartime woes and played host to legendary artists including The Beatles and The Stones. And as a cinema it has allowed ticket-holders to escape the humdrum in their thousands. Sammy Jones checks out the colourful history of one of our best-loved venues... The space occupied at the heart of Abington Square in Northampton is now a hub for entertainment, a place for people to let their hair down and have a good time. But we doubt that many of those who attended Northampton grammar school which previously sat on the site now home to The Deco, saw it as a place of enjoyment! The school was in situ for a little over 40 years, before it moved to Billing Road in 1911, and the..

Step back in time for an exciting weekend of displays, demonstrations and hands-on history, complete with cavalry and cannons. On Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August, The Not So Civil War takes place inside the historic Abbey and grounds from 11am until 4pm. The site will come alive with spectacular fun for all the family as Northampton’s turbulent past is re-enacted before your eyes. It’s the dawn of war and the Parliamentarians have assembled at Delapré Abbey. Visitors can watch a full historic drill display on the South Lawn complete with cavalry and cannons, learn all about the military tactics of the 17th century, and see what civilian life was like. Surgeons, cooks, gravediggers, midwives, gardeners will go about their day-to-day activities so that you can discover how they cook, create, and cut off limbs! Eleanor Sier, Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust’s Head of Engagement and Interpretation said “We’re looking forward..

This month Laura Malpas offers some historial insights and a preview of what to expect as the historic home of the Isham family opens it’s doors and gardens to the public again. It’s so wonderful to see our world opening up again and I am enjoying revisiting some of Northamptonshire’s historic houses and gardens. This month sees Lamport Hall opening the house and gardens for the summer, I was lucky to have a sneak peak and it’s going to be a treat! Lamport was settled well before the Domesday book was written nearly a thousand years ago. In Elizabethan times, a prosperous merchant from a local family had his eye on the location as the perfect place in which to establish his dynasty. John Isham who built Lamport Hall could claim a true Northamptonshire pedigree. His family originally came from the nearby village..

Laura Malpas makes a welcome return to the gardens at Boughton House and shares some of the history behind the development its beautiful landscaped gardens. May is with us! That most delightful of months when the natural world seems to explode into life in full technicolour could not be more welcome after being cooped up for so long. I was delighted to learn that Boughton is opening its gardens for both the bank holidays this month, and I can’t wait to revisit. One of the reasons I love the outdoors at Boughton is that it blends together of some of the best ancient and modern garden styles. Seemingly simple green and graphic lines created several hundred years apart work incredibly well together. Vast lawns, expanses of water, ancient trees, and glorious formal and informal bedding make Boughton something truly special. These gardens owe..

This month local historian Laura Malpas guides Pulse readers around the extraordinary history and natural and landscaped beauty of the gardens at Northamptonshire’s Castle Ashby. It won’t be too long before the world starts to reopen, and we can all enjoy some of the most spectacular historic gardens in Northamptonshire. One of my absolute favourites belongs to glorious Castle Ashby, the ancestral home of the seventh Marquess of Northampton, Spencer David Douglas Compton.  The history of Castle Ashby reaches back to Saxon times at least, but the building of today’s Castle Ashby was begun in 1574 by Baron Henry Compton. He was a royal courtier, and one of the peers who attended the death of Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringhay. The house was shaped like an ‘E’ to flatter the queen, and it was built as a showpiece, a ‘prodigy house’ designed to show the taste and wealth of..

The music industry has been crushed under the weight of the pandemic. It’s down right now, but it’s definitely not out. Sammy Jones looked at the history of the Roadmender, and spoke with those steering the musical ship through the current choppy waters.  And they can’t wait to get back to the business of gigs... If it wasn’t for the pandemic just now, a casual observer looking towards 1 Lady’s Lane on an average evening could expect to see a stream of hot and sweaty bodies leaving the building, buzzing from the sheer delight that only comes from connecting with live music. The Northampton venue has been renowned for delivering the best of live shows for decades. It is a real beacon in the region for gig-goers. But when the Roadmender began life it had nothing to do with music – and it wasn’t even based on the same site. Originally operational..

Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust has been awarded £19,250 by the Architectural Heritage Fund’s £1 million grants programme to support charities and social enterprises occupying historic buildings affected by the pandemic. The grant - funded by the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and managed through partnership with Historic England - will enable Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust to develop plans to protect the heritage of the Abbey’s 19th Century Stables and support the development of a new fundraising strategy. Richard Clinton, Chief Executive of Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust said: “We welcome the announcement that we have been successful in securing funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund. This grant enables us to further develop a feasibility study into how we can best repurpose the sadly dilapidated 19th Century Stables to serve the needs of our diverse community, promote wellbeing, animate the site, and create a new destination..

With a national lockdown still firmly in place at the time of writing, Laura Malpas offers alternative ways for enthusiasts to ‘explore’ some of our local places of historical interest. Our beautiful county is filled with hidden histories and untold stories, and there is still lots to discover without leaving home. Right now, in February 2021, the weather, and Covid precautions make staying indoors and exploring the county through video, websites, social media and good old-fashioned books very appealing. I’m taking the opportunity to draw up a hit-list of places to visit later this year, and to top up my understanding of Northamptonshire’s place in our great English story. One of my favourite-ever television programmes was Time Team, a Channel 4 production hosted by Tony Robinson. The likeable archaeological crew descended upon a potential site of interest and gave themselves three days to explore, investigate, dig, and recreate their idea..

Inspired by a childhood spent in Lamport, Denys Watkins-Pitchford was a renowned author poet, illustrator and naturalist. His love of country pursuits form the fabric of his stories and have inspired generations.  Laura Malpas takes a look into the life of this Northamptonshire Countryman. When I was a bookish little girl, I found a tatty old cloth-bound book in a library. The outside was unappealing, but the inside was filled with beautiful jewel-coloured illustrations, and black and white images of the natural world. The stories were quite magical, about little men, gnomes, who lived in the countryside, living their lives alongside us bigger humans. Their survival relied on their knowledge of the natural world, and their fellowship with each other. The book was called The Little Grey Men written by the mysterious sounding ‘BB’, and I never forgot it. Now..

Nowhere does butterscotch-coloured stone-built villages quite like Northamptonshire. Two of my favourites are the twin hamlets of Upper Stowe and Church Stowe, known together as the parish of Stowe Nine Churches. Although they are set back from today’s hustle and bustle, their combined history encapsulates much of England’s history. I’ve chosen three great stories to share. United by a network of field footpaths, the two settlements cling to the top of undulating hills, with long views over the countryside. Great visibility appealed to the Bronze Age inhabitants who constructed fortifications and ditches to the west, and the good grazing, fertile soil and plentiful water supply were essential supports for the ancient communities. Excitingly, recent research suggests that the area may have hosted the most important battle of the first millennium. In 2010, John Pegg argued that the locality is a strongly credible candidate for Boudicca’s last stand against the Roman..