Burton Latimer
| Burton Latimer | |
| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
 Burton Wold wind farm | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP901749 |
| Location: | 52°21’54"N, -0°40’41"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 6,740 (2001) |
| Post town: | Kettering |
| Postcode: | NN15 |
| Dialling code: | 01536 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Northamptonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Kettering |
Burton Latimer is a modest town in Northamptonshire, built on quarrying, shoemaking and weaving, now with a share of light industry and distribution. It is found just south of the junction of the A6 and A14. The two-mile A6 bypass opened in October 1991.
Today's town
Burton Latimer is the location of the first wind farm in Northamptonshire. Burton Wold Wind Farm|Burton Wold wind farm, operated by Your Energy[1] has 10 turbines, producing enough electricity to power around 8,500 homes: a little more than the town itself.[2] It is also home to the Weetabix food company, The Alumasc Group PLC and several group undertakings[3] and a Wm Morrisons supermarket distribution centre, which are major local employers. Weetabix is also made in Corby.
Parish church
The parish church is St Mary the Virgin, a notable building in the town. It is a Norman church[4], containing mediæval murals.
History
The town's name is derived from the le Latimer family who lived there in the 13th Century.[5] It grew in the 19th Century around the ironstone quarrying, clothing and footwear industries. A watermill used for grinding corn was converted and used at various times in the 19th century for the manufacture of silk, worsted and carpet-weaving, followed by its conversion to a steam mill to make chicory, mustard, fodder and flour. The mill was acquired in the 1930s and became the home of Weetabix.
There was a railway station serving the town called Isham and Burton Latimer, but the station closed in 1950. Now the nearest railway station is in Kettering.
Sport
- Football: Burton Park Wanderers FC, who play at Latimer Park.
Outside links
- Burton Latimer Online - Community website
- Historical website
- St Mary the Virgin church
- Burton Wold Wind Farm website
- YouTube video: turning on the windfarm
- Burton Latimer's Community Blog
References
- ↑ Your Energy
- ↑ Burton Wold Wind Farm
- ↑ Alumasc Precision Limited website
- ↑ Parish church picture
- ↑ Mills, A.D. (1998). Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280074-4