Long Buckby
| Long Buckby | |
| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
 Church of St Lawrence | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP628673 |
| Location: | 52°18’11"N, 1°4’52"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,913 (2011) |
| Post town: | Northampton |
| Postcode: | NN6 |
| Dialling code: | 01327 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Northamptonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Daventry |
| Website: | http://www.longbuckby.net |
Long Buckby is a populous village and parish in Northamptonshire, midway between Northampton and Rugby. In the 2011 census the parish of Long Buckby, which includes the hamlet of Long Buckby Wharf, had a population of 3,913.[1] The west of the parish has the Grand Union Canal, A5 and adjoining M1 motorway all passing through the Watford Gap–Watford is the next village to the north. The village has a railway station on the Northampton Loop corollary of the West Coast Main Line.
History
Long Buckby has a history going back to Viking times. The mound remaining of a castle built by Sahir de Quincy in the 12th century remains. The village name is of Nordic origin, with 'by' meaning settlement or village while 'Buck' is derived from 'Bec' (pronounced 'becker' in old Norse) for stream/brook. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book as Buchebei, its affix possibly coming at a later date in reference to the length of the village.
The village once had a thriving shoemaking industry but is now mainly a residential village. It offers a wide range of amenities and services to its residents, including a doctors' surgery, two dentists, four churches, two schools, a public library, a veterinary surgery, a boarding cattery, a post office, a community centre and Long Buckby Mill Park Nature Reserve. There are two (previously three) pubs in the village. Local shops include two grocery stores, a butchers, several hairdressers, a newsagent, card and gift shop, chemist and a wide range of restaurants and take-aways.
The comedian Stanley Unwin moved to Long Buckby in 1940 when he got a job with the BBC at the nearby Borough Hill transmitting station. He stayed as a resident until his death in 2002.
Until the mid-1960s Long Buckby boasted its own goods marshalling yard which played a very significant role in the once thriving village economy, providing for the import of fuel and consumables for local business and residents as well as delivering the mail and packages to the village post office, and newspapers to the village newsagents. Local agricultural produce and to a lesser extent livestock were exported from the facility.
Long Buckby railway station, as the nearest stop to Althorp, was the final stop on the journey by the Prince of Wales, his two sons and others during the funeral of the Princess of Wales.
In 2007, one of the village shops celebrated its 150th year of operation since it first opened on the High Street in 1858.
Notable buildings and monument
The Historic England website contains details of 37 listed buildings in the parish of Long Buckby.[2] All them are Grade II apart from the following, which are Grade II*.
- St Lawrence's Church, Church Street
- Holly House, 22 High Street[3]
There is also one scheduled monument in the parish:
- Long Buckby ringwork and bailey[4]
Sport
Long Buckby A.F.C. plays at Station Road. Long Buckby Rugby Football Club was founded in 1875. The club's colours are green. Its emblem is a castle with an archway with a cross above.
Tennis tournament
Long Buckby Tennis Tournament started at the early year of 1907 in terms of lawn tennis and is played annually in mid-July on the sports ground, where a dozen or more grass courts are marked out and netting erected on the cricket outfield. Around two hundred and fifty people of all ages and standards take part over two days. It is an American-style doubles tournament with each couple playing all the others in their section. Profits from the tournament are donated to the sportsground and to the other sports organisations which use the ground. 2007 celebrated a centenary year with extra promotion to surrounding areas.
Economy
Maclaren, the pushchair manufacturer founded by Owen Finlay Maclaren is based in the village.
References
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161011034513/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790470. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 2011 census
- ↑ "Historic England – The List". https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
- ↑ "Historic England". https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1077036. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
- ↑ "Historic England". http://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1013015. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Long Buckby) |