Nether Heyford
| Nether Heyford | |
| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
 Nether Heyford Church of St Peter and St Paul | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP659587 |
| Location: | 52°13’38"N, 1°1’48"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,507 (2001[1]) |
| Post town: | Northampton |
| Postcode: | NN7 |
| Dialling code: | 01327 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Northamptonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Daventry |
Nether Heyford is a village and parish in Northamptonshire, situated six miles west of Northampton off the A45 road. It is a mile by road to the M1 London to Yorkshire motorway at junction 16. The village of Upper Heyford is about ½ mile to the north of the village close to the A45 road.
Facilities
It has one of the largest village greens in the country, two pubs (The Foresters Arms and The Olde Sun), two churches (one Baptist), a purpose-built youth club, park, village hall, hairdresser, butcher and a local shop. The extensive playing fields have a cricket club (Heyford CC), a football club (Heyford Athletic), tennis courts and a Bowls Club.
The Grand Union Canal passes through the village.
Newspaper
The village newspaper called The Prattler is published monthly.[2]
Notable former residents
- Simon Thomas - Former Blue Peter presenter
- Alan Carr - Comedian and Entertainer. Played for Nether Heyford FC as a child
- Anil Kumble - Indian cricket player lived in the village while playing for Northamptonshire CCC
- Andy Faulkner - Actor and voice artist in New Zealand. Grew up in the village
Notable buildings
The local church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and parts are 13th century.[3] There is a monument to Sir Walter Mauntell (died 1467) and Sir Richard Morgan (died 1556).
The Bliss Charity Primary School has about 148 pupils. It was endowed with income from lands in the will of William Bliss, a wine merchant living in Southwark, who died in 1674. William had been born and brought up in Nether Heyford, later moving to London. In his will, William left £400 to the village, £100 for a schoolhouse and £300 to buy land, the rent from which would pay for the schoolmaster and upkeep of the school.
The former rectory is Gothic and ca. 1870.[3]
The Manor House is early 18th century.[3]
Roman villas
The parish is the site of two Roman villas, firstly at Whitehall Farm[4] west of the village near the A5 road which closely follows the route of the Roman Road known as Watling Street which ran from London to Holyhead on Anglesey. The nearest Roman towns were Lactodorum, modern name Towcester, about eight miles south, and Bannaventa at Whilton Lodge, near Norton about three miles north. Excavations on the site in 2009 found eight 1,400-year-old skeletons in a burial ground. They could be German mercenaries hired by wealthy land owners to protect their property. Investigations are on-going.[5][6]
A second site east of the village in Horestone meadow was first discovered in 1699.[3] It had part of a fine floor mosaic, plaster wall fragments and various pottery. In 1821 the building was estimated to be around 100 feet long.
The area of west Northamptonshire is rich in Romano-British archaeology with another villa site and museum at Piddington. The villa site is on a hillside with panoramic view eastwards over the upper valley of the River Nene before it enters the town of Northampton.
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line runs from London Euston to Manchester and Glasgow south-west of the village. Stowe Hill tunnel on the line between the village and Weedon runs under the A5 road to the west.
References
- ↑ SNC (2009). South Northamptonshire Council Year Book 2009-2010. Towcester. pp. 39.
- ↑ The Prattler website
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Pevsner, Nikolaus (1961). The Buildings of England – Northamptonshire. London and New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 311. ISBN 978-0-300-09632-3.
- ↑ "Whitehall Farm Roman villa at Nether Heyford". http://www.whitehallvilla.co.uk/htmlfiles/start_here.html. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
- ↑ "1,400 year old skeletons found in Northamptonshire". http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/1400-year-old-skeletons-found.5252233.jp. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ↑ "Archaeologists launch new dig on Roman site". http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Archaeologists-launch-new-dig-on.5260335.jp. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Nether Heyford) |