Forget the Cotswolds, Northamptonshire is the destination to visit.

Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of “spires and squires”, for good reason, it is still home to many wealthy landowners, aristocratic families and several fine medieval church spires. Jane Austen is said to have set her 1814 novel Mansfield Park in Northamptonshire. Somewhat surprisingly, for a county dotted with country houses, the county has only three National Trust properties, the incomplete shell of Lyveden Lodge, Canons Ashby Tudor Manor House & the small reformation Priest’s House in Easton on the Hill. This is because many of the families of the landed gentry stayed on in the county.

Northamptonshire is an inland county, landlocked between eight others, Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire (with England’s shortest county boundary at 62ft) to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire to the south and Warwickshire to the west.

A population of 747,622 is squeezed into the central areas of 2,364 km2 (913 sq mi) in which you will find the county town of Northampton (249,093) and Corby (75,571), Kettering (63,150) and Wellingborough (56,564). The northeast and southwest are rural with low, undulating hills, and picturesque villages in the west, from which several rivers spring, including the Avon and Welland, the Cherwell; and the Great Ouse. The river Nene ( pronounced Nen) is the main river, which flows from its source in the southwest, meandering northeast & passing close to Northampton and Wellingborough. The highest point in the county is Arbury Hill, southwest of Daventry, at 225 m (738 ft), just outside the beautiful village of Badby, famed for its its magnificent show of Bluebells in Badby Woods.

The county still has many outstanding, privately owned properties country houses and estates, Boughton Hall, is an architectural diamond, home of the Montagu family and their descendants since 1528, Easton Neston, the sumptuous Baroque pile, the individual design work of influential architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, Rockingham Castle, used as a Royal fortress until Elizabethan  times and the now ruined Fotheringhay Castle used to imprison Mary, Queen of Scots, before her execution, to name just a few luminaries!

It has been said that the ` Rose of the Shires` has more stately houses than any other county in England and Althorp, a Grade 1 listed building, home to Earl Spencer, is one of the best. Built in 1508, Althorp has been the stately home of the Spencer family for nearly 500 years and is the place where Diana, Princess of Wales, spent many years of her childhood and is her final resting place. The Temple was moved from the Admiralty in London to the banks of the Round Oval Pool in 1926 and since 1997 it has been dedicated to the memory of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. It contains a black silhouette of Diana in the middle, set in white marble. Bunches of fresh flowers and short notes of remembrance are still left at the Temple by some of the thousands of visitors. During July and August, the house and estate are open to the public. The Althorp Literary Festival takes place every October and an occasional Food & Drink Festival in May.

Historically, a decisive battle took place, during the First English Civil War at Naseby, during which King Charles I was defeated and his Royalist army destroyed. The monarch is said to have stayed over at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Daventry. Providing boots to soldiers, the county continued to thrive as a prolific producer of shoes & boots, employing many of its population. During the Industrial Revolution the county continued to be a leader in the footwear industry, its football team are still known as The Cobblers.

‘Northamptonshire wasn’t a destination county – but it’s now becoming a destination county.

The eleventh Doctor Who, actor Matt Smith, born and bred in Northampton, is one of many famous Northamptonians. The town is the birthplace of composer Malcolm Arnold and actors Marc Warren & Sophie Turner, the broadcasters Jo Whiley, Bob Harris & Toby Anstis, comedian Alan Carr, comic book author & illustrator Alan Moore, gothic rock pioneers Bauhaus, footballer Ivan Toney, musicians Billy Lockett & Faye Tozer, amongst many others! There are already plans afoot, for a Northamptonshire, Walk of Fame, to be constructed in Northampton town centre!

There are many wonderful walks around the countryside of West Northamptonshire, the Nene Way, Knightley Way, Jurassic Way and Grand Union canal as well as the many short walks around some of the county’s most beautiful villages such as Badby, Welton, Newnham and Ashby St Ledgers. 

Other Northamptonians of note include Pat McGrath, the most influential make-up artist in the world, according to Voque magazine, the first make-up artist to be made a British dame, she completed her art foundation course at Northampton College & Thom Yorke, vocalist of influential rock band Radiohead, was born in Wellingborough, but spent most of his early life in Scotland & Oxfordshire.

The Blisworth Tunnel, is well worth a visit, to see where bargees or boaters, used to ‘leg’ their boats through the narrow tunnel. Professional `Leggers’ would lie on a plank across the bow of the boat and holding the plank with their hands, would propel the boat through the tunnel with their feet against the upper tunnel wall!

Northants is very sporty, too. Silverstone, home to the nation’s largest sporting event, the British Grand Prix, Northampton Town Football Club , Northamptonshire County Cricket & the Northampton Saints, whose star player, Courtney Lawes, although born in Hackney, moved to Northampton at the age of four, attended Northampton School for Boys and captained the England National Rugby Union team, and made over a century of appearances for his country.

The village of Ashby St Ledgers and surrounding countryside is stunning. The picturesque village is situated just five miles from Daventry has been associated historically with the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, but it is now far more interesting for its fine – looking collection of thatched cottages, the local ironstone Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the historic Manor House, the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, worked on the house for over 40 years in the early 20th century. The Manor House and Gardens are available for private hire, including for weddings, special occasions and photography, apparently rock band, Coldplay, did so!

The Olde Coach House Inn, was once called the Coach & Horses and at some point in its history was also a farmhouse, closed in 2021 and reopened after a major refurbishment in 2024, much to the delight of excited locals. It is now a fifteen -bedroom pub, which still retains many original features including flagstone floors, low oak beams and exposed brickwork and has a smart exclusive restaurant and private dining area. The pub also boasts a large beer garden, which is perfectly suited for private events & large gatherings, al fresco dining or for simply enjoying a cold beer, out in the sunshine! The Olde Coach House Inn is everything a vibrant village pub should be with open log fires, a cosy traditional bar area, stunning courtyard spaces and plenty of customer parking. 

The 900 year old Delapre Abbey had come very close to being demolished on a number of occasions, most notably in 1954 when a plan to pull down the buildings was narrowly defeated and it became the home of the Northamptonshire Record Office in 1959, giving the Abbey and estate a new lease of life for the next forty years. A £3.65 million Heritage Lottery funded restoration programme, a passionate band of volunteers and Northampton Borough Council have all contributed to restoring the Abbey, outbuildings, parkland and estate, to help create a new community venue and visitor attraction.

The Cultural Quarter of Northampton includes the recently redeveloped Northampton Museum and Art Gallery which includes their world-famous Leather & Shoe collection, the prestigious Royal and Derngate theatre complex incorporating the recently expanded Northampton Filmhouse, the nationally recognised art space, NN Contemporary & 78 Derngate. Visitors to Northampton marvel at the gothic glory of the stunning Guildhall, the baroque style of All Saints Church, the dramatic Brutalism of the iconic Carlsberg Brewery and the Art Deco splendour of 78 Derngate, where you can view the only house designed and modified in England by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the most famous architects & creative designers of the twentieth century.

The Georgian terraced house at 78 Derngate had been built in 1815, but the interior was not extensively remodelled by Mackintosh until 1916, just over a hundred years later. Now meticulously restored, the house attracts many thousands of visitors, to this multi award-winning visitor attraction. It is the stunning interior décor by Mackintosh which is the real contribution to the beauty of the house. The refurbishment had been a commission for Northampton businessman and model making entrepreneur Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke. It is the only house in England designed and renovated by Mackintosh and became his last major architectural project and commission, before his death, twelve years later, at the age of sixty.

The Northampton Shoe Museum has one of the largest collections of shoes and shoe heritage in the world with 15,000 pairs in the collection and can now proudly demonstrate and reflect that in this beautifully arranged space. The earliest shoes date as far back as 300BC, Queen Victoria’s wedding shoes, Elton John’s tommy boots from the film “Tommy” and the iconic Red Boots from the film “Kinky Boots”, which was set in Northampton, are some of the most famous & familiar footwear on display. Lots of people from Northampton have contributed shoes to the exhibition, so it is very much the towns own shoe Museum!

Cool Northampton: Out of the sweat & smoke of the early eighties Northampton music pub scene, gothic rock pioneers, Bauhaus managed to clamber from the pub & club circuit onto our nation’s television screens and the larger concert venues of the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world. Former St Georges Avenue Art school students Bauhaus hit the big time with their rendition of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” which rose to No. 15 in the British charts and earned a much-remembered appearance on Top of the Pops, but they also enjoyed a much wider & longstanding global cultural & musical influence. Bauhaus’ roots can be traced back to the heady days of punk in 1976 and the sweaty atmosphere of The Paddock & Racecourse Pavilion. Seeing Bauhaus at that time was genuinely stirring, vocalist Pete Murphy daringly provocative, toying with the audience who knew they were watching something very special. Within six weeks of their formation Bauhaus had recorded their first single, the hugely influential & what will come to be regarded as their finest hour, ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, on the Small Wonder label. A startlingly atmospheric debut, David Jay’s bass and Kevin Haskins drums provided the single with its elegant & powerful metal skeleton, whilst Murphy’s hard, haunting voice alongside Danny Ash’s dripping guitar, provided the magic. The single was chosen to appear in the Bowie film, ‘The Hunger’ with the band playing themselves. Despite the singles success of ‘Bela’ &  ‘She’s in Parties’, Bauhaus were a live phenomenon. No recording could hope to capture the riveting presence of Murphy as he writhed about the stage, the howl of Ash’s guitar and the voodoo drums & hypnotic bass of Haskins & Jay. Even the four albums, ‘Mask, In the flatfield, The Sky’s gone out & Burning from the Inside’, could not recreate those unique charismatic performances.

Kinky Northamptonshire: Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots takes you from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Having struggled to live up to his father’s hopes and dreams Charlie attempts to save the family shoe factory, Price & Son, after his father dies. In Milan, Charlie is forced to go onstage and model the boots himself. After tripping and falling flat on his face before Lola and her Angels arrive, putting on a spectacular final catwalk show to rapturous applause. Kinky Boots is not only a story of the struggling Northamptonshire boot & shoe industry but a story of hope, that people can respect and accept others for what they are without discrimination and judgement. It is an up – lifting celebration of diversity and friendships. 

I spend a lot of my free time walking along the local stretch of the Grand Union Canal, which winds it way through the county for a distance of twenty-seven miles. Whatever the weather, a visit to Stoke Bruerne and The Canal Museum is a wonderful place to spend a couple of hours, particularly for family groups with children. The Canal Museum, tucked away in the beautiful village of Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal, 7 miles (11 km) south of Northampton, is one of Northamptonshire`s best kept secrets. Assembled in a restored historic corn mill at the end of a row of traditional canal cottages, close to a flight of locks, the museum houses the first national collection of canal memorabilia, films, and displays.

For those of us who have lived, worked and raised our families in this beautiful county, it is no surprise to us, that the rest of the country is now beginning to appreciate that the county of Northamptonshire is a real gem waiting to be discovered. If you have not yet visited, The Rose of the Shires, perhaps it is about time you checked it out and Discover Northamptonshire for yourself! The county has a lot to offer the visitor, as you will soon discover!