City/Region: Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK
General Introduction
Northampton is an attractive County town advantageously located at the cross roads of central England with a population of 200,000. The Town’s excellent communications and extensive range of facilities make it the perfect choice for re-location and inward investment. In recent years Northampton has achieved many successes with thousands of new homes and jobs having been created, the Town has adapted well to economic change.
Northampton has developed into an important regional business centre for many of Britain’s top companies partly due to the unbeatable geographical location but also as a result of its adaptable workforce.
It’s economy has diversified, experiencing a growth in the distribution and service industries to match its traditional strength in manufacturing. And as proof of Northampton’s ability to re-invent itself, the former shoe factories have had life breathed into them once again as an urban renaissance sees them provide homes for the town’s ever-increasing population.
Companies such as Nationwide and Barclaycard have helped secure Northampton’s status as a regional centre for finance: Nationwide, the largest building society in Britain, has its administrative centre with just under 2,000 employees in Northampton; Barclaycard relocated its headquarters within the town having been here since its beginnings. Big name players like Avon Cosmetics (the largest direct-selling company in the UK), Carlsberg Tetley (one of Britain’s largest brewers and drinks wholesalers) and Cosworth Engineering have joined established shoe firms, such as Church’s and Crockett & Jones, to capitalise on the town’s outstanding communication links and the skills of its workforce.
The Town can offer easy access to the rest of the United Kingdom and 57% of the U.K’s population, and 50% of production are located within 100 miles (2 hours travelling) of the Town.
History
Archaeological evidence points to extensive occupation within Northampton borough almost 7,000 years ago, during the New Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The area was also well settled during the Roman period with a small town at Duston and villas and famrs in the surrounding countryside.
From the late seventh century onwards, possibly earlier, Northampton is thought to have been a the head of an extensive royal estate and although not yet a town, played an important role as a regional centre in the Kingdom of Mercia.
A hundred years later, Northampton became an administrative centre for the Danes and then the setting for Parliament and favourite royal residence for the monarchs of England from Henry I to Richard II.
Northampton’s position strengthened with the building of a prestigious eleventh-century Norman castle. It was here in 1164 that Henry II brought his former friend, Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, to answer charges made against him. It was from Northampton that Becket escaped to France.
It was also during this period of royal favour that one of the most significant events in the history of the Borough of Northampton took place : in 1189 Richard I granted Northampton its first Charter giving the town ‘all free customs and liberties’
King John, who spent much of his reign in residence in Northampton, confirmed the Charter in 1200 and gave the burgesses the right to make a reeve was elected annually and became known as the ‘port reeve’ as opposed to the ‘shire reeve’ or sheriff of the county. The appointment marked the constitutional separation of the borough from the county.
By the thirteenth century, the Norman word ‘mayor’ had been adopted to describe the port reeve and Northampton was firmly established with an independent local govenrment body. The mayor and burgesses together comprised a distinct corporate body and so established the concept of a municipal corporation.
Travel to City
Northampton is located on the M1 equal distance from London and Birmingham and there are first class motorway links to all parts of the Country via the M6, the M25, and the M40, and other strategic routes include the new A43 dual carriageway from Northampton to Oxford linking up to Southampton, and the A14 to the East Coast ports.
Northampton’s Castle Station provides a frequent service to London and Birmingham, and provides ready access to Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow via the West Coast main line.
International airports at Heathrow, Luton, Birmingham and East Midlands are all within a 1½ hour travel, and a local airport at Sywell adjoining the Town has facilities for business and freight services as well as a private aerodrome.
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