Historic and cultural sites invited to take part in Heritage Open Days

/in , , /by
Historic and cultural sites across West Northamptonshire are invited to take part in this year’s Heritage Open Days, which will take place between 8 and 17 September.

Venues such as stately homes, buildings of historic interest, museums, places of worship and archaeological sites can now register to participate in Heritage Open Days, which is England’s largest annual festival of history and culture.

The festival offers the public free entry to places which might normally be closed, or have an entrance fee, and many venues taking part will be connected by Northampton Transport Heritage buses, offering a free hop-on hop-off service.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is an official promoter of the event and a list of all participating attractions and events is available on the Council website to endorse the festival and boost visitor numbers. This will be updated as more attractions register, so make sure to keep checking back!

Councillor Adam Brown, Deputy Leader of WNC and Cabinet Member for Housing, Culture and Leisure, said: “West Northamptonshire has a wealth of historic and cultural sites and Heritage Open Days are a brilliant opportunity to showcase them to visitors from all over the country, helping to promote tourism and boost local the local economy.

“With increased numbers of people expected in town centres during the week-long festival, businesses in the Brackley, Daventry, Towcester and Northampton areas also have a great opportunity to promote themselves and show visitors what they have to offer, and the WNC Economy Team will be on hand to help with this.

“I strongly encourage any historic and cultural attractions to sign up and get involved – let’s make this year’s Heritage Open Days in West Northamptonshire the biggest and best yet!”

Registration can be completed by emailing economy@westnorthants.gov.uk. For more information, please visit the Heritage Open Days page on the WNC website. Sites can also register on the national Heritage Open Days website.

Boughton History

/in , /by

The village has a long history and is mentioned in Domesday Book in 1086, when the population was 39 households, which, at that time, was considered very large. The Tenant in Chief in 1086 was the Countess Judith who was a niece of William the Conqueror. The name Boughton comes from Bucca or “goat” farm. The earliest reference to the Manor of Boughton was in the early 11th century, although the settlement is known to pre-date this. The village is rich in archaeological remains, including Saxon and Roman sites. There are also two barrows, one at Bunkers Hill, and the other at Boughton Grange. The site of an old motte and bailey is believed to lie within Boughton Pocket Park.

In the 18th century the estate was bought by the Earl of Strafford. He had a passion for landscape structures and follies and is recognised as an amateur architect. All the gothic-style follies still standing in Boughton Park were created during his ownership. The Boughton Estate then passed into the Howard-Vyse family, who eventually sold the whole village at auction in 1927. The present church was built in the 14th century as a Chantry and Boughton Hall was constructed in 1844 near the footprint of the original manor, where Charles I played bowls in 1647. The Methodist chapel was built in 1804 and flourished between the wars but with attendance declining, it closed in the
1970s.

In the 18th century the estate was bought by the Earl of Strafford.

The present village hall was built in 1967, replacing the original hall built in 1927. There were originally two public houses, The Lion and The Griffin and the present Whyte Melville public house was opened in 1928.

The ruined church of St John the Baptist lies on the east side of Boughton Green. Its tower and spire fell in 1786. Boughton Fair, reputed to be the biggest in the country, was held here from 1351 until 1916. On the Green stood a shepherd’s turf maze, thought to be of pagan origin. It was dug up during military exercises in 1914.