Whats Northampton like?

[The-Crow]

Northampton is also known as being a load of cobblers ,as it once was the shoe centre of England

The football team is called the cobblers too.

A famous landmark is the lift testing tower built by Express many years ago

The Express Lift Tower is a former lift testing tower built by the Express Lift Company off the Weedon Road in Northampton, England. The structure was commissioned in 1978 with construction commencing in 1980, and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on November 12, 1982.

Designed by architect Maurice Walton of Stimpson and Walton, the tower is 127.45 metres (418.1 feet) tall, 14.6 m (47.9 ft) in diameter but tapers to 8.5 m (27.9 ft) at the top. The only lift testing tower in Britain, it was granted Grade II listed building status on October 30, 1997, at the time making it the youngest listed building in the UK.

It gained the nickname "The Northampton Lighthouse" from broadcaster Terry Wogan on his BBC Radio 2 programme. The building has never been open to the general public

[PocketLady]

A massive downside to Northampton is that the bus station was voted the 2nd ugliest building in the UK

[The-Crow]

The Balloon festival is in mid August . We once had arranged to take the mayor for a flight on launch day, but a gust of wind blew the envelope against a trailer and ripped a 6ft hole in the side of it ooouch. We took this picture as we took off the next day

[PocketLady]

I live right on that park, I can see the balloons go up from my flat!

[The-Crow]

Which one are you

[Snatiramas]

I have mixed emotions about Northampton...........it seems okay but the rugby ground is the only place I have ever been spat at........not pleasant and has happened to other Leicester supporters too. I refuse to go there now. Some of the villages in Northamptonshire are very pretty and there are lunatics in every society.......and if it gets you down to blondeville aka the G in Luton then come on down

[Dingdell]

I live right on that park, I can see the balloons go up from my flat!

Me too!

Northampton is a town that thinks it's a village, lots of 'local people' who tend not to travel to Milton Keynes (half an hour away) unless they make it a day trip because it's such a long way....

Lots of lovely villages, close to Market Harborough another market town and obviously not far from places like Althrop and Castle Ashby. Some nice wine bars, good pub restaurants particularly in the villages just outside of town and most importantly at the moment house prices are very reasonable.

Grange Park is the new development at junction 15 of the M1 and has a higher earning limit per person than Knightsbridge, a lot of people have moved from London and commute to Mk from junction 15 and get the train from there. The Northampton train service is a branch line so most people either go to Mk or Wellingborough.

I fell in love with Northampton just over 10 years ago and have never wanted to move away. It's one of the greenest counties in the country and boasts several large parks in the town area including one with a bandstand and aviary. It's lovely, I'd recommend it.

[DaveShoelace]

Thanks for all the responses everyone, me and missus shoelace both like the idea for its sheer location and no other reason, so expect more threads saying 'whats peterborough like' and 'whats coventry like' very soon.

And thanks to Crow for cutting and pasting from wikipedia

[TheChipPrince]

Northampton is also known as being a load of cobblers ,as it once was the shoe centre of England

Wasnt 'Kinky Boots' based in Northampton?

[kinboshi]

Thanks for all the responses everyone, me and missus shoelace both like the idea for its sheer location and no other reason, so expect more threads saying 'whats peterborough like' and 'whats coventry like' very soon.

If it was me, I'd look at somewhere close to Northampton, rather than Northampton itself.  But that's just personal preference.

However, in comparison to Coventry and Peterborough, I might have to say that I'd favour Northampton...

[PocketLady]

Thanks for all the responses everyone, me and missus shoelace both like the idea for its sheer location and no other reason, so expect more threads saying 'whats peterborough like' and 'whats coventry like' very soon.

And thanks to Crow for cutting and pasting from wikipedia

I'm probably biased because I've lived here so long, but if it's a choice between places around here, say Birmingham, Luton, Leicester, Nottingham, Coventry, Peterborough, and Northampton then I think it's probably the winner.  A really nice place in the general vicinity is Oxford, but it's very expensive to live there (and the nearest casino is in London... )

[kinboshi]

Thanks for all the responses everyone, me and missus shoelace both like the idea for its sheer location and no other reason, so expect more threads saying 'whats peterborough like' and 'whats coventry like' very soon.

And thanks to Crow for cutting and pasting from wikipedia

I'm probably biased because I've lived here so long, but if it's a choice between places around here, say Birmingham, Luton, Leicester, Nottingham, Coventry, Peterborough, and Northampton then I think it's probably the winner.  A really nice place in the general vicinity is Oxford, but it's very expensive to live there (and the nearest casino is in London... )

Whereas I'd go for a place close to Nottingham or Leicester (out of those choices).  I'd also avoid Oxford like the plague. 

It all depends on what you want from a place, and it's so subjective.

[TightEnd]

Dave, I know Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire pretty well. Speaking specifically of Northamptonshire, some corking villages around all easily accessible to Northampton itself and via A43 and A428 to both M1 and A1

Give me a shout if you want specific recommendations

I like Northampton itself, though of the towns mentioned I'd personally pick Nottingham over any of them. Parts of Oxford are great, but the place itself suffers big time from traffic gridlock and inaccessibility at the times you are most likely to want to get around!

[david3103]

As an exiled Northamptonian living in The Great NorthEast I have to say I've never been tempted to move back home due to the absence of hills, coastline, moors, space on the roads and a few things besides

it's been a while since I sampled the town centre but I doubt it's much different from any other major conurbation - a mix of Greggs/Wetherspoons/Poundsave/Waterstones etc

however - Northamptonshire well deserves it's soubriquet of County of Spires and Squires and has more than it's share of old country churches and manor houses...



PS PocketLady - you must live near my dad!

[Nakor]

I live right on that park, I can see the balloons go up from my flat!

Is the White Elephant still open?  I really must get back to Northampton for a weekend, so many good times.