About Northampton

​Northampton Tilers have been providing tiling solutions to local homeowners and business owners in Northampton for over 20 years.
 
Our clients have confidence in our workmanship and attention to detail which means we always deliver that high-quality finish. Contributing to the growth of the Northampton community has always been our priority.
 
Northampton is a large settlement in Northamptonshire in the East Midlands region of England. Over 225,000 people are living in the town with many more living nearby.
 
Northamptonshire County Council has its headquarters in the town hall on Abington Street; earlier it had been at County Hall in Kingsthorpe, about three miles (5 km) away. At the county level, Northampton forms part of the two-member Woodford division of Northamptonshire County Council together with Duston which is about 4 miles (6 km) from the town centre. At the borough level, Northampton is part of two wards: Abington and St James, each represented by three councillors in the Borough Council.
 
Northampton is a civil parish with town status. It was historically the county town of Northamptonshire until well after the Second World War when administrative functions were moved to Wellingborough and later to Brackley.
 
The city lies on the river nene and is surrounded by other large, very historical towns such as Wellingborough and Kettering. The River Nene flows through the town centre, although it now runs underground to reach its final destination of the North Sea at Wisbech. The Nene Valley Walk follows the river bed for much of its length through Northampton, along what used to be a thriving waterway that brought prosperity to the area. This was at the time of the British canal building in the eighteenth century. Before that, there had been a long-established wharf on what is now known as Bridge Street, from which goods were shipped around Britain and Europe.
 
There are many riverside walks on either side of the river, including those near St James's Park (south), Far Cotton Locks (south-east), and the River Valley Walkway, a green walk running from Kingsthorpe to Far Cotton (north). The Nene Way walking route follows the river bank for much of its length through Northampton.
 
Northampton accelerated growth started after it was designated as a new town in 1968. In the last few years, it has been designated as a European City of Culture and is one of England's leading new destinations.
 
A major redevelopment of the town centre area is currently underway which will bring many new businesses to the area.
 
Northampton has one of the highest urban populations for cyclists in the country as a result of its historical importance as a centre of manufacturing and more recently, distribution and retailing. The town is situated on National Cycle Route 51 which runs from Bude in Cornwall to Hornsea on the East Yorkshire coast – thus connecting many seaside resorts along with towns such as Bristol, Milton Keynes, Derby and Nottingham. Northampton also has cycle lanes running through most urban areas including links between its ring road system.
 
Winterhill Park in northern Northampton is well above sea level. This high ground creates a microclimate that allows certain plants such as heathers to flourish far south into what is otherwise an area dominated by low-lying clay. In this area, juniper can be found naturally which is quite rare in England.
 
Northampton sits at the edge of an elevated plateau area called Northampton Plateau that extends north from the town, forming a watershed between the Rivers Nene and Welland. It is bounded by numerous smaller towns including Rushden to the east, Daventry to the west and Kettering to the southeast. The people of Rothwell also consider themselves as being part of this extended northern urban area.
 
The key suburbs or districts of Northampton are Kingsthorpe, The Boroughs (including St. James and West Hunsbury), Abington, Collyweston and Duston. Other nearby settlements include Wootton Glanville, Blisworth, Towcester, Rothwell and Roade in the borough of Northamptonshire; Finedon in the district of East Northamptonshire; Olney in South Northants district; Kettering to the south-east in neighbouring South Northants district; Weedon Beck / Halse End to the north in Daventry District.
 
Northampton experiences a temperate maritime climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.
 
The town has transport links with major cities like London and Birmingham. The A45 Northampton bypass runs through the southeastern outskirts of the town around Horton Road and then alongside Delapre Park Lake where it forms part of an outer ring road for northeast Northampton, linking it to Junction 16a of the M1 motorway.
 
The area is served by Northampton Airport, which lies near the boundary of Rothwell parish and Thorplands - which is located within the Daventry district. The nearest railway stations are Northampton, Brixworth and Brackley. The closest main road linkages are the M1 motorway, A14 trunk road and A45 trunk road. The city is served by local bus operators Abus and Stagecoach.
 
Northampton's railway station is located on London's Liverpool Street line and provides direct services to London, Cambridge, Stansted Airport, Birmingham New St., Norwich, Ipswich and Ely. The line also serves parts of Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire such as Bedford; Luton Airport and Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard, Luton Airport Parkway and Harpenden as well as Peterborough and Leicester. The main bus terminal is a central location from where buses are run by several bus companies serving the locations that Peterborough, Bedford, Cambridge, Oxford and Milton Keynes.
 
Northampton is renowned for its industry, commerce and manufacturing heritage. Its large marketplace dates back to the 12th century – it hosts a farmers market each month, as well as other markets throughout the year including an antique fair. Alongside the main bus station is "The Trapezium", an indoor shopping centre with more than 60 shops anchored by the House of Fraser department store.
 
Historically, it was a major town for shoemaking and is also known for its leather industry. It has a history of musical instrument manufacture, is noted for its printing and latterly has developed an economic base in the service sector, owing to the large student population supported by two universities.
 
During the medieval period, Northampton rose to national significance with the establishment of Royal Northampton Hospital, now Northampton General Hospital (which was secularised in 1542), one of England's first teaching hospitals and a forerunner of Oxford and Cambridge; as well as what would become St Mary's Church – site of daily services during the English Reformation that gave birth to the Anglican Church from Roman Catholicism. The town hosted many Puritan clergies who influenced Thomas Cranmer's

Successful local companies include:
 
Northampton Town Football Club (Premier League football), Hatfield's Poultry (largest poultry producer in the UK), Thomas Cook Group and Northamptonshire Police Headquarters, which was designed by Norman Foster. Other major employers in Northampton include The Royal and Sun Alliance, Aviva and Deutsche Bank.
 
Northampton is a major commercial centre with some of the County's most significant historical architecture and numerous amenities including St Peters Church which became a cathedral in 1926. The Castle Theatre boasts one of the best auditoria outside London for live music and theatre shows, hosting an annual pantomime that attracts visitors from all over East Anglia and also has regular visits from West End productions. 
 
Northampton has several educational institutions across all levels. There are four secondary schools, fifteen primary schools, two special schools and seven further education colleges or sixth form colleges in Northampton – many adult and community learners also attend Northampton College (formerly known as Borough Polytechnic).
 
Northampton has two universities: "University of Northampton" (formerly known as the University College) and "De Montfort University". In recent years the town has become more popular with students from the nearby Northampton University due to its high-profile and large campus located in the West of the Town Centre. The University attracts around 12,000 students with over a hundred different nationalities represented.
 
The building that houses the University's Sir Harold Percival Library was built in 1789 as Northampton General Infirmary. It is considered to be one of the oldest purpose-built hospitals in Britain and is now a Grade II* listed building.
The other university De Monfort University Northampton is a further education college formed from the merger of Northampton College and De Montfort University's former Faculty of Art and Design, established in 1905 as Northampton Municipal Technical College.
 
The town also has two independent schools, Northampton School for Boys and Northampton School for Girls which were established in 1878 as grammar schools. In 2000 they became fully co-educational by merging the boys' school with Weston Favell Sports & Community College. They are now situated on a single site on Finch Lane which used to be occupied by the Sports College (which was demolished).
 
Northampton has a proud sports history. It is the only town to have ever been awarded England's 'Most Enterprising Town' title. It has a proud tradition with both the Saints Football Club (in the United Kingdom) and Northampton Town Football Club, which are also known as "The Cobblers" - having won numerous cup competitions in their respective leagues (Championship and League One). The success of these clubs has since slumped.
 
Notable buildings and landmarks in Northampton include "Northampton Castle", an 11th-century Norman fortification, "The King's School" and the North gate of Northampton Castle.
 
The large park in the centre is called Abington Park. In this park, there is a lake where people can go fishing. Twinned with Zutphen in the Netherlands since 1998, Northampton has been linked to its European counterpart by twinning for over 80 years.
 
Northampton was a significant centre for lace making during the 18th century. Today, remnants of lace businesses remain visible in buildings around Brackmills Industrial Estate; though long defunct, machinery for making the lace remains in situ. It has been claimed that Lace Street, a street in central Northampton, is the only street in Britain where house numbers are not uniformly sequential.
 
Northampton is Centrally Located in England within easy reach of Leicestershire (City of Leicester), Northamptonshire (Northampton), Bedfordshire (Luton, Dunstable), Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury, High Wycombe) and Cambridgeshire (Cambridge).
 
Northampton is an hour away from several major cities by road or train such as Oxford (43 miles/69 km), Cambridge (58 miles/93 km), Birmingham (67 mi/108 km), Leicester as well as Coventry. The town is also well connected by many motorways including the M1, A45 and A428 which provide quick links to London, Birmingham and the East Midlands. Northampton railway station provides connections to London Euston in 2 hours 49 minutes on the West Coast Main Line. There are also services to Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly and Hull.
 
Northampton lies on the edge of The Fens which is a low-lying area where land is reclaimed from marshland by draining it with natural streams.