Raunds
Raunds | |
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Raunds Raunds shown within Northamptonshire | |
Population | 8,641 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SP9972 |
District |
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Shire county |
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Region |
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Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WELLINGBOROUGH |
Postcode district | NN9 |
Dialling code | 01933 |
Police | Northamptonshire |
Fire | Northamptonshire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
EU Parliament | East Midlands |
UK Parliament |
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Raunds /ˈrɔːndz/ is a small market town in rural Northamptonshire, England. It has a population of 8,641 (2011 census), is a civil parish, and is part of the East Northamptonshire district.
Contents
1 Geography
2 History
3 Notable buildings
4 Demography
5 Transport
5.1 Road
5.2 Bus
5.3 Rail
5.4 Waterways
6 Trade
7 Education
8 Culture
9 Sport and leisure
9.1 Football
9.2 Cricket
9.3 Archery
10 Mayors of Raunds
11 Town councillors
11.1 Saxon Ward
11.2 Windmill Ward
12 Notable former and current residents
13 Nearby settlements
14 References
15 Further reading
16 External links
Geography
Raunds is situated 21 miles (34 km) north-east of Northampton. The town is on the southern edge of the Nene Valley and surrounded by arable farming land.
Nearest civilian airports are Luton 50 miles and East Midlands 65 miles.
Raunds is close to Stanwick Lakes, a country park developed from gravel pits and managed by the Rockingham Forest Trust.[1] This park is internationally recognised for its birdlife and can be reached on foot from Raunds along Meadow Lane bridleway.
History
In the mid-1980s, during sand excavations in the Nene Valley, the remains of a Roman villa were discovered. Excavation of the area, near Stanwick, was delayed by several years while archaeologists studied the remains. In 2002 Channel 4's Time Team excavated a garden and found remains of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery.[2]
The place-name 'Raunds' is first attested in an Anglo-Saxon charter of circa 972-992, where it appears as Randan. It appears as Rande in the Domesday Book of 1086, and in a later survey of Northamptonshire as Raundes. The name is the plural of the Old English rand, meaning 'border'.[3]
Raunds played a role in the boot and shoe industry until its decline in the 1950s and '60s. In 1905 a dispute arose about wages to be paid to army bootmakers, which culminated in a march to London in May that year.[4] Several factories remained into the early 1990s but all are now closed, with many being demolished and housing estates built. The Coggins boot factory was the last to go, and the site of it is now Coggins Close. The land on which the shoe factory and the original Coggins houses stood (not Coggins Close), was purchased by Robert Coggins on 25 February 1899 from the Duchy of Lancaster, for the sum of £14.10s.0d (£14.50). The houses are still there, but were sold to Charles Robinson of Wellingborough in 1934. Robert Coggins lived in the hall where his picture hangs in the meeting room, and he is buried in St Peter's Churchyard. There is no industry in the town now, although there are some industrial sites on the outskirts.
Raunds once held the record for the highest temperature in Britain at 36.7 °C (98.1 °F), set on 10 August 1911, which stood until 1990.[5]
The most famous woman produced by Raunds was Ada Salter (1866-1942), a visionary and environmentalist who aimed at the 'beautification' of the world. She did not just campaign against slums, bad working conditions, high-rise blocks, and air pollution but promoted music, art, children's playgrounds, parks, health, games and sports in the belief that people would become better - physically, mentally and ethically - if they were brought into contact with nature and surrounded by beauty in every shape and form.
Born Ada Brown, Ada left her home at Thorpe House in Raunds at the age of 30, on a mission to bring beauty to the slums of London. In Bermondsey and on the London County Council she was able to put her ideals into practice. Along the way, she married the legendary doctor, Alfred Salter, and became the first woman mayor in London and one of the first in Britain. Her life was, however, marred by tragedy. She insisted on living in the slums herself, with her husband, and an epidemic of scarlet fever killed Joyce, their only child. The heavy price the Salters paid for their idealism is recognised by the Salter Statues, an ensemble of statues on the south bank of the Thames just east of Tower Bridge. They commemorate in bronze Ada, Alfred and their beloved daughter.
Raunds was also the home of broadcaster, writer and television personality Sir David Frost in his youth, when his father, Paradine Frost, was a minister at the Methodist church, before moving to Beccles in Suffolk.[citation needed]
Notable buildings
The Historic England website contains details of a total of 19 listed buildings and six scheduled monuments at or in the vicinity of Raunds.[6] Amongst them are:
St Peter's Church, Church Street.- The Manor House, 2 Manor Street.
St Peter's, CoE is in the Diocese of Peterborough and St Thomas More's, RC is in the Diocese of Northampton.
Demography
- In 1801 there were 800 persons[7]
- In 1831 there were 1,370 persons[7]
- In 1841 there were 1,653 persons[7]
- In 2011 there were 8,641 persons[8]
Transport
Road
Raunds is adjacent to the A45 and close to the A14 jct 13. Access to the M1 and A1 is close and the A14 runs from Britain's largest container port at Felixstowe in Suffolk to join the M6. Consequently, the area attracts distribution companies warehouses.
Bus
Bus services are limited, the X46 links the town with Wellingborough, Rushden and Northampton, running half-hourly. There are intermittent routes to Huntingdon and a local service termed the 'Raunds Rover'.
Rail
Connections are provided by East Midlands Trains from Wellingborough and Kettering railway stations, for direct trains to London St Pancras International, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.
There was once a Raunds railway station, on the Midland Railway's cross-country line from Kettering to Huntingdon, closed in September 1959, and which gave access to St Ives and Cambridge, though Raunds station was sited 1½ miles from the town. It was also planned that the Midland's Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers branch, also closed in 1959, would continue to Raunds, but landowners prevented it.[citation needed]
The Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (the forerunner of the Great Central), proposed a line from Doncaster to Raunds in an early version of its bid to build a trunk line to the capital. This line never came to fruition, and the company eventually built its London Extension via Nottingham, Leicester, Rugby and Brackley.
Waterways
Stanwick Lakes are within walking or cycling distance of Raunds, and river ways connect to the Nene Valley river section. By boat, Oundle can be reached in a day. The Nene Valley river section connects to the Middle Level Navigation System, making it possible to reach Cambridge and Peterborough. The nearest marina is Willy Watt's in Ringstead, Northamptonshire.
Trade
There are many small businesses and many people commute to larger centres for work. Raunds is home to a Hotpoint distribution centre, and depots for Robert Wiseman Dairies, Avery Dennison, DPD[9], Howdens Joinery and Dr. Martens[10], all located on the Warth Park estate. Raunds Co-operative Society ran a supermarket and department store and had 4,000 members until 2007 when it merged with the larger Midlands Co-operative Society. There is also an Asda store in the town, which opened on the 24th April 2017[11]. The shops still operate.
A market is held on Fridays in the square. Regular stalls include butchers, plant stockists, home-made jewellery and confectioners. Local organisations and clubs can also set up a stall.[citation needed]
Education
Raunds has:
- a day nursery[12]
- a playgroup[13]
- an infant school[14]
- a primary school[15]
- a junior school[16]
- a secondary school,[17]
Culture
Raunds holds an annual music festival over a weekend in early May.[18] Events include: rock, jazz and folk concerts starring nationally and internationally known artists, performances by Raunds Community Choir and Raunds Temperance Band, song and tune sessions, dancing displays, a ceilidh and an annual youth dance competition.
Raunds Music and Drama Society (MADS) holds several stage performances throughout the year.[19]
The town holds a Christmas festival in the square. Continental markets are held annually to celebrate neighbouring countries.
Woodbine Working Men's Club (1901-2005) and the Conservative Club (1920 to date) have offered community and recreational facilities.
For the past few years, an annual beer festival has been held at the cricket club. This features a range of local beers and ciders, as well as traditional world beverages, accompanied by local music artists.[20]
Sport and leisure
Football
Raunds Town F.C. are at Kiln Park and play in the United Counties League. As well as the first team, they also have reserve, women's and youth teams.
Raunds Tigers F.C. focus on junior football and have several youth teams.
Cricket
Raunds Town Cricket Club have a ground in Marshalls Road. The team plays in the Northamptonshire Cricket League.
Archery
Archers of Raunds meet at Manor School and Sports College.
Mayors of Raunds
In 2005, Raunds Town Council decided to elect a Mayor rather than having a chairman of the council.
Holders of the post have been:
- 2005-06: Cameron Smith
- 2007-08: Michelle Goring
- 2008-10: Peter Wathen
- 2010-13: Michael Clements
- 2013-14: Pauline Williams
- 2014-15: Louisa Thomas
- 2015-17: Helen Howell
- 2017-18: Nicholas Beck
- 2018-...: Richard Levell
Town councillors
Saxon Ward
- Deborah Jones
- Helen Howell
- Dudley Hughes
- Bill Tirebuck
- Robert Tyman
- Lee Wilkes
Windmill Ward
- Rosalie Beattie
- Nicholas Beck
- Jamie Duff
- Marion Hind
- Sylvia Hughes
- Richard Levell
Notable former and current residents
George Gage, 16th century landowner
Henry Gage, 16th century landowner
Nearby settlements
Ringstead, Keyston, Stanwick, Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Thrapston, Hargrave, Wellingborough, Irthlingborough, Chelveston
References
^ Rockingham Forest Trust
^ Time Team investigation
^ Eilert Ekwall,The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 381.
^ Boot makers march to London
^ UK weatherworld[permanent dead link]
^ "Historic England – The List". Retrieved 2015-09-11..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abc William Whellan & Co. (1849). History, Gazetteer and Directory for Northamptonshire. Whittaker & Co. p. 879.
^ Office for National Statistics, Census
^ "DPD depot finder". Retrieved 14 December 2016.
^ "Warth Park Phase I, Raunds, Northamptonshire - Roxhill". Roxhill. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
^ "ASDA Raunds - Opening on Monday 24th April". UK Local Councils. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
^ Raunds Rainbow Nursery School
^ Raunds Playgroup
^ Park Infants
^ Windmill Primary School
^ St. Peter's Junior School
^ Manor School and Sports College
^ Raunds Music Festival Website
^ Raunds Music and Drama Society Archived 21 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
Further reading
- Hall, David; Raunds: Picturing the past (F.W. March, 1988)
ISBN 0-9509908-3-3
External links
- 16. Raunds Town Council
- Raunds War Memorials Research
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