Irthlingborough
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2015) |
Irthlingborough | |
---|---|
St Peter's Church, Irthlingborough | |
Location within Northamptonshire | |
Population | 9,325 (2021)[1] |
OS grid reference | SP945705 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WELLINGBOROUGH |
Postcode district | NN9 |
Dialling code | 01933 |
Police | Northamptonshire |
Fire | Northamptonshire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Irthlingborough Town Council |
Irthlingborough (
History
The town's name origin is uncertain. '
Irthlingborough was called Yrtlingaburg in the 8th century,[3] Erdiburn in the Domesday Book of 1086, and Artleborough later.[4] King Offa of Mercia held court near Irthlingborough circa 790.[5]
John Pyel, the mayor of London in 1372, is believed to have been born at Irthlingborough circa 1310.
Mining
In the past, ironstone was mined near Irthlingborough, and as part of the local ironstone mine, a tunnel was bored between Irthlingborough and nearby Finedon. The tunnel still exists, but the Irthlingborough end has been landscaped over, and the Finedon end sealed with concrete. Irthlingborough railway station closed in 1964 to passengers.[citation needed] http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/i/irthlingborough/index.shtml
Iron ore was mined at Irthlingborough from 1918. The mine was owned and operated by Richard Thomas & Baldwin's Ltd., the ore being sent to RTB's Redbourne steelworks in Scunthorpe. The ore was extracted from a system of underground tunnels approximately 80-100ft below the surface. The mine was closed down as no longer economic on 30th September 1965.[6]
Quarrying
More recently, the River Nene floodplains between the town and its neighbour, Higham Ferrers, have been quarried for gravel. Quarrying in the area was extensive, stretching to Northampton in the west (upstream) and Thorpe Waterville in the north-northeast (downstream). The quarries were later left to fill with water to produce artificial lakes.
In 2012, the area was acquired by The Wildlife Trust, and has since been turned into Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows, a nature reserve.[7] It will be part of the Upper Nene Valley Special Protection Area.[8]
Geography
The A6 used to pass through the town, but was bypassed in the 1930s to the north. The former route is the B5348. Irthlingborough Viaduct[9] was built in 1936 and connects the town to Higham Ferrers and the busy A45. The A45 (former A605) is a more dependable road than the A6, being less twisty and with fewer tractors in the traffic.
Local economy
Education
There is an infant school, with nursery attached, a junior school and one secondary school, Huxlow Academy, which has a sixth form that is part of the east Northamptonshire sixth form college.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter.[10]Local radio stations are BBC Radio Northampton on 103.6 FM, Heart East on 96.6 FM and Smooth East Midlands (formerly Connect FM) on 107.4 FM.The town is served by the local newspaper, Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph.[11]
Sport
Between 2001 and 2006 Irthlingborough held the distinction of being the smallest town to hold a
References
- ^ a b "Population of Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire". City Population, from National Statistics.
- ^ "Key to English Place-names".
- ISBN 978-0198527589.,
- ^ William Page, ed. (1930). A History of the County of Northamptonshire. Victoria County History. Vol. 3. p. 207.
- ^ "Charter". Nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Wright, Ian L. (February 1966). "Empty to Irthlingborough". Railway Magazine. Vol. 112, no. 778. pp. 100–102.
- ^ "ERRP | Expired Registration Recovery Policy". The Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Northamptonshire's Upper Nene Valley is Europe's newest Special Protection Area". Natural England. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012.
- ^ "Geograph:: Irthlingborough Viaduct © Will Lovell".
- ^ "Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter". May 2004.
- ^ "Northamptonshire Telegraph". British Papers. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
External links
- Irthlingborough Historical Society
- A History of Irthlingborough Iron Ore Mine.(for Laptops & Desktops)
- A History of Irthlingborough Iron Ore Mine.(for Mobiles)
- Parish Church of St Peter, Irthlingborough
- BBC page