Upton, Northamptonshire

Upton

Upton Hall
Upton
 Upton shown within Northamptonshire
Population 1,720 (2011 census)
590 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSP719601
    London  68 miles (109 km) 
DistrictNorthampton
Shire countyNorthamptonshire
RegionEast Midlands
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Northampton
Postcode district NN5 4A_
Dialling code 01604
Police Northamptonshire
Fire Northamptonshire
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament East Midlands
UK ParliamentNorthampton South
List of places
UK
England
Northamptonshire

Coordinates: 52°14′07″N 0°57′07″W / 52.235159°N 0.951905°W / 52.235159; -0.951905

Upton is a civil parish north-east of Kislingbury and south-west of Dallington, in Northamptonshire, England about 3.5 miles (6 km) west of Northampton town centre along the A4500 road. Formerly a scattered hamlet, it is now part of the town. The area west of Northampton is now a major area of expansion of the town and named Upton after the parish.

Demographics

The 2001 census, shows the parish's population was 590 people.[2]

Governance

It is currently part of the Upton Ward of Northampton Borough Council and the Sixfields Division of Northamptonshire County Council.[3]

History

Upton Hall

James Harington, the author of The Commonwealth of Oceana, which found little favour with Oliver Cromwell, was born in Upton Hall in 1611. He wrote the book in the nearby village of Milton Malsor. Harington's mother was Jane Samwell (or Samuell) of Upton, daughter of Sir William Samwell. The Samwells bought the hall in 1600 from the Knightley family of Fawsley[4] who had owned the hall since 1419. Most of the hall's appearance today is due to the Samwells. However, a late medieval roof remains above the hall ceiling. The front of the hall is 17th century. Sir Thomas Samwell's initials are on a rainwater head dated 1748. The Hall is a Grade I listed building. There are interesting family pictures and fine plasterwork dating from 1737. Also notable is the carved roof with late medieval tombers and the ballroom. The building is not open to the public except occasionally when Northampton Borough Council organise a heritage open day, usually a weekend in September.

Quinton House School, an independent school for 2-18 year olds, now occupies Upton Hall buildings including a modern sports hall.[5]

St Michael's Church

The church is adjacent to the school and alongside the busy A45 road and is Norman, and Norman windows survive.[4] The tower is 14th century. There is a monument to Sir Richard Knightley (d.1537) and a memorial tablet to Thomas Samwell Watson Samwell (d.1835).

Saxon building

West of the church are the remains of a 6th or 7th century Saxon timber building, excavated in 1965.

References

  1. 2011 census covering local district of Upton, including representative postcode NN5 4AF, Accessed 2014_01_13
  2. Office for National Statistics: Upton CP: Parish headcounts. Retrieved 25 November 2009
  3. Northampton Borough Council, Ward Boundaries, published 14 December 2009
  4. 1 2 Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1961). The Buildings of England Northamptonshire. London and New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 437–9. ISBN 978-0-300-09632-3.
  5. Quinton House School website. Retrieved 25 November 2009

External links

Media related to Upton, Northamptonshire at Wikimedia Commons

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