Upton, Northampton
| Upton | |
| Northamptonshire | |
|---|---|
 Upton Hall | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP719601 |
| Location: | 52°14’7"N, 0°57’7"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 590 |
| Post town: | Northampton |
| Postcode: | NN5 |
| Dialling code: | 01604 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | West Northamptonshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Northampton South |
Upton is a village in Northamptonshire that forms a neighbourhood on the western edge of Northampton. It is about 3½ miles west of Northampton town centre, along the A45 road.
Formerly Upton was a scattered hamlet, though 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.
The 2001, shows the parish's population was 590 people.
Quinton House School, an independent school for 2-18 year olds, now occupies Upton Hall buildings[1].
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[2] who had owned the hall since 1419.
Most of the hall's appearance today is due to the Samwells. However, a late mediæval 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 mediæval 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.
St Michael's Church
The parish church is St Michael's, which stands next to the school and alongside the busy A45 road. Notwithstanding the pervading modernity of the area's developments, St Michael's is of timeless Norman origin, and its Norman windows survive[2]. The tower is 14th century.
The church contains a monument to Sir Richard Knightley (d.1537) and a memorial tablet to Thomas Samwell Watson Samwell (d.1835).
Anglo-Saxon building
West of the church are the remains of a 6th or 7th century Anglo-Saxon timber building, excavated in 1965.
References
- ↑ Quinton House School website. Retrieved 25 November 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Upton, Northampton) |
