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Raunds

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Raunds
Population8,641 (2011)
OS grid referenceSP9972
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWELLINGBOROUGH
Postcode districtNN9
Dialling code01933
PoliceNorthamptonshire
FireNorthamptonshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Northamptonshire

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.

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.

Raunds is close to Stanwick Lakes;[1] a country park developed from gravel pits and managed by the Rockingham Forest Trust.[2] 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, Northamptonshire, 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.[3]

St Peter's Church, where building work was started in the 13th Century, has the second tallest spire in Northamptonshire at 202 feet (61.5m). The church stands on the site of a Saxon place of worship. During the 15th century patronage of the church changed from St Mary to St Peter. The church features a rare 'left-handed fiddler' decoration above the western entrance. A tombchest dedicated to John Wales, vicar from 1447 to 1496, proves the building has been in use for more than 550 years.

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. 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 Peters 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]

Raunds was 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. It appears that he was a good cricketer, topping the averages at the cricket club in 1956.
The town is also the home of the internationally acclaimed composer and musician Alan Goose who has been a resident since birth.

Raunds was visited by the Channel 4 programme 'Inbetweeners' on 19 January 2011, in connection with the Comic Relief fund-raising 'Rude Road Trip', because of the interesting signs: Titty Ho and Butts Road.

Transport

Road

Raunds is adjacent to the A45 and close to the A14. Access to the M1 and A1 is close and the A14 runs into the M6. Consequently the area attracts distribution companies, and there are many warehouses.

Bus

Bus services are limited, the X46 links the town with Wellingborough 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 stations.

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 inconveniently 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.

In what would have been a far more ambitious scheme, 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 (see section on Road transport). Raunds is home to a Hotpoint distribution centre, and depots for Robert Wiseman Dairies and Avery Dennison. 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. 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.

Education

Raunds has:

  • a day nursery[6]
  • a playgroup[7]
  • an infant school[8]
  • a primary school[9]
  • a junior school[10]
  • a secondary school,[11]

Culture

Raunds holds an annual music festival over a weekend in early May.[12] 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.[13]

The town holds a Christmas festival in the square. Continental markets are held annually to celebrate neighbouring countries.

Woodbine Working Mens 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, all accompianied by local music artists.[14]

Sport and leisure

Football

Raunds Town FC are at Kiln Park and play in the United Counties Football League. As well as the first team, they also have reserve, women's and youth teams.
Raunds Tigers FC 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 League.

Archery

Archers of Raunds meet at Manor School and Sports College - everyone is welcome whatever their age or ability.

Mayors of Raunds

Raunds Town Council Offices

In 2005, Raunds Town Council decided to elect a Mayor rather than having a chairman of the council.

Holders of the post have been:

2005-2006: Lisa Costello
2007-2008: Michelle Goring
2008-2009: Peter Wathen
2009-2010: Peter Wathen
2010-2012: Michael Clements

Nearby settlements

Ringstead, Keyston, Stanwick, Rushden, Higham Ferrers, Thrapston, Hargrave, Wellingborough, Irthlingborough, Chelveston.

References

  1. ^ Stanwick Lakes Country Park
  2. ^ Rockingham Forest Trust
  3. ^ Time Team investigation
  4. ^ Boot makers march to London
  5. ^ UK weatherworld
  6. ^ Raunds Rainbow Nursery School
  7. ^ Raunds Playgroup
  8. ^ Park Infants
  9. ^ Windmill Primary School
  10. ^ St. Peter's Junior School
  11. ^ Manor School and Sports College
  12. ^ Raunds Music Festival Website
  13. ^ Raunds Music and Drama Society
  14. ^ http://www.raundsbeerfestival.co.uk/

Sources

  • Hall, David; Raunds: Picturing the past (F.W. March, 1988) ISBN 0-9509908-3-3
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