Written Stories

We are delighted to be able to share the following written stories about people’s personal experiences and memories of Northampton and Corby.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN WRITTEN STORY

Corby during my time

Many thanks for this wonderful story which was shared via our Instagram page. Corby during my time was full of such wonderful stories, there was a lot of wonderful characters […]

Thanks to Stevie Gray for sending us this story. The image is taken from Northampton Development Corporation advertising literature. We came to the Eastern District to Thorplands in November 1973. […]

This map was created by Northampton Development Corporation, showing the new areas designated for housing. Th eold town is shown in grey, with coloured areas showing new housing, schools, green space and retail estates.

My memory of the Eastern Districts being developed

Thanks to Russell Mutton for sharing this story with us. The image is from Northampton Development Corporations plans to expand the town. I went to school at Cherry Orchard school. […]

Battered fish and chips with a wedge of lemon on some newspaper

College Street chippy for a treat

Thanks to Roger Hilliard for sending this story to us. This is my memory of Northampton before ‘ progress”. It was a market town very similar to Market Harborough now. […]

This image shows the story author as a child with his sister, they are sitting ona. tractor at Wicksteed Park in the 9160s. The image is black and white . The child to the left has short blonde hair and glasses, the older child to the right has short darker hair.

Growing up on the Westone estate as Northampton became new.

Thank you to Mike Packwood for submitting this story. The lead image is of him and his sister ‘learning to drive’ at Wicksteed Park in the 60s. We moved to […]

This image shows a private housing development set in the Eastern District. There is a grassy area to the front of the image and some young trees. A yellow car sis in a car park in front of a cream house. Three other brown houses are shown as well.

Brookside Community Centre playgroup in the ’70s

This story is from Lynda Austin and her time working at the play group at Brookside Community Centre from 1974 until 1976. The image is of Thorplands Brook private development […]

This image shows the Lumbertubs Estate when it was newly built. In the foreground is a shop with an orage telephone box and well kept grass between paths. To the rear of the image are rows of houses.

On the beat in the Eastern District

Thanks to Dave for submitting this story. The image is of Lumbertubs estate when it was newly built. I was a kid growing up in the ‘60s on the Eastfield […]

This shows a map of Northampton and surrounding areas from the 1953 series OS Mapping, before the New Town developments had started.

Teaching at Lings Upper School in the ’70s

Memories from Mr H I taught in a large new school that opened in 1974 in the development area. Our first year started off with 80 students and by the […]

A sign for the Road to Morocco pub, which has a cockerel on the top, set against a sky with the sun setting.

BaNoNanga!

Thank you so much to Richard Lyon for sending us his modern day Northampton banger and this explanation to go with it! After long spells living in London and Manchester […]

Image of a large walking dragline. The sky is blue and the ground is sand coloured. The dragline has a large body with a white top half and to the right is a large boon arm. The structure is huge.

‘I Wouldn’t Necessarily Start from Here…’

A memory of growing up in Corby from 1962 – 1972, by David Robinson. I was a teenager in Corby from 1962, when my Dad Keith’s job progression from Cransley […]

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