Nine years later, the county was described as "a county enjoying the reputation of being one of the healthiest and pleasantest parts of England" although the towns were "of small importance" with the exceptions of Peterborough and Northampton. In summer, the county hosted "a great number of wealthy families... country seats and villas are to be seen at every step." [20] Northamptonshire is still referred to as the county of "spires and squires" because of the numbers of stately homes and ancient churches. [21] The county has an area of 2,364 km 2 (913 sq mi) and a population of 747,622. The latter is concentrated in the centre of the county, which contains the county's largest towns: Northampton (243,511), Corby (68,164), Kettering (63,144), and Wellingborough (54,412). The northeast and southwest are rural. The county contains two local government districts, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire, which are both unitary authority areas. The county historically included Market Harborough and the Soke of Peterborough. The gap in the hills at Watford Gap meant that many south-east to north-west routes passed through Northamptonshire. Watling Street, a Roman Road which is now part of the A5, passes through here, as did canals, railways and major roads in later years. The route of the planned High Speed 2 railway line (between London and Birmingham) will go through the southern part of the county but without any stations. [ citation needed] Buses edit Desborough: A small town located to the north west of Kettering, with a population of around 8,000, Desborough developed due to the weaving and spinning industries, it was originally and Anglo-Saxon settlement.

Regional MPs & Local Authority Links". Northamptonshire Chamber. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 . Retrieved 16 August 2018.

The Rushden Historical Transport Society, operators of the Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway, would like to see the railway fully reopen between Wellingborough and Higham Ferrers. Northamptonshire County Council 'should be split up', finds damning report". ITV News. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018 . Retrieved 30 May 2018. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ( link)

Most buses are operated by Stagecoach Midlands. Some town area routes have been named the Corby Star, Connect Kettering, Connect Wellingborough and Daventry Dart; the last three of these routes have route designations that include a letter (such as A, D1, W1, W2). Stagecoach's X4 route provides interurban links across the county, running between Northampton, Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby, Oundle and Peterborough. Northampton is the birthplace of composer Malcolm Arnold (born 21 October 1921) and of actor Marc Warren (born 20 March 1967). Midland Championships". midlandchampionships.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014 . Retrieved 12 July 2014. The county road network (excluding trunk roads and motorways), managed by West Northamptonshire Council and North Northamptonshire Council, includes the A45 west of the M1 motorway, the A43 between Northampton and the county boundary near Stamford, the A361 between Kilsby and Banbury (Oxon) and all B, C and unclassified roads. Since 2009, these highways have been managed on behalf of the county council by MGWSP, a joint venture between May Gurney and WSP.

Popular Destinations

Northamptonshire Chamber :: Major Northamptonshire employers". 26 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010 . Retrieved 20 January 2018. Northants ASA". northantsasa.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018 . Retrieved 4 November 2018. Lincolnshire County Council". Thebythams.org.uk. 24 October 2005. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009 . Retrieved 25 September 2010.

Northamptonshire (UK Parliament constituency) - historical list of MPs for the Northamptonshire constituency English Partnerships - Corby". 23 June 2004. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004 . Retrieved 20 January 2018. Northamptonshire forms part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth area which also includes Milton Keynes, Aylesbury Vale and Bedfordshire. This area has been identified as an area which is due to have tens of thousands additional homes built between 2010 and 2020. In North Northamptonshire (Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northants), over 52,000 homes are planned or newly built and 47,000 new jobs are also planned. [66] In West Northamptonshire (boroughs of Northampton, Daventry and South Northants), over 48,000 homes are planned or newly built and 37,000 new jobs are planned. [67] To oversee the planned developments, two urban regeneration companies have been created: North Northants Development Company (NNDC) [66] and the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation. [67] The NNDC launched a controversial [68] campaign called North Londonshire to attract people from London to the county. [69] There is also a county-wide tourism campaign with the slogan Northamptonshire, Let yourself grow. [70] Education edit Schools edit

The Maphill difference

In the 18th and 19th centuries, parts of Northamptonshire and the surrounding area became industrialised. The local specialisation was shoemaking and the leather industry and became one of Britain's major centres for these crafts by the 19th century. In the north of the county a large ironstone quarrying industry developed from 1850. [18]