Far Cotton is a district in the civil parish of Far Cotton and Delapre, in the town of
Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, in the county of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, England and many years ago a village in its own right. The population is included in the Delapre and Briar Hill Ward of Northampton Borough Council.
Location
Far Cotton is due south of the town centre, beyond
Cotton End
Cotton End is a small village and civil parish on the outskirts of Bedford. It became its own parish as of 1 April 2019, having previously been part of the parish of Eastcotts. Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880s show its name as 'Cardington Cot ...
- hence the 'Far' - and just south of the
River Nene
The River Nene ( or : see below) is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map sheet 223, Northampton & Market Harborough, Brixworth & Pitsford Water. The river is about long, about of w ...
. It is roughly rectangular in shape with the river and Northampton branch of the
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter st ...
forming its northern boundary. The railway line, part of the
Northampton Loop Line just south of
Northampton railway station
Northampton railway station serves the county town of Northampton in England. It is on the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line. The station is served by West Midlands Trains services southbound to London Euston and northbound to Birm ...
is on the western edge. The
A5076 ring road is the southern boundary and
Delapré Abbey
Delapré Abbey is an English neo-classical mansion in Northamptonshire.
The mansion and outbuildings incorporate remains of a former monastery, the Abbey of St Mary de la Pré (the suffix meaning "in or of the Meadow"), near the River Nene s ...
's park forms the eastern boundary up to the
A45 road A45 or A-45 may refer to:
* A45 Infantry Support Tank, the chassis of which was developed into the Conqueror tank
* A45 Records, a German record label notably producing the band Real McCoy
* Article 45 Concern Group, a political party in Hong Kong
* ...
.
Administration
From elections on and after 2011, Far Cotton is in the Parish of St Mary and Delapre Ward of the
Northampton Borough Council
Northampton Borough Council was the borough council and non-metropolitan district responsible for local government in the large town of Northampton in England. In 2021 the council was abolished and succeeded by West Northamptonshire Council; a un ...
. On
Northampton County Council Far Cotton is in Delapre and Rushmere Division.
History
Far Cotton was first recorded in 1196 under the name Cotes. That name derived from the Old English "Cot" meaning a cottage or hut, Cotes being a plural form. Cotton derives from the same word and is also plural and thus meant "cottages" or "huts." Historically Far Cotton was a hamlet in the parish and urban district of
Hardingstone
Hardingstone is a village in Northamptonshire, England. It is on the southern edge of Northampton, and now forms a suburb of the town. It is about from the town centre. The Newport Pagnell road (the B526, formerly part of the A50) separates ...
. It expanded with the arrival of the
Northampton and Peterborough Railway
The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to run from a junction at Blisworth on the L&BR main line to Northampton and Peterborough, in England. The construction of the lin ...
, opened in 1845. The original line, on which
Northampton Bridge Street railway station was situated, was entirely south of the Nene while the medieval town was north of the river.
St Mary's Church was built in Towcester Road in 1885 to the design of Matthew Holding.
There was an iron ore quarry at Far Cotton from 1883 to 1889 run by the Hunsbury Hill Iron Company. The quarry was bounded by Rothersthorpe Road on the north, Towcester Road on the east and the main railway on the west. At the southern end of the quarry it extended across the top of the northern end of the railway tunnel. Much of the site is now built on. The ore was taken by horse-drawn tramway through a bridge under Rothersthorpe Road to the Northampton Blisworth Railway west of the junction with the line linking Bridge Street with the present station (Castle Station.). From there it was taken by rail to the company's ironworks near Duston Mill.
![An old house at Far Cotton - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/An_old_house_at_Far_Cotton_-_geograph.org.uk_-_513385.jpg)
Far Cotton became a separate
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in 1895 and an
urban district
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
in 1896. The urban district was abolished in 1900 when the
County Borough of Northampton was expanded to include Far Cotton; the civil parish continued to exist until 1932. Far Cotton is in the
ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...
of St Mary.
Current developments
As part of the regeneration of the town, overseen by the
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, many
brownfield sites in Far Cotton are undergoing redevelopment in the first decade of the twenty-first century including the new housing estates of Riverside Wharf, Cotton End and Southbridge. Extensive development is to occur on former disused warehouses east of Far Cotton. Nunn Mills is currently under development to build over 3,000 new houses on a brownfield site. There will also be an improved Marina in and around Becket's Park and Midsummer Meadow.
The main shopping sector of Far Cotton is St Leonard's Road which connects Towcester Road and London Road. There are also shops on Gloucester Avenue. There is a
Tesco Extra
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
just south of Far Cotton in Mereway and an
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...
supermarket in Cotton End on Ransome Road. A
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...
supermarket opened in nearby Newport Pagnell Road in 2013 next to a garden centre.
As of 2010, Far Cotton is set to double in population in the next ten years with development of housing, much of this having already taken place in the
Cotton End
Cotton End is a small village and civil parish on the outskirts of Bedford. It became its own parish as of 1 April 2019, having previously been part of the parish of Eastcotts. Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880s show its name as 'Cardington Cot ...
area.
1998 floods
In April 1998, many residents of Far Cotton had to leave their homes (albeit temporarily) and seek temporary accommodation elsewhere, after part of Far Cotton, along with another part of Northampton,
St. James, suffered flooding, when the
River Nene broke its banks. Flooding occurred on
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
, 10 April 1998, a day which became known locally as "the long Good Friday". Since that time river banks have been raised and flood mitigation lakes created west of the town.
Notable residents
Robert Adams, a sculptor and designer was born in Far Cotton.
Chief Inspector
Walter Dew
Detective Chief Inspector Walter Dew (17 April 1863 – 16 December 1947) was a British Metropolitan Police officer who was involved in the hunt for both Jack the Ripper and Dr Crippen.
Early life
Dew was born at Far Cotton, in Hardingstone, ...
, who was involved in the hunt for both
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer wa ...
and
Dr. Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen (September 11, 1862 – November 23, 1910), usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American Homeopathy, homeopath, ear and eye specialist and medicine dispenser. He was hanged in HM Prison Pentonville, Pentonville Prison in L ...
, was born in the village in 1863.
References
External links
Far Cotton History Group*
{{Northampton, state=collapsed
Areas of Northampton