The iron industry
The industry operated in the area from the early 1870s until 1921. The Hunsbury Ironworks was being built in 1873. The works were by the canal and the Northampton to Blisworth railway, south of Duston Mill and west of Briar Hill Farm. The works smelted local ore as well as ore from elsewhere in southern Northamptonshire. At first the quarries were next to the works but later quarries were in the area of Hunsbury Hill Camp and further east ceasing in 1920. The quarries were connected to the works by a 3-foot eight inch gauge tramway. At first this was worked by a combination of gravity and horses, according to whether the gradient was in favour of the trains of wagons. In 1912 three steam locomotives were obtained to work these trains. The actual quarrying was done by hand with a pick and shovel. The quarrying took place in fIve areas. The first was next to the works before 1877. The second was to the north west of Hunsbury Hill Camp (Danes Camp), between 1877 and 1882. The third area was to the east of this, to the north of the Camp and south of Rothersthorpe Road between 1882 and 1889 extending over the top of the main railway tunnel. The eastern part of this quarry was served by another tramway running to the Blisworth line east of Briar Hill Farm, where a tipping dock would have been necessary. The fourth area was to the south of the Camp from 1882 to 1920 extending into what is now East Hunsbury, over top of the railway tunnel and on both sides of the railway south of the tunnel portal This quarry went as far as what was then Towcester Road (now Hill Farm Rise.) The last area quarried was to the east of this road between 1912 and 1920. The works ceased production on 28 January 1921. The owner, Pickering Phipps, proposed to reopen it and the last quarry but died before he could do this. The works and quarrying lease were bought by Richard Thomas & Co Ltd in 1935 but their proposal to reopen the works and quarries was not carried out either. The quarries were not landscaped after abandonment and for many years the quarry faces and uneven ground created by the quarrying were clearly visible. However following the building of the housing estate from 1970 onwards the only visible remains are now in Hunsbury Hill Park and in what is now East Hunsbury. The industry was commemorated by the name of the Ironstone Pub (now closed) and a street name, Ironstone Lane.Demographics
The 2001 census shows a population of 7,468 of which 3,727 were male and 3,741 female, in 3,005 households. However, note that this data applies to the West Hunsbury ward of Northampton Borough Council which includes areas outside of West Hunsbury proper, as the areas are not parished – see the notes on Governance below.Facilities
Community
There is a modern church, St Benedicts, Church of England, and shops including a small supermarket, estate agents, post office, pharmacy, optician. A pub, "The Ironstone", in Hunsbury Hill Road closed in 2012. The same site also has a health centre. In the car park of Hunsbury Hill Country Park there is now a small café called "The Drover's Return" named after the ancient Drover's Pathway which leads through the park. Opposite the shop area is an area of sheltered housing grouped around a small community centre used for social events and meetings. The area shares many facilities with East Hunsbury especially at the junction of the old Towcester road and MerewayParks
The site of an Iron Age hill fort, dating from ca. 400BC, the area is now part of Hunsbury Hill Country Park. The area around was also extensively quarried for ironstone between 1880 and 1921 and there is a section of railway used for demonstration purposes together with a museum. Another park at the bottom of the hill near the motorway separates the housing development from The Counties Crematorium.Schools
There is a primary school in the area: Hunsbury Park Primary School.Governance
After a Community Governance Review in 2012 a new civil parish council was formed on 1 April 2013 with the first elections to the new council on 2 May 2013. West Hunsbury originally spanned two parishes: Hardingstone, north of Green Lane and Wootton to the south and east, but was de-parished in a boundary review during the 1980s. From 1999 to the 2011 borough elections West Hunsbury form part of a larger borough ward also called West Hunsbury which elected two borough councillors both Liberal Democrat. However, note that the ward also includes housing estates outside of West Hunsbury proper, namely Camp Hill, Hunsbury Meadows, Upton Parish (includes St Crispins Estate and other areas south of Berrywood Road such as Camelot Way ) and a small part of East Hunsbury. From 2011, when boundary changes made West Hunsbury ( and Camp Hill ) into its own Borough Ward of Northampton Borough Council electing one member, most of the remaining area moving to the two-memberReferences
External links