Sywell is a village and

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

North Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, and was created in 2021. The council is based in Corby, the district's la ...

, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 792. The name Sywell is thought to mean "seven wells".

Facilities

The facilities found in the village include: *The church (

St Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

St Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

) *

Sywell Aerodrome Sywell Aerodrome is the local aerodrome serving the towns of Northampton, Wellingborough, Kettering and Rushden, as well as wider Northamptonshire. The aerodrome is located northeast of Northampton and was originally opened in 1928 on the edge ...

, opened in 1928 and active during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Sywell Aviation Museum Sywell Aviation Museum is based at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire, England. It is sited in the aircraft viewing car park at the aerodrome. It documents the history of flying in Northamptonshire from the early days to the present day with ...

at the aerodrome *The Horseshoe

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

*Overstone Squash Club *Overstone Solarium (

caravan park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel * Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop * Caravan (tra ...

) *The Overstone Manor (family pub) *

Sywell Reservoir Sywell Country Park exists on the site of a former drinking water reservoir near the village of Sywell in East Northamptonshire, England. The reservoir was built at the turn of the 20th century to supply water to the Higham Ferrers and Rushden a ...

(redundant as a working reservoir and now a

country park A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...

) *Overstone Park Cricket Club *Sywell CEVA Primary School

Other

The Ecton Lane part of the village is built just inside the walls of Overstone Hall; the estate wall is of fine quality and in village

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

is said to be seven feet high, be seven miles long and took seven men seven years to build.

Pevsner on Sywell

Church - this has a short tower dating to the 13th century. The pretty stair projection found in the west side of the church is not medieval as it appears. Renovations dating from the 1870s have left the church with an odd feel. There is a

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window by

Thomas Willement Thomas Willement (18 July 1786 – 10 March 1871) was an English stained glass artist and writer, called "the father of Victorian stained glass", active from 1811 to 1865. Life Willement was born at St Marylebone, London, the son of Thomas Wi ...

dating from 1839, which is very fine. It uses heraldic glass dating from 1580. Sywell Hall - the hall has a long straight front with two small and one larger gable ends. The house appears to originally date from

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

times. Village - many local houses were rebuilt by Lady Overstone in the 1860s - with the (old) school dating to 1861 and the rectory's rebuilding to 1862. The church's plate dates from 1816 and is the work of Patten. The airfield hosts an annual concert called "Music in the Ai

A combination of classical music and aviation.

Links with the village from the ''Dictionary of National Biography''

Anthony Jenkinson Anthony Jenkinson (1529 – 1610/1611) was born at Market Harborough, Leicestershire. He was one of the first Englishmen to explore Tsardom of Russia, Muscovy and present-day Russia. Jenkinson was a traveller and explorer on behalf of the ...

, merchant, sea-captain, and traveller married Judith Mersh of Sywell in 1567. In 1578 he bought the village from his father in law and moved to the village. *

Lewis Atterbury Lewis Atterbury may refer to: * Lewis Atterbury the elder (died 1693), English clergyman * Lewis Atterbury (chaplain) (1656–1731), English churchman and chaplain, son of the above See also *Lewis Atterbury Stimson Lewis Atterbury Stimson (Au ...

was appointed rector of the village in 1684. * William Lancaster (died 1717) - scholar; was married to a daughter of a Mr Wilmer from Sywell. *

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir

Watkin Owen Pell Sir Watkin Owen Pell (1788 – 29 December 1869) was a British Royal Navy admiral. Biography Pell was the son of Samuel Pell of Sywell Hall, Northamptonshire, and, on the mother's side, grandson of Owen Owen of Llaneyher, Denbighshire. He entere ...

was the son of Samuel Pell of Sywell Hall. *

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Archibald Robertson (

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

) was born at Sywell in 1853. *

William Tresham Sir William Tresham JP (d. 22 September 1450) was an English lawyer who served as Speaker of the House of Commons until 1450. Born in Northamptonshire, the son of Thomas Tresham of Sywell, he went on to become a major landowner in the regi ...

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

(died 1450) was the eldest son of Thomas Tresham of Sywell. He was also the father of another speaker Thomas Tresham (died 1471).

References

*The Buildings of England - Northamptonshire. N Pevsner (Second edition). *Dictionary of National Biography

External links

Aviation museum
{{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire Civil parishes in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire