Author: Jack Preston

Great Fire of Northampton BOOK

On 20 September 1675, flames tore through the thriving market town of Northampton. Within hours, three-quarters of the town lay in ruins.This book tells the story not with modern hindsight, but through the eyes of those who lived it. Using original pamphlets, poems, and letters -many published within days of the disaster- the Great Fire… Continue reading Great Fire of Northampton BOOK

Swing Riots in Northamptonshire

History is all around us, the past leaves footprints everywhere. You wouldn’t know it to look at them, but the stretches of farmland in Northamptonshire, a county which has long been prone to rebellion, were once almost battlegrounds of resistance… The Swing Movement When the fields of southern and eastern England were swaying in the… Continue reading Swing Riots in Northamptonshire

Pudding Bag Lane – Kettering

Between B&M and the old M&S building is an alley called Walkers Lane, which leads to the Wadcroft Car Park. But it wasn’t always called that… According to the key included with the Kettering Town Map from 1826, it was once named Pudding Bag Lane; so-called because if you went too far along it, you… Continue reading Pudding Bag Lane – Kettering

Northamptonshire’s Lace-Making Schools

The Victorian era saw a rise in the lace-making industry. But this had a dark side, especially in rural schools in some parts of Northamptonshire. Lace schools were essentially cottage workshops where children, mostly girls, were taught to produce bobbin lace – but in reality they functioned more like child labour camps than schools. Reverend… Continue reading Northamptonshire’s Lace-Making Schools

Cob Cottages of Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is home to several historic Cob Cottages. Cob is a mixture of sand, clay, and straw. It would be finished with a plaster mixture of lime and sand, often a year later to ensure the building had fully dried. Cob buildings are often recognisable by their deep-set windows, rounded or uneven corners, and thick,… Continue reading Cob Cottages of Northamptonshire

Kettering’s Coats of Arms Annotated

Kettering Town Kettering’s earliest recorded Coat of Arms was issued in 1938. Swipe or click along to see the labels and captions. Kettering Borough/District The Borough of Kettering was formed by the amalgamation of the former Borough of Kettering and some of its rural district; the Burton Latimer Urban District; the Desborough Urban District; and… Continue reading Kettering’s Coats of Arms Annotated

The Sunday Schools of Old Kettering

It might seem strange today that entire buildings were dedicated to Sunday Schools. But historically, they played a much different role than they do today. Sunday Schools were an important resource for working class families. They provided a basic formal education to children who had to work in the week, or were being taught at… Continue reading The Sunday Schools of Old Kettering

The Lost Schools of Old Kettering

History is all around us, the past leaves footprints everywhere. Sometimes a footprint is a hole in the ground, or a space where something once was. There’s a number of school buildings in Kettering which have disappeared over the years, for various reasons… Types of Schools + A Timeline of the Schooling System If you… Continue reading The Lost Schools of Old Kettering