Delapre & Hardingstone

Queen Eleanor’s Cross

Delapre Abbey and Park

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VISIT NORTHAMPTONSHIREwww.rightsofwaynorthamptonshire.org.uk

DELAPRELying on the southern boundary of Northampton,Delapre, with its 550 acres of parkland and gardens, has along and eventful history.

From its beginnings as a Cluniac nunnery, Delapre wasdestined to become the temporary resting place of anEnglish Queen, a War of the Roses battlefield, an 18thcentury country house and park, a 20th century home forNorthamptonshire records ... until finally it became anattractive public park and home to Delapre Golf Complex.

HARDINGSTONELying on the outskirts of Northampton, Hardingstone’sironstone and brick buildings are typical of manyNorthamptonshire villages. Many of the brick terracedhouses in the High Street were built by the Bouveriefamily (owners of Delapre Abbey from 1764 to 1946).

Also in the High Street is the parish church of St. Edmund10 . Its oldest part is probably the early 13th century toweralthough the church is mentioned in documents datingfrom 1107 AD. It was restored in the 1860s and thechancel contains several 19th century Bouverie familyplaques.

For information aboutplaces to visit inNorthampton and thesurrounding area, pleasecontact NorthamptonVisitor Centre in theGuildhall, Northampton.Tel: 01604 838800.

Delapre Lake

Hardingstone High Street

From medieval nunnery to modern public park,Delapre has a rich and varied history.

Lying within a stone’s throw of Northampton’s busytown centre, the varied paths and trails detailed inthis leaflet will lead you via parkland and woods,village streets and ancient buildings, back in time toa medieval world of royalty, religion and war.

Delapre Park is approximately one mile, and Hardingstoneless than three miles from Northampton town centre.

For information about public transport to Delapre andHardingstone, please contact Traveline on 0870 608 2608.

Car parking is available at Delapre Abbey (approach via thedriveway from London Road) and south of Delapre Lake(via the Delapre Golf Complex turnoff from the A45).

If you wish to report any problems with any of the routesshown in this leaflet, please contact Rights of Way,Northamptonshire County Council, Riverside House,Bedford Road, Northampton NN1 5NX. Tel: 01604654465.

This information can be made availablein other languages and formats uponrequest, such as large print, Braille,audio cassette and floppy disk.

DELAPRE

This leaflet was published by Northamptonshire County Council with assistance from theCountryside Agency, Northampton Borough Council and Peter Storm. Copyright © NCC 2003.

Delapre AbbeyThe Abbey of St. Mary-de-le-Pre (St. Mary in themeadow) was founded by Simon de Senlis, Earl ofNorthampton in 1145 AD. It was a small establishmentand there are few records of the Abbey’s everyday life.

On two occasions however, the Abbey played a small rolein national events - first when Queen Eleanor of Castile’sbody rested there on its journey to London in 1290 andthen nearly 200 years later when the battle ofNorthampton was fought ‘...in... the meadows beside thenunnery’.

Soon after Henry VIII closed the monasteries and abbeysin England in 1539, Delapre and its lands were bought bythe Tate family. Over the next two centuries theytransformed the former nunnery into a comfortablecountry house and estate.

In 1764 the estate was bought by the Bouverie family, inwhose hands it remained until 1946 when Delapre wassold to the Northampton Corporation (now NorthamptonBorough Council). The Abbey housed NorthamptonshireRecord Office until its move to Wooton Hall in 1991 -since then the Abbey buildings have stood empty.

Although clues to its religious beginnings may still beconcealed in the Abbey’s walls, the buildings visible todaydate mostly to the 17th and 18th centuries - the result ofextensive alterations carried out by the Tate andBouverie families.

Delapre GardensTo the east of the Abbey buildings, a formal Elizabethangarden was constructed by the Tate family. This wasremodelled in the 18th century, along with the rest of theestate and its parkland, in the style of Capability Brown.The last Bouverie to live at Delapre was also anenthusiastic gardener and today the enclosed gardensinclude a game larder, Victorian glasshouses, topiary, arose garden, herbaceous borders, and statues. The gardensare open to the public when the gardeners are on site(Monday to Friday). This may be subject to change in thefuture.

Queen Eleanor’s CrossOn the 28th November 1290, Queen Eleanor ofCastile, wife of Edward I, died at Harby inLincolnshire. Following her death, her body wasconveyed in a solemn procession to Westminsterin London. One of the stops along the way wasDelapre, where the Queen’s body remained at theAbbey while the King lodged at nearbyNorthampton Castle.

The procession then continued south to London,halting at the top of the hill so that a placecould be set aside for the location of amagnificent stone monument - one of twelve

crosses commissioned by Edward to commemorate QueenEleanor and her final journey.

Battle of NorthamptonOn the 10th July 1460 a Yorkist army led by the Earl ofWarwick approached the southern side of Northampton.Waiting for them was the Lancastrian King Henry VI andhis army encampment. Watched by the Archbishop ofCanterbury and the Bishop of London from the safety ofthe ‘headless cross’ (Queen Eleanor’s Cross), the battletook place during the afternoon and was swift. Thanks to

DELAPRE

Delapre Abbey

Delapre Gardens

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the treachery of Lord Grey, King Henry was captured.Many Lancastrian soldiers were killed or drowned in theRiver Nene trying to flee and their bodies were buried inthe Abbey church or churchyard (the site of which wasdiscovered in the late 19th century).

Charter Wood 3 / Delapre Wood 7A plantation of 800 oak trees was created to the east ofthe Abbey and its gardens in 1989, as part of thecommemorations of the 800th anniversary of the BoroughCharter granted to Northampton by Richard I in 1189.

Lying to the south is Delapre Woods, planted at the sametime as the Abbey gardens. Oak, beech, sweet chestnutand conifers create a mixed woodland with good walksand fine views of the town and Abbey.

Delapre LakeCreated from oldgravel workings, theLake is used for waterskiing and fishing. Ithas an importantwildlife role as one ofthe network of lakes inthe Nene Valley,providing a refuge foro v e r - w i n t e r i n gwildfowl such asCanada Geese and theGreat Crested Grebe.

Delapre Golf ComplexOpened in 1976, Delapre Golf Complex is set in 260 acres

of parkland with facilities to suit all levels of golfing

ability. The Complex is operated on a pay-as-you-play

basis and the restaurant and bar are open to the public

throughout the day. Tel: 01604 764036 for more

information.

Northampton Society of Model EngineersThe north-west corner of Delapre Park contains twominiature railway lines. Public running days featuringsteam, petrol and battery powered model locomotives areheld on the first Sunday of each month from June toOctober. Tel: 01234 708501 for more information.

Delapre Woods

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BrochureDesign:BuxtonDesign01604416646

FINDINGYO

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