Returnee

Having lived overseas for twenty five years, my wife and I are planning to return to and retire in England. We have done a little research and found that Northamptonshire would be a suitable location, logistically and financially (property wise). Would be grateful if anyone could give us some information on what it's like to live there. Eg: environment; living areas, public transportation, social amenities, shops, hospitals etc. Thank you.

janeyk

We used to live in a lovely village called Kislingbury which is a few miles from six fields and not far to northampton but also access to the beautiful countryside, canals etc and 5 mins from A5 & M1 giving access to the wider field including Milton keynes for good train links to London, entertainment etc and the cotswolds. The surrounding villages of Harpole, Bugbrooke & Blisworth are equally as nice good luck.
I also have friends living in Thrapston who are retred and love it and Brixworth

bevinva

You could contact Britvic, she has recently moved back to the UK from the US and is in Northhamptonshire I believe.

MNandMN

It depends what you want from your living area. There are lovely villages in Northants, and then the bigger towns. One town that used to be thought of as a bad place to live was Corby, now they are investing in the town like mad and it is becoming much nicer, but the house prices are still low. It now has a train station, theatre, olympic sized swimming pool, good communication networks etc etc. Worth looking at houses on Rightmove.co.uk to see which areas you like in Northants and the house prices, if that is a deciding factor for you. Personally I would avoid Northampton itself.

confusedenglishrose

Seems a long time ago now but I used to live in Northamptonshire. I think it is a nice County. Especially all the surrounding villages which surround Northampton whether N, S, E, or West.

As the previous poster said the villages South are very pretty. So also the West towards Banbury/Bicester. Most come with a fairly hefty price tag though.

Northampton itself has grown greatly in the last 20 years with hugh focus on distribution centers ( I suppose because its right on the M1 and in the center of the country). I would avoid most of Northampton for day to day living though.

There is a nice resevoir in the North - Pitsford with good sailing and walks.

Rose of the Shires

I grew up on the south side of Northampton, and lived in Sywell to the north of Northampton before we moved to the States. As others have said- there are lovely villages all over Northants- pretty rolling countryside, nice walks- not too mountainous

My parents live in the 'new' southern expansion of Northampton close to the Collingtree Park golf course...they really like it there. They have a newish house (low maintenance), good transport links when they need them, and a really nice network of pocket parks linked by cycle paths plus an easy walk to open countryside . Shopping, leisure centre, medical facilities etc. are all within walking/short drive distance. They are pretty active and use the leisure centre a lot to swim(discounted pensioners' rate) play crown green bowls and generally have a social life which is better than mine by a country mile. They also have an allotment which keeps them, my sister's family and half their street in vegetables in the summer. It also provides the 'fuel' for my Dad's home made wine which he forces us to sample when we visit. Glass of Parsnip, old love?

I'm going off at a homesick tangent...I like Northants. Of course, like anywhere else, there are ghastly bits that I would avoid like the plague. Maybe let us know a bit more about what you are looking for, and we can give you our top tips.
Rose

Returnee

I think your parent's situation sounds like what we are looking for. Thanks for the information. Will check the area out. Cheers.

Lothianlad

I have two friends who live in Northamptonshire now - a mate from university (2000 to 2004) who has since got married and he and his new wife have moved into a new home in a village called Woodford Halse. I have visited them once - a lovely house, everything you could wish for) and a very nice garden with a pond and summer house. Banbury is close by - a very good shopping centre - and Daventy a few miles in the opposite direction. I didn't like Woodford all that much as it was what the locals call a "railway junction town" that developed in the Victorian era with the coming of the main line railway links connecting London with Birmingham, Leicester and the North of England, but the surrounding villages are extremely beautiful, with many of the houses built in the distinctive yellowish/brownish stonework common in the area. It's an area with loads of pubs or so it seemed to me....some really, really old and very quaint.

Northampton is the nearest big town - just off the M1 motorway - one of the main road links between London and the North of England. Trains from both Banbury and Northampton can see you in London in little over an hour. There is a very good theatre in Northampton - the Derngate - and it hosts a very excellent symphony orchestra which often appears in concert either in the ancient Guildhall or elsewhere in the area. It is a thriving city with very good shopping facilities, too.

The Northamptonshire countryside is gently rolling - not hilly nor flat except in the east, beyond Oundle, with its public school and posh schoolboys with posh accents taking tea in the teashops, and on towards Peterborough and the fenlands. It's a very green county in the sense that it is largely pastoral - plenty of lush meadows with the odd woodlands here and there

There are plenty of old country mansions and estates (such as the home and burial place of the late Princess Diana at Althorp) with the ruins of ancient castles dotted around here and there, such as Rockingham. In the same area is the grassy mound at Fotheringhay which is all that remains of the castle there where the Scottish Queen Mary - Mary Queen of Scots - was cruelly beheaded on 08 February 1587 on the orders of the English Queen Elizabeth I.

Not far from Woodford Halse is the ancestral home of the first President of the USA - George Washington - Sulgrave Manor - a Tudor mansion with the American flag fluttering in the breeze alongside it.

Northamptonshire is home to a prime racecourse at Towcester, and a first class motor racing circuit at Silverstone.

There are some industrial towns such as Kettering and Wellingborough, and also Corby, which developed very rapidly in the 1960s as a new town on a par with the not so far away Milton Keynes, but on a smaller scale. Many of the people living in Corby are of Scottish origin as it attracted very many Scots as it developed into a busy industrial and administrative centre.

All in all Northamptonshire is a county with very easy access from all parts, either by train or by the motorway network to Birmingham and the Midlands, the North of England and, of course, London, with frequent railway services from either Banbury or Northampton.

In due course the proposed and planned new high speed railway link between London and Birmingham will slice right through the open countryside of south west Northamptonshire between Banbury and Daventry, something which is proving to be highly controversial among the people of the area as it will run through a very scenic area and may well disrupt hitherto peaceful villages as high speed trains whizz by at the speed of light.

Rose of the Shires

Great! A word of warning though-when you are checking the area out- make sure you listen out for noise from the M1. My folks are far enough away that it's not an issue, although they say they do notice it if the wind is coming from the south. I'm sure it's much more of an annoyance for the houses closer to the motorway.

I would also take a look at Towcester-really nice small town, lovely countryside and villages all around, very good leisure centre, not on a main rail line, but easy to get to Milton Keynes or Northampton.

Someone else mentioned Brixworth to the north of Northampton, and I would definitely second that vote-it's really a big village, nice centre, several shops, pubs, etc. Our friends moved there recently and like it very much.

Britsrus

I spent the first 25 years of my life in Northamptonshire, and go back regularly to visit family, so I’m very familiar with it. Some of what I might say may grate with others, but I’m trying to be honest (and it’s mostly good!).

Brixworth has been mentioned a few times so I figured I would to. It is a nice village although it has a busy road ‘Northampton Rd’ running through the heart of it, that somewhat spoils it. It has a few decent pubs (George Inn/Red Lion etc), a chippy and a few small shops. The best part is the old Brixworth, around Spratton Rd etc. The rest is largely new build and very ordinary.

If you’re looking for a classic rural village, my recommendations to investigate would be: Spratton, Pitsford, Boughton, Gayton, Chapel Brampton, Cottesbrooke, Ravensthorpe, Stoke Bruerne, Castle Ashby and Yardley Hastings. There are dozens and dozens more but overall, these are a good place to start I’d say.

For sport – you are pretty much spoiled for choice (except for football unfortunately). You have Silverstone close by (F1 racing British Grand prix etc), Rugby Union – (Northampton Saints, lots of international players), Towcester Races (Horseracing), Santa Podd Raceway (Drag Racing), Cricket (Northants Steelbacks - County Cricket Club) and probably more I’m missing. In fact the only thing that lets you down is the miserable football team (Northampton Town FC – Cobblers) who are forever stuck in mediocrity. If you want football, travel to one of many nearby Teams outside Northants.

Avoid Corby at all costs. Housing is dingy, unemployment rate was (and probably still is) dire, and basically the place that gives Northamptonshire its black eye. Sorry – just giving it to you straight folks! It may be getting some much needed redevelopment at long last, but it’s not the sort of place you would want to retire to, or even be close to.

Northampton Town – some nice parts within the town if you choose to stay central. Explore the homes that line the ‘old Racecourse’ and Abington Park. Avoid places like Rectory Farm, Blackthorn etc.. full of Chavs. Lots of good shopping, pubs, restaurants etc in town. Only concern is at night. The Town centre can become a bit of a wild place on Friday/Saturday nights with lots of mostly young kids zipping from one pub to another to a nightclub etc. Police never far away. Some ‘migrant’ gangs do operate at night, so be careful. Like a previous poster mentioned, the Royal Theatre/Derngate is very well respected nationally, well worth a visit.

Many people I know who used to live in Northampton Town have now moved to the outlying villages to bring up families etc. The countryside is lovely, and yes apart from the trainlines and arterial roads, its largely untouched rolling farmland and pretty stone villages, with medieval churches and interesting pubs. Prices are steady despite the recession, and the good villages hold their prices no matter what.

Best of luck.

Returnee

Thanks for all the information regarding Northamptonshire. Especially the place names and descriptions. Much appreciated. When we lived in England before, we lived in the South, just outside London. Because of our budget we are unable to return there, so we have been doing some research and found Northamptonshire's property prices and its location to be pretty good. We'll be going back in June and will check out the area. Once again, the place names and areas you have given have been most useful. Thank you.