| Helmdon | |
Helmdon viaduct, part of the dismantled Great Central Railway through the parish |
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Helmdon
Helmdon shown within Northamptonshire |
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| Population | 938 [1] 763 (2010 est)[2] |
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| OS grid reference | SP5843 |
| - London | 72 miles (116 km) |
| Parish | Helmdon |
| District | South Northamptonshire |
| Shire county | Northamptonshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Brackley |
| Postcode district | NN13 |
| Dialling code | 01295 |
| Police | Northamptonshire |
| Fire | Northamptonshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Northamptonshire South |
| List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire | |
Helmdon is a village and civil parish in the district of South Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, England. The parish covers an area of about 1,500 acres (610 ha) and includes the village of Helmdon and the hamlets of Astwell and Falcutt.
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The village of Helmdon is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Brackley, 7 miles (11 km) east-north-east of Banbury and 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Northampton. The village lies both sides of a small valley at the headwaters of the River Tove. The river and the trackbed of a former Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway branch line divide the village into two parts.
At the time of the 2001 census, the population of Helmdon parish was 938.[1] In 2010 it had increased to about 953.[2] There were approximately 350 properties, 50 of which lie outside the village.
Helmdon elects a parish council. The current nine members were elected in May 2011. The chairman is Cllr Peter Burns.
Records date the beginnings of the village back to the Anglo-Saxon era. Its toponym means "Helma's Valley" and is recorded in the Domesday Book as "Elme Dene". At that time it belonged to the Robert, Count of Mortain, half-brother of William the Conqueror.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary Magdalene dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries and has been restored several times since. Prior to the Reformation it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The oldest of the six bells in the tower dates from 1679. In the churchyard is a yew tree estimated to be 1,700 years old.
Historically the village developed along Church Street, Wappenham Road and Cross Lane. A village based on agriculture is clearly identified by the number of former and continuing farmhouses in the village, which run into double figures.
For many centuries stone-quarrying was the major industry in the village, with evidence of its existence going back to the 14th century; a stained-glass window in the north wall commemorates stonemason William Campiun at work in 1313. In the 18th century lace-making was a significant business, with up to a quarter of the village women being lace-makers.
The village at one time had four public houses: The Bell, The Chequers, The Magpie (which some accounts refer to as the Cock and Magpie) and The Cross. The Bell was originally named The King William, but was renamed because it was closest to the church, and is the only remaining pub, with The Magpie and The Cross converted into houses, and The Chequers demolished and subsequently built on.
The Reading Room was originally a men's meeting place as an alternative to the pub. This Victorian building was given to the village by Charles Fairbrother in 1887. Around the time of World War I women started using it. Today it is the village hall.
Helmdon had two railway stations: the first, in its latter years called Helmdon Village, was on the former Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway between Stratford-upon-Avon and Towcester mentioned above. British Railways closed it in April 1952. The second station was on the former Great Central Main Line, opened in March 1899. The line crossed the nine-arch Helmdon Viaduct over the River Tove to the west of the village. The Great Central Railway station was sometimes called Helmdon for Sulgrave, although Sulgrave village is 2 miles (3 km) away. BR closed the station in March 1963 and the line in September 1966. The viaduct still stands.
The last village shop closed in 2011, but Helmdon still has a parish church, one public house, a public park with play equipment and benches, and two ponds. There are more than 30 active community groups. The village has a pre-school, Helmdon Acorns for children two to four years old, and a primary school for children aged 4 to 11 years. In 1969, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2011, Helmdon won the Northamptonshire Village of the Year competition.