Whilton

Whilton

Saint Andrew’s Parish Church Whilton
Whilton
 Whilton shown within Northamptonshire
Population 296 (2001 Census)
OS grid referenceSP637647
Civil parishNorton
DistrictDaventry
Shire countyNorthamptonshire
RegionEast Midlands
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town DAVENTRY
Postcode district NN11
Dialling code 01327
Police Northamptonshire
Fire Northamptonshire
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament East Midlands
UK ParliamentDaventry
List of places
UK
England
Northamptonshire

Coordinates: 52°16′39″N 1°04′04″W / 52.27737°N 1.06791°W

Whilton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire.[1] The village is in the Daventry district. Whilton is 75 miles (121 km) northwest of London, 9 3⁄4 miles (15.7 km) west of Northampton and 15 1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) southeast of Rugby. The village lies 4 1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) east of the nearest town of Daventry. The nearest railway station is at Long Buckby for the Northampton loop of the West Coast Main Line which runs between Rugby, Northampton and London. The nearest airport is Birmingham International Airport. Whilton gives its name to the nearby Whilton Locks and Whilton Marina on the Grand Union Canal.

History

Whilton is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1068, where it is listed under the name of ‘Woltone’.[2] The main tenant landowner was Robert, Count of Mortain who was the half-brother to William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy and later king William I of England.

The Parish Church of Saint Andrew

The Parish Church of Saint Andrew is constructed from the local Northamptonshire Ironstone and was built between the 12th and 13th centuries, although very little remains of this original, having been restored in late 18th century.[3] The tower had a ring of 6 bells, which had been given in 1777 by the patron of the time William Lucas Rose, who also paid for their installation and the building work. Three of these original bells and three newer replacements were recast and, with added metal, were made into a ring of eight bells in 1994. They were cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The tenor (heaviest) bell weighs 675 kilograms (1,488 lb) and bears the inscription: CANON J.J. RICHARDSON, PRIEST /HAROLD HAYNES, JANET C. BOWERS CHURCHWARDENS /WHITECHAPEL 1994. The church clock is unusual as it was originally a one handed clock divided into ¼ hours and therefore does not have 60 minutes. In 1779 William Lucas Rose also gave a gift of communion vessels which are still in use today. The Church’s east window, the only stained glass in the building, portrays the crucifixion of Jesus and dates from 1878.

Amenities

The nearby Whilton Marina is close to Whilton Locks on the Grand Union canal. It was dug out in 1971 by the Steele family who still own and operate the business. The marina has over 200 moorings. The village also has a karting track nearby called Whilton Mill.[4]

The village centre

References

  1. ↑ ‘OS’ Explorer Map, Northampton & Market Harborough 223 ISBN 978-0-319-46396-3
  2. ↑ The Domesday Book, Englands Heritage, Then and Now, Editor: Thomas Hinde,Northamptonshire page 204 ISBN 1-85833-440-3
  3. ↑ The Buildings of England, Northamptonshire, by Nikolaus Pevsner, 2nd Edition revised by Bridget Cherry, Whilton entry. ISBN 0-14-071022-1
  4. ↑ Whilton Mill

External links

Media related to Whilton at Wikimedia Commons