Long Buckby
| Long Buckby | |
  Long Buckby |
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| Population | 4,000 (2011 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SP628673 |
| Civil parish | Long Buckby |
| District | Daventry district |
| Shire county | Northamptonshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORTHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | NN6 |
| Dialling code | 01327 |
| Police | Northamptonshire |
| Fire | Northamptonshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Daventry |
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Coordinates: 52°18′11″N 1°04′52″W / 52.303°N 1.081°W
Long Buckby is a (very) large village and civil parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England, midway between Northampton and Rugby. In the 2011 census the parish of Long Buckby (which includes the hamlet of Long Buckby Wharf) had a population of exactly 4,000.[1] It is a part of the Daventry district.
History
Long Buckby has a history going back approximately 1,200 years to the Vikings[2] when all of northern, central and eastern England came under the Danelaw. The mound remaining of a castle built by Sahir de Quincy in the 12th century remains. The village name is of Nordic origin, with 'by' meaning settlement or village while 'Buck' is derived from 'Bec' (pronounced 'becker' in old Norse) for stream/brook. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book as Buchebei, its affix possibly coming at a later date in reference to the length of the village.
The village once had a thriving shoemaking industry[2][3] but is now mainly a residential village. The village offers a wide range of amenities and services to its residents, including a doctor's surgery, two dentists, four churches, two schools, a public library, a veterinary surgery, a boarding cattery, a post office, a community centre and Long Buckby Mill Park Nature Reserve. There are two (previously three) pubs in the village. Local shops include two grocery stores, a butchers, several hairdressers, a newsagent, card and gift shop, chemist and a wide range of restaurants and take-aways.
The comedian Stanley Unwin moved to Long Buckby in 1940[4] when he got a job with the BBC at the nearby Borough Hill transmitting station. He stayed as a resident until his death in 2002.
Until the mid-1960s Long Buckby boasted its own goods marshalling yard which played a very significant role in the once thriving village economy, providing for the import of fuel and consumables for local business and residents as well as delivering the mail and packages to the village post office, and newspapers to the village newsagents. Local agricultural produce and to a lesser extent livestock were exported from the facility.
Long Buckby railway station had a brief moment of fame in 1997 when, as the nearest stop to Althorp, it was the final stop on the journey by the Prince of Wales and his two sons during the funeral of the Princess of Wales, and was seen on television screens across the world as they got off the train. Prince Charles and his sons took a different route to Althorp using Brington Road as the rest of the Royal Family and guests drove through the village of Long Buckby leaving the village via East Street to follow the main road to Northampton which Althorp lies on.
In 2007, one of the village shops celebrated its 150th year of operation since it first opened on the High Street in 1858.
Notable buildings and monument
The Historic England website contains details of 37 listed buildings in the parish of Long Buckby.[5] All them are Grade II apart from the following, which are Grade II*
- St Lawrence's Church, Church Street
- Holly House, 22 High Street[6]
There is also one scheduled monument in the parish:
- Long Buckby ringwork and bailey[7]
Transport
Long Buckby railway station is served by London Midland. It lies on a loop of the West Coast Main Line running between Birmingham New Street and London Euston. Plans were made to expand the station facilities from a portable cabin temporary shelter to a more permanent facility.
Regular local bus services connect Long Buckby to the nearby towns of Northampton, Rugby and Daventry.
Schools
Long Buckby has two schools, Long Buckby Infants School for reception, Year 1 and Year 2, and Long Buckby Junior School which takes pupils from Year 3 to Year 6, leading up to the Key Stage 2 tests.
The village is within the catchment area of Guilsborough School (secondary) which takes local pupils on to Key Stage 3, (Year 7 to Year 9), followed by Key Stage 4 for Years 10 and 11. Guilsborough School also offers a Sixth Form centre for students wishing to take AS and A2 courses.
Sport
Long Buckby A.F.C. currently plays at Station Road. They are members of the United Counties League First Division. The club's highest achievement was reaching the 2nd Round of the FA Vase in 1985-86. The club's most successful players include Gary Mills, Darren Harman, Alex McKenzie and Richard Patricia Ryan. The football club, although situated on the same site as the rugby football club, has its own facilities including clubhouse, changing rooms and a second pitch which the reserves and Sunday League sides use.
Long Buckby Rugby Football Club was founded in 1875. The club fields three senior sides, a colts team and other junior teams which. All are given coaching by qualified rugby coaches. Club training nights are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Youth rugby is on Sundays. The club has a licensed clubhouse which is open daily, new playing or social club members are always welcome. The clubhouse is situated above the changing rooms. The club's home strip is a green coloured jersey. The club badge is of a castle with an archway with a cross above it.
Long Buckby Tennis Tournament can trace its history back to 1907, making it one of the longest running tennis tournaments in the country. It is played annually in mid-July on the sportsground, where a dozen or more grass courts are marked out and netting erected on the cricket outfield. Around two hundred and fifty people of all ages and standards take part over two days. It is an American style doubles tournament with each couple playing all the others in their section. Profits from the tournament are donated to the sportsground and to the other sports organisations which use the ground. 2007 was the centenary year of the tournament.
Economy
Maclaren, the pushchair manufacturer founded by Owen Finlay Maclaren is based in the village.
Notable residents
- British comedian and inventor of Unwinese Stanley Unwin lived in the village for many years and is buried in the local churchyard.
References
- ↑
- 1 2 Archived 9 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑
- ↑ Archived 3 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Historic England – The List". Retrieved 2015-10-01.
- ↑ "Historic England". Retrieved 2015-10-01.
- ↑ "Historic England". Retrieved 2015-10-01.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Long Buckby. |
- Official website
- Long Buckby Infant School website
- Long Buckby Junior School website
- Guilsborough School
- Long Buckby Rugby Football Club
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