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Northamptonshire

Discover the wonder of Northamptonshire's sacred heritage.

Take a weekend break in Northamptonshire and visit a county rich with historic churches. Known as the county of Spires and Squires for centuries, Northamptonshire is crammed with magnificent churches whose spires populate the skyline and equally great country houses. Both stretch back to early medieval times.

The churches below reflect this wealth of history, encompassing Saxon times through to the 20th century. Easy to access and full of treasures, not only architectural, the county offers a wealth of interesting things to the travelling tourist.

Explore glorious churches with us, here are a few to get you started.

Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire churches on our map
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MotaCilla

All Saints, Brixworth

One of the most important examples of Anglo Saxon architecture in Britain, certainly the largest, the church dates from the late 8th and early 9th century.

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PhilipJeffrey

St Peter, Northampton

Its sophistication in design and ornament is a reflection of the national importance of Northampton in the Middle Ages, it was a Royal seat and it was here that the Thomas a Becket trial took place in 1164.

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ChristopherFrench

St Mary the Virgin, Finedon

Built of local ironstone, St Mary's dates almost entirely from the 14th century, with the nave and chancel from the beginning of the century and the tower and spire from about 50 years later.

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SpencerMeans

St Mary & All Saints, Fotheringhay

A royal church. It developed into the religious headquarters of the Yorkist faction. It was at Fotheringhay that Richard III was born and Mary Queen of Scots was executed.

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GregFitchett

St Mary the Virgin, Fawsley

A romantic church that stands alone, looking out across a Capability Brown landscape of the 1760s and containing one of the most spectacular and well preserved alabaster tomb chests in the county.

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PhilipHalling

St Mary the Virgin with St John, Great Brington

The Spencer family of nearby Althorp transformed the medieval building, creating a funerary chapel with splendid tombs of the family dating from the 16th century. There is a memorial plaque to Lawrence Washington, George Washington’s ancestor.

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RichardCroft

St Edmund, Warkton

The mausoleum of the Dukes of Montagu, the monuments to the 2nd Duke and to his Duchess, their daughter Mary and her daughter Elizabeth are the finest group of monuments in the Midlands.

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FrJamesBradley

St Mary the Virgin, Wellingborough

A thrilling experience built between 1908 and 1930 in the gothic style fearlessly mixed with classical appropriations and filled with light with fantastical decoration.

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PhilipJeffrey

St Matthew, Kingsley

This outstanding late Victorian gothic church was made possible by a local brewer. It contains two 20th century masterpieces, a Madonna by Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland's Crucifixion.

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MichaelGarlick

Northamptonshire, Britain’s best kept secret, is a secret no more. We are home to the best historic houses in the country, where 80% of Formula One cars are born and have history of making high quality shoes!

https://www.northamptonshiresurprise.com/churches/

Founded in 1955 with the object of raising funds to make grants to churches for their ‘preservation, repair and maintenance, improvement, upkeep, beautification and reconstruction’.

http://www.nhct.org.uk/

Places to visit in Northamptonshire.

https://www.visitengland.com/things-to-do/northamptonshire

Getting here

Northamptonshire is centrally located within the UK and enjoys good road and rail links. We’re just one hour from London, Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge.

The main road routes and motorways into Northamptonshire will connect you from all corners of the country. The rail network can bring you to both cisities and town, including Northampton, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough.

Northamptonshire is easily accessible from six international airports: Birmingham, London Luton, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Nottingham East Midlands, London Stansted.