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Kettering |
| Kettering | |
  Kettering shown within Northamptonshire |
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| Population | 51,0631 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Kettering |
| Shire county | Northamptonshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | KETTERING |
| Postcode district | NN14 NN15 NN16 |
| Dialling code | 01536 |
| Police | Northamptonshire |
| Fire | Northamptonshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| European Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Kettering |
| List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire | |
Kettering is a town in Northamptonshire, England. It is the main town within the Borough of Kettering.
Kettering is on the River Ise, a tributary of the Nene and is twinned with Lahnstein, Germany and Kettering, Ohio, in the United States.
Kettering's economy was built on the boot and shoe industry. With the arrival of railways in the 19th century, industries such as engineering and clothing grew up. The clothing manufacturer Aquascutum built its first factory here in 1909. Now Kettering's economy is based on service and distribution industries due to its central location and transport links. A large and growing commuter population takes advantage of Kettering's position on the East Midlands Trains railway. Kettering has a link to St Pancras railway station, home of Eurostar.
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Kettering traces its origins to an early Romano British settlement. The local Roman industry is represented by the pottery kilns at Barton Seagrave and Boughton.
The first historical reference is in a charter of 956AD in which King Edwy granted ten "cassati" of land to Aelfsige the Goldsmith. The boundaries delineated in this charter would have been recognisable to most inhabitants for the last thousand years and can still be walked today. It is possible that Aelfsige the Goldsmith gave Kettering to the monastery of Peterborough as King Edgar in a charter dated 972 confirmed it to that monastery. At the Domesday survey in 1086, Kettering manor is listed as held by the Abbey of Peterborough. Words and placenames ending with 'ing' usually derive from the Anglo-Saxon word inga or ingas meaning 'the people of the' or 'tribe'. Kettering has its roots in literary spellings used in the 10th century – Cytringan, Kyteringas and Keteiringan.
The hamlet of Pipewell had England's third biggest abbey,knocked down by Henry VIII in 1538. Pipewell now has 70 inhabitants but remains remain, although on private grounds.
The charter for its market was granted by Henry III in 1227. By the 17th century the town was a centre for woolen cloth. The present town grew up in the 19th century with the development of the boot and shoe industry, which had declined by the middle of the 1990s. Many large homes in both the Headlands and Rockingham Road were built for factory owners. Terraced streets housed the workers, most of whom worked long hours for low pay. All the large footwear manufacturers, such as Dolcis, Freeman, Hardy and Willis, Frank Wright and Timpsons, have gone. Some were victims of overseas competition; others moved to lower-cost countries. A few smaller footwear businesses remain.
Victorian era Kettering was the centre of the 19th century religious non-conformism and the Christian missionary movement, and this has been preserved in many names. William Carey was born in 1761 at Paulerspury and spent his early life in Kettering before leaving for India as a missionary in 1793. Carey Mission House and Carey Street was named after him. Andrew Fuller helped Carey found the Baptist Missionary Society and he is remembered in the Fuller Church and Fuller Street. In 1803 William Knibb was born in Market Street and became a missionary and emancipator of slaves; he is commemorated by the Knibb Centre and Knibb Street. Toller Chapel and Toller Place are named after two ministers, father and son, who preached in Kettering for a total of 100 years. The chapel was built in 1723 for those who since 1662 had been worshipping in secret.
In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Kettering as:
In mid-2003 the population of Kettering was estimated at 86,000.
Kettering is centrally located in North Northants, the biggest single growth area outside London. Set to grow to 370,000 people by 2021, North Northants will be a community equivalent in population to Bristol. It will see 52,100 new homes by 2021 with a further provisional 28,000 homes by 2031. The East Kettering development area alone covers 300 hectares and extends from the A43 in the north to the A4 in the south.
In March 2007, a project was revealed to refurbish and bring new leisure and shopping to the town centre, including water features, public art, sculptures, street furniture, trees, plants and an innovative pavement lighting scheme.2
Kettering has transport links and lies roughly halfway between Sheffield and London by rail, and on the A14 East - West trunk road, approximately midway between the M1 motorway and the A1 road. The town benefits from its "Heart of England" location on the busy A14 and is said to be within two hours drive of 75% of the UK's population.3
Kettering's unemployment rate is amongst the lowest in the UK and has over 80% of its adults in full time employment.4 It is home to a wide range of companies including Weetabix, Pegasus Software, RCI Europe, Timsons Ltd and Morrisons Distribution as well as Wicksteed Park, the United Kingdom's oldest theme park, which now plays host to one and a quarter million visitors every season.
It is the home of Kettering General Hospital, which provides Acute and Accident & Emergency department services for the whole of North Northamptonshire. With its new £20 million campus, 16,000 students and 800 staff, Tresham Institute of Further and Higher Education is a significant employer in the region.
Kettering Business Park, a recent and current commercial property development undertaken by Buccleuch Property is situated on the A43/A6003, on the north side of Kettering. Many office buildings are being built as part of the project as well as a leisure sector with a new hotel. Many large distribution warehouses have been constructed in the area, creating thousands of jobs for the local economy.
Kettering's Heritage Quarter houses the Manor House Museum and the Alfred East Gallery. The magnificent Boughton House, Queen Eleanor Cross and the 1597 Triangular Lodge are local landmarks within the borough. Sir Thomas Tresham (Thomas Tresham II) was a devout Catholic who was imprisoned for his beliefs. When he was released he built Triangular Lodge to defy his prosecutors and secretly declare his faith. The construction's 'three of everything' - sides, floors, windows and gables - represent the Holy Trinity.
In 2007, most of an episode of British sitcom Peep Show was set in Kettering. However, it was not really filmed in Kettering, and all places shown in the show were named especially (such as the nightclub Land Kettering, and the hotel Park Kettering).
Kettering is Home to Kettering Rugby Football Club (KRFC). KRFC is located in Waverley Road on the south side of the town. The earliest available records indicate that the playing of Rugby Football in Kettering was initiated by the Rector of Barton Seagrave village in 1871. After a period of playing under Uppingham Public School Rules the club formally adopted RFU rules in 1875. Quickly becoming a significant participant in both local community and the fast developing Rugby scene in the East Midlands.
In the early days games were played on a number of sites including farmers fields and council owned grounds. It was during this period, prior to adopting a home of our own, that the club developed its high profile in the town. Social occasions and players "meetings" were held traditionally at the Royal Hotel, later moving to the George, with more formal occasions such as the Annual Ball becoming the highlight of the local function calendar.
Dougie Bridgeman, a local man, but proud Welshman, has in recent years had a similar profound effect on the clubs fortunes. Returning to Kettering after a period of playing 1st Class Rugby this talented centre led the 1st XV successfully for years and now mixes playing duties with those of Club Coach. His skills and knowledge contributing greatly to the 1st XV's successes in recent years.
KRFC currently plays in the Midlands 1st Division. their website can be found at www.ketteringrugbyclub.co.uk
Kettering is home to Kettering Town F.C.. The football (soccer) club currently play in the Conference National, which is in the first tier of the English non-league football structure. In the season 2007/08 Kettering Town F.C. were promoted to the Nationwide Conference. Kettering Town F.C. was once managed by Ron Atkinson on his way up to managing Manchester United as well as Paul Gascoigne although he was eventually sacked due to drinking problems.Now Mark Cooper is their manager and took them up to the Blue Square premier where they are in the top half
In Parliament, Kettering falls wholly within the parliamentary constituency of the same name, which is currently represented by Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, who gained the marginal constituency from former Labour MP Phil Sawford in the 2005 general election.
In the European Parliament, Kettering falls within the East Midlands European Parliament constituency and is represented by 6 MEPs (elected June 2004): - Derek Clark (UKIP / ID) - Chris Heaton-Harris (Conservative / EPP-ED) - Roger Helmer (Conservative / EPP-ED)) - Bill Newton Dunn (Liberal Democrat / ALDE - Robert Kilroy-Silk (Independent (formerly UKIP and Veritas) / Independent (formerly ID) - Glenis Willmott (Labour / PES) - replacing former Labour MEP
In local government, Kettering falls within the areas of Northamptonshire County Council and Kettering Borough Council, which incorporates the small, satellite towns of Burton Latimer, Desborough and Rothwell.
A key local issue relates to plans to construct at least 145,000 new homes within Northamptonshire, increasing the population by 50%, including significant development for the Borough of Kettering. A protest group entitled STOP ("Stop the Over-development Plans for Northamptonshire") has been established, and campaigns against what it fears will be the creation of a "linear city" blurring the boundaries between Kettering and the neighbouring towns of Corby and, to a lesser degree, Wellingborough. There is less than two miles of open land between Kettering and Corby.
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