Property, Houses and Flats for Sale in Northamptonshire, England

The county of Northamptonshire

One of Britain's best kept secrets, Northamptonshire has been described as 'England's most beautiful undiscovered county'. Essentially a rural county, Northamptonshire is most notably renowned for its influence in the boot and shoe industry, and is also known as the county of "Squires and spires". Located in the South Midlands, Northamptonshire covers an area of 915 square miles and has a population of approximately 630,000. The county is known worldwide for its footwear production – the nickname of Northampton Town Football Club is 'The Cobblers'. Northamptonshire has an abundance of leafy rural walks, plenty of historic houses and gardens, and many beautiful country villages. Northamptonshire has always held strong links with nobility, and its heritage of beautiful stately homes and gardens remains strong today. The county's most famous residence is 'Althorp' – the Spencer Family home, and final resting place of Princess Diana.

A brief history

The origin of the name of the county, first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1011) as "Hamtunscir", comes from the Old English "North Hamtune", meaning northern home town, or farm. The "North" was added to distinguish Northampton from the other important Hamtun further south – Southampton. Pre-Celtic and Celtic peoples settled in the region of Northamptonshire, where there were traces of Roman settlements and roads. Most notably there was an important Roman settlement called "Lactodorum" on the site of modern day Towcester. Parts of Northamptonshire became industrialised during the 18th and 19th centuries, and Northampton gained a sizeable shoe making and leather industry; by the end of the 19th century it was considered to be the boot and shoe making capital of the world. During 1933, in the town of Corby, construction began to tap the vast reserves beneath the surface of the surrounding countryside to produce steel. Workers came from all over Britain, and early in 1934 the first contingent of Scottish folk arrived to form a large proportion of the population. There is still a high percentage of inhabitants with Scottish ancestry today.

Living in Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is undergoing considerable redevelopment and regeneration, add to that the excellent transport links, and it is a county considered to be up and coming. With property prices starting to increase, it is an ideal county to purchase property for investment purposes. Families who are searching for houses in Northamptonshire might like to start their search in Kettering and the surrounding areas. Word on the street from local residents is that it's a great area for families. Kettering is home to the UK's first ever leisure park, Wicksteed Park, which opened in 1921 and is still a popular family attraction today. The mainline railway station in Kettering makes commuting easy (the journey time in to London is just one hour). There is a good selection of schools, and plenty of lovely villages and beautiful countryside. Kettering town centre, which is mainly pedestrianised, has indoor and outdoor shopping, making it a popular place for shoppers. If you're searching for houses for sale in Kettering expect to pay £223k+ for a modern four bedroom semi-detached house.

If you are looking for a slightly faster pace of life, you should consider searching for a property in Northampton, which is the county town of Northamptonshire. There are plenty of shopping facilities in Northampton - the Grosvenor Centre and Wellingborough Road boast a choice of over sixty retailers and restaurants, from major names to exclusive local outlets, offering designer goods such as Armani, Boss and Prada. For entertainment and culture, Northampton has everything, from theatre to concerts, clubs to casinos, bistros to pubs there's something here for every occasion, night or day. Sports followers are especially spoilt for choice. There's rugby with 'The Saints' and football with the 'Northampton Cobblers'. For motorsport fans, Silverstone, home of The Grand Prix, Santa Pod and Rockingham Speedway are all close at hand. People searching for flats in Northampton should expect to pay £119k+ for a two bedroom apartment in a modern block. If you are searching for property in Northampton and also for a locally based job, you will find Northampton's prosperity is now mainly derived from service industries. There are a number of transport firms and brewing companies (Carlsberg's UK base is located here), and an increasing number of national and international businesses.

The market town of Daventry is proving to be popular with people searching for property, it is just 12 miles from Northampton and near the Warwickshire border. The historic town centre is surrounded by modern housing and light industrial development. On the edge of the town centre is the popular Daventry Country Park and reservoir. There is a street market every Tuesday and Friday, and on the first Saturday of each month a Farmers' market is held in the High Street. Daventry is near the M1 motorway and the nearest railway station is at Long Buckby, just five miles from the town centre. People searching for houses in Daventry would pay £203k+ for a modern four bedroom detached house.

A selection of other types of property for sale in Northamptonshire include, detached stone farmhouses, bungalows, Victorian terraced houses, flats in converted factories (ex shoe factories and printworks), and a number of agricultural and rural properties.

There are a good number of estate agents in Northamptonshire so, prior to making any decisions about where you want to live, make sure you use a Primelocation agent to investigate the towns and types of property for sale in Northamptonshire.

Travel and transport links in the county of Northamptonshire

Residents of Northamptonshire benefit from good transport links. By road the county is served by the M1, and also boasts access to the M5, M6, M25 and M40. The A14 links the county to the east coast. A fast train service runs into both St. Pancras and Euston from around the county. People working in London and searching for property in Northampton will discover the train journey's just over one hour, and is the same from Kettering. There are frequent train services to Birmingham (50 minutes from Northampton station), and Luton Airport (1.45 hours from Northampton station). London Luton, Birmingham, Stanstead and East Midlands airports are all within a two hour drive of Northamptonshire.