Northamptonshire’s Historic Environment Record contains a galaxy of information about archaeological sites, finds and historic buildings across the county. You can find about what it has to offer and why it is so important by visiting these links:
- What are Historic Environment Records? (video)
- Welcome to Northamptonshire’s Historic Environment Record
- Why Historic Environment Records Matter (video)
The map shows the area that is now administered by North and West Northamptonshire County Councils. The Soke of Peterborough is also a part of the ancient county of Northamptonshire. To find information about Peterborough, please see the section headed Peterborough Extensive Urban Survey Report.
Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey
This collection is a treasure chest of information about the history and environment of 25 places in the county. It describes them as towns, but that sometimes reflects the past status of a locality which most people would now describe as a village.
An introduction and an overview explain the background to the project and the overall approaches taken. Each report consists of a fully-referenced description of the place in each major period, an assessment of scope for future research and a strategy for managing its historical features.
Written during 2000-2002, much of the material in the reports has stood the test of time; it continues to be a rich mine for local historians and others interested in knowing more about particular parts of the county. However, the considerable archaeological investigation carried out since then challenges some of the conclusions that were made then.
The text of each report can be viewed and downloaded as a PDF. The associated ‘figures’ (charts, maps etc) have to be explored as separate files, but that is only a slight inconvenience.
The following list provides links to the sections for each place covered. Enjoy discovering more about the ones that most interest you.
- Ashton
- Brackley
- Brigstock
- Burton Latimer
- Daventry
- Desborough
- Duston
- Finedon
- Fotheringhay
- Higham Ferrers
- Irchester
- Irthingborough
- Kettering
- Kettering (Roman)
- Kings Sutton
- Long Buckby
- Oundle
- Raunds
- Rockingham
- Rothwell
- Rushden
- Thrapston
- Titchmarsh
- Towcester
- Wellingborough
- Whilton
Peterborough Extensive Urban Survey
This detailed report on the historic core of Peterborough is the result of a project conducted by Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council in 2019. It can be downloaded as a PDF by using a link that is included on this page.