Kelmarsh

Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire, England, is an elegant, 18th-century country house about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Market Harborough and 11 miles (18 km) north of Northampton. It is a Grade I listed house and is open to public viewing.The present Palladian hall was built in 1732 for William Hanbury, Esq (1704-1768), a famous antiquarian, by Francis Smith of Warwick, to a James Gibbs design; the hall is still today surrounded by its working estate, and comprises both parkland and gardens. Pevsner described the building as, “a perfect, extremely reticent design… done in an impeccable taste." In building the hall, Hanbury was utilising a fortune which had been bolstered by an advantageous marriage to a niece of Viscount Bateman; he went on to acquire the Shobdon estate in Herefordshire and one of his grandchildren, William Hanbury III, succeeded to a Bateman baronetcy. Richard Christopher Naylor, a Liverpool banker, cotton trader and horse racing enthusiast, purchased the estate in 1864, mainly for its hunting potential. In 1902, George Granville Lancaster bought the estate; his son, Claude, inherited on his majority in 1924, and it later passed to Claude's elder sister Cicely in 1977; she later established the Kelmarsh Trust to safeguard the estate's future after her death in 1996. Ronald Tree and his wife Nancy, née Perkins (later known as Nancy Lancaster) took a 6-year repairing lease on the Hall in 1929. Tree became the Member of Parliament for Harborough in 1933. His wife, who became renowned for her work and taste in interior design, subsequently married the owner of the estate, Colonel Lancaster.

Kelmarsh railway station on the Northampton and Market Harborough railway opened on 16 February 1859 serving the villages of Kelmarsh and Arthingworth, Northamptonshire, England. It ran almost equidistant between the two villages which are just under 2 miles (3.2 km) apart north-east of Kelmarsh and south-west of Arthingworth. It was part of the London and North Western Railway. The next station north, Clipston and Oxendon serving the villages of Great Oxendon and Clipston was situated south of Oxendon tunnel. To the south, Lamport was accessed via Kelmarsh tunnel. The station lost its passenger service on 4 January 1960. The line was re-opened for limited periods after that and not closed completely until 15 August 1981. The Heritage Northampton & Lamport Railway hopes that it may eventually re-open the route.

The Kelmarsh Tunnels are disused railway tunnels in Northamptonshire, England. The Northampton to Market Harborough line opened in 1859 and had tunnels at Kelmarsh and nearby Oxendon. The original tunnel was single-track, and when the line was doubled a second single-track tunnel was built. Due to the small bore, the tunnels were known as "the rat-holes" by train drivers. The former "up" line tunnel at Kelmarsh is open as part of the Brampton Valley Way, a linear park which runs from Boughton level crossing on the outskirts of Northampton to Little Bowden near Market Harborough, on the former railway trackbed. A species of moth Triphosa dubitata has been observed to overwinter inside Kelmarsh Tunnel. The tunnel is easily navigated on foot or by cyclists, and the open bore has been effectively restored but is unlit. The sign on site placed by the council indicates the tunnel length as 480 metres (1,570 ft).The other bore is sometimes accessible from one end but unsafe. the ventilation shafts approximately half of the way through lets in light water and air; also these do not have covers on so are considered unsafe.

Clipston and Oxendon railway station on the Northampton and Market Harborough railway opened in 1863 as a result of villagers' requests serving the villages of Clipston and Great Oxendon, Northamptonshire, England. It was about 1 mile south-east of the Oxendon and about 3 miles walking distance north-east of Clipston. It was south of Oxendon tunnel. It was part of the London and North Western Railway.The station lost its passenger service on 4 January 1960. The line was re-opened for limited periods after that and not closed completely until 15 August 1981. The Heritage Northampton & Lamport Railway hopes that it may eventually re-open the route.

St Mary the Virgin's Church is an Anglican Church and the parish church of Maidwell, Northamptonshire. It is a Grade II* listed building and stands on the south side of Draughton Road. There is no reference to a church or priest in the entry for the parish in the Domesday Book, which was compiled in 1086. This may indicate the absence of a church building at that stage or, alternatively, only the absence of a resident priest. The church consists of a nave, chancel and west tower. The main structure of the present building was erected in the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest parts are the north and south doorway dating from the 12th century. The tower dates from the 13th century. The chancel was constructed in 1891 to a design by James Piers St Aubyn. There are monuments to Catherine, Lady Gorges (1634) erected by her husband Edward Gorges, Lord Dundalk and also a tablet to the Haslewood family erected 1695 by Elizabeth, Viscountess Hatton. A detailed description of the building appears on the Historic England websiteA notable Rector was George Folbury (d. 1540) Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge from 1537. The parish registers survive from 1708 and, apart from those currently in use, are kept at Northamptonshire Record Office. Details of its location and opening times can be found on the Record Office website.Maidwell is part of a united Benefice along with Draughton, Faxton and Lamport. Except for Faxton, each parish retains its own church building.

Maidwell is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish had 325 inhabitants, including Draughton, and this increased to 429 at the 2011 census.The villages name means 'Maidens' spring/stream'.

St Andrew's Church is an Anglican Church and the parish church of Arthingworth. It is a Grade II* listed building and stands on the north side of Braybrooke Road. There is no reference to a church or priest in the entry for the parish in the Domesday Book, which was compiled in 1086. This may indicate the absence of a church building at that stage or, alternatively, only the absence of a resident priest. The main structure of the present building was erected in the 12th and 14th centuries. Restoration was carried out in the 19th century. The church consists of a nave, north and south aisles, chancel and west tower. A detailed description appears on the Historic England website.The parish registers survive from 1650 and, apart from those currently in use, are kept at Northamptonshire Record Office. Details of its location and opening times can be found on the Record Office website.Arthingworth is part of a united Benefice along with East Farndon, Harrington and Oxendon. Each parish retains its own church building.

Arthingworth is a civil parish and village in the West Northamptonshire area of the county of Northamptonshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 238.The villages name probably means, 'enclosure connected with Earn(a)'.

The Oxendon Tunnels are disused railway tunnels in Northamptonshire, England. The Northampton to Market Harborough line opened in 1859 and had tunnels at Oxendon and nearby at Kelmarsh. The original tunnel was single-track, and when the line was doubled a second single-track tunnel was built. The "up" line tunnel is 453 yards (414 m) long while the "down" line is 462 yards (422 m). Due to the small bore, the tunnels were known as "the rat-holes" by train drivers. The former "up" line tunnel at Oxendon is open as part of the Brampton Valley Way, a linear park which runs from Boughton level crossing on the outskirts of Northampton to Little Bowden near Market Harborough, on the former railway trackbed.

Great Oxendon is a linear village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 307 people, increasing to 331 at the 2011 Census.The villages name means 'oxen hill'.Its eastern end is on the A508 road from Market Harborough to Northampton but most of the village is at 90° to the main road's north–south direction. The former railway tunnel at Great Oxendon is now open as part of the Brampton Valley Way. Between 1859 and 1960 the village was served by Clipston and Oxendon railway station about one mile south-east of the village and with running trains between Northampton in the south and Market Harborough in the north. Little Oxendon is a deserted medieval village about one mile north of Great Oxendon at grid reference SP730846.

Arthingworth Manor is a Grade II listed country house in Arthingworth, Northamptonshire, England, about 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Market Harborough. The estate consists of two manor houses; an older listed house and a stable block converted into a house.

Clipston is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The village lies around 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of the town of Market Harborough in the neighbouring county of Leicestershire. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 643, an increase from 613 at the 2001 Census.