Daventry
For other uses see Daventry (disambiguation)
Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England with a population of 22,367 (2001 census). The town is the administrative centre of the Daventry district.
It is located roughly 12 miles (20 km) west of Northampton. The town comprises a historic market centre surrounded by much modern housing and light industrial development. On the edge of the town centre is the popular Daventry Country Park and reservoir. Until recently Daventry had a small Battle of Naseby museum although this is currently (2004) being mothballed.
Daventry is near the M1 motorway and is served by the A45 road. Daventry once had a railway station on the former LNWR branch-line from Weedon to Leamington Spa but this was closed in the early 1960s; now the nearest railway station is at Long Buckby.
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Owing to its good transport links, Daventry is now a warehousing and distribution centre. North of the town "Daventry International Railfreight Terminal" (DIRFT) is a major terminal for freight interchange between road and rail.
Nearby places to Daventry include: Rugby, Southam, Banbury, Northampton and Coventry. The town is twinned with Westerburg in Germany.
An alternative pronunciation for Daventry used by locals is "Danetre" but this has become less common.
History
On the 653 foot (199 metre) high 'Borough Hill' that overlooks the town, remains have been found of an iron age hill fort - one of the largest found in Britain. Remains have also been found on the hill of later Roman buildings.
Daventy began as a small village and became a market town in the 13th century. In 1576 Queen Elizabeth I granted Daventry borough status.
During the English Civil War, King Charles I stayed at Daventry along with many troops before the Battle of Naseby which occurred nearby in 1645 between Royalist and Parliamentarian forces.
Daventry thrived during the era of the stagecoach but when the London and Birmingham Railway was opened in 1838 the coaching trade slumped. The industrial revolution largely passed Daventry by due to its poor transport links. The canals passed around Daventry, (although the Grand Union Canal passed a few miles north) and the railways did not connect Daventry until quite late in the 19th century. A branch from the Grand Union Canal to Daventry was proposed but was never built.
Daventry did not achieve a railway connection until 1888, when a branch from the main line at Weedon was built, and in 1895 was extended to Leamington Spa, although being only a branch line this failed to spur much growth. Daventry's economy remained largely rural, with shoe making as the main industry.
In 1923 a BBC broadcasting station, which until recently had a large antenna farm, was built on Borough Hill outside the town. For many years the BBC World Service was broadcast from there.
On February 26, 1935 the radio station at Daventry was used for the first ever practical demonstration of radar, by its inventor Robert Watson-Watt. Watson-Watt used a radio receiver installed in a trailer to receive signals bounced off a metal-clad bomber flying up and down the radio beam. The station closed in 1992 and only one of the radio masts now remains. Incidentally a busy directional radio beacon (VOR), identifier "DTY", for aircraft is situated approx. four miles due south of the town.
Daventry remained a small rural town until the 1950s; in 1950 it had a population of around 6,000. Real growth started in 1954 when the ball bearing manufacturer British Timken located a large factory in the town.
In the early 1960s the town was chosen as an overspill for people displaced by slum clearances in Birmingham. The town grew rapidly as a result: between 1955 and 1975 Daventry's population tripled to around 20,000.
In 1974 the old borough of Daventry was abolished and merged into the new Daventry district. However in 2003 Daventry became a civil parish and gained a new town council. Daventry has an excellent record in recycling household waste and boasts one of the highest recycling percentages in the country.
In 2004, Daventry found a new claim to fame when it was featured in a television commercial for McDonalds. A character mentioned that she was going to a sales event in Daventry, leading to responses of "Where is Daventry?" and "Are you sure you don't mean Coventry?". Some in the town, including the leader of Daventry District Council, were not happy with the jibe. Incidentally, McDonalds has a restaurant in Daventry on Vicar Lane.