Brackley

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Coordinates: 52°01′55″N 1°08′49″W / 52.032°N 1.147°W / 52.032; -1.147

Brackley
Brackley  Brackley shown within Northamptonshire
Population	13,331 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SP5837
District	South Northamptonshire
Shire county	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRACKLEY
Postcode district	NN13
Dialling code	01280
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Daventry
Website	Brackley Town Council
List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire

Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes between London, Birmingham and the English Midlands and between Cambridge and Oxford.

History

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Brackley, originally also known as Brachelai or Brackele, was owned in 1086 by Earl Alberic. After this it passed to the Earl of Leicester, and to the families of De Quinci and Roland.^[1]

In the 11th and 12th centuries Brackley was in the Hundred of Odboldistow and in the Manor of Halse. Richard I (The Lionheart) named 5 officials sites for jousting tournaments^{[citation needed]} so that such events could not be used as local wars, and Brackley was one of these. The tournament site is believed to be to the south of the castle where the A422 now passes.

Henry III attacked the castle in 1173. The site was later granted to the Hospital of St John.

The town was the site of an important meeting between the barons and representatives of the King in 1215, the year of Magna Carta.^{[citation needed]} Magna Carta required King John to proclaim rights, respect laws, and accept that the King’s wishes were subject to law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether free or a prisoner — most notably allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment. King John and the barons were to have signed Magna Carta at Brackley Castle, but they eventually did so at Runnymede.

Market day was on Sundays until 1218, when it was changed to Wednesdays.^{[citation needed]} It is now on Friday mornings.

In 1597 the town was incorporated by James II. It had a mayor, 6 aldermen and 26 burgesses.

Over time the Brackley has been known for wool and lace-making.

In 1901 the population of the town was 2,467.

The Brackley Poor Law Union

Until 1834 the poor house in use by the area was in nearby Culworth, but in that year the Brackley Poor Law Union was founded.^[2] A workhouse for 250 people was built in 1836, southwest of the town on Banbury Road. It was demolished in the 1930s.

Transport

Brackley is close to the A43 road, which now bypasses the town, linking it to Towcester and Northampton to the east and the M40 motorway to the west. The A422 links it to Banbury and Buckingham.

The nearest railway station to Brackley is at Kings Sutton, about six miles (10 km) away. Brackley once (prior to 1966) had two railway stations of its own, but both have since closed (the lines closed in 1961 & 1966). The first, known in its latter years as Brackley Town, opened in May 1850 on a LNWR branch line from Verney Junction on the Oxford-Bletchley-Bedford-Cambridge line to Banbury via Buckingham. The second was Brackley Central on the Great Central Railway, the last mainline to be constructed from the north of England to London which opened in March 1899. Chiltern Railways have said to have aspirations for services from London Marylebone to Rugby along the former Great Central Main Line.^[3] This would have Brackley Central railway station reopen with direct services to London, Aylesbury and Rugby. Also this line is under consideration for the new High Speed 2 250 MPH Line to Birmingham as reported in Railnews^[4] on 1 June 2009. The line through Brackley Town closed in January 1961, while the Great Central was closed by British Railways in September 1966. A prominent feature of the latter was Brackley Viaduct which spanned the Ouse Valley just southeast of the town. It was 255 yards (233 m) in length, 62 feet (19 m) high, had 20 brick arches and two girder spans and was demolished in sections in early 1978. The viaduct will need to be rebuilt if the SP2 Mainline gets the go ahead.^[5]

The town has numerous bus services and is connected to major towns and cities including Banbury ('499', '500'), Buckingham, Towcester, Oxford and Northampton ('X88', '88'). In 2001 the 'X38' Oxford-Northampton express service became the 'X6' with the introduction of the '88' to serve villages en route to Northampton (such as Towcester, Blisworth and Milton Malsor). In September 2007, Stagecoach Group's Oxford-Brackley-Towcester-Northampton services were reduced with the merging of the 88 and X6.

Notable buildings

The earthwork remains of Brackley Castle lie between Hinton Road and Tesco. It comprised a motte mound 10 feet (3.0 m) high and approximately 44 yards (40 m) in diameter with an outer bailey to the east. Archaeological excavation has revealed evidence of a ditch defining the perimeter of the bailey. Two fishponds originally lay outside the ditch but have subsequently been infilled – however south of St. James Lake may have formed a part of this. Brackley Castle was constructed soon after 1086 and may have gone out of use in 1147.

The Church of England parish church of Saint Peter at the eastern end of the town centre has an 11th century Norman south doorway.^[6]

Brackley's other notable buildings include Magdalen College School, founded by Magdalen College for its pupils to escape the great plague affecting Oxford in the 15th century. St John's chapel stands next to the original college buildings and is still in use today, making it the oldest building in Great Britain in continual use by a school.

The town park belongs to the National Trust.

Winchester House School is a private school within the town for children aged from 3-13.

Industry

Brackley is close to the Silverstone motor racing circuit, and has some industry related to Formula One racing, notably Mercedes Grand Prix (formerly Brawn GP British American Racing/Honda) which is based in the town, and the Force India F1 team which operates a wind tunnel on the former site of the north railway station. On the east outskirts of the town is Bronnley, suppliers of hand-made soaps to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Their products are bestowed with Royal Honours for Excellence. Several of the town's larger employers, including Clansman Cases and Cardale Doors have either closed, relocated or downsized in recent years.^{[citation needed]} However, Faccenda has grown with the expansion its sister company Direct Legal and Collections (DLC).^{[citation needed]}

Sports and leisure

Brackley Rugby Union Football Club^[7], currently plays in Midlands 4 East (South).

Brackley Sports Football Club plays in the North Bucks League Premier Division with its Reserves team in the North Bucks Intermediate Division. It also has a ladies' team playing in the Northants Women's League^[8].

Brackley Athletic Football Club^[9] is a junior football club affiliated with the Northamptonshire Football Association. It plays in three leagues: the under 7s - 10s are in the Milton Keynes & District Junior Sevens League, the under 11s - 16s are in the Milton Keynes & Border Counties League and the girls' team is in the Oxford Girls Football League.

Brackley has a tennis club,^[10] a leisure centre and swimming pool^[11] and a martial arts academy.^[12]

Sources

• Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (1973). The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 115-118. 

References

External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brackley

Music and dance

• The Brackley Morris Men
• Brackley and District Band
• Brackley Music Festival

Community and business

• Churches, schools and other local information for Brackley
• Brackley Rotary Club
• Brackley and District Round Table 1037
• Brackley Business Information from Northamptonshire Chamber

Northamptonshire portal