Weedon Bec

Coordinates: 52°13′52″N 1°04′50″W / 52.23101°N 1.08045°W / 52.23101; -1.08045

Weedon Bec or Beck
Weedon Bec or Beck  Weedon Bec or Beck shown within Northamptonshire
Population	2,485 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SP629596
Parish	Weedon Bec
District	Daventry district
Shire county	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NORTHAMPTON
Postcode district	NN7 4
Dialling code	01327
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Daventry
List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire

Weedon Bec, (also Beck) usually just called "Weedon" is a large village and parish in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. It lies close to the source of the River Nene.

Demographics

The 2001 census^[1] it had a population of 2,485, 1,248 male and 1,237 female, 1,237 households and average age 38.34 years.

Location

Weedon is located about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Daventry, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Northampton and is at the crossroads of the A5 and A45 main roads. The Grand Union Canal (1796) and West Coast Main Line both pass through the village. The village station, just north of the A45 road bridge closed in the 1960s. Between 1888 and 1963 there was a branch line just north of Weedon to Leamington Spa via Daventry.

Weedon rail crashes

Weedon has been the site of two serious rail crashes in 1915 and 1951 in which in total 25 people were killed.

History

The village^[2] is usually called just "Weedon" when including "Lower Weedon" and "Upper Weedon" which were once distinct villages now merged into one. The settlement patterns of all three villages have been distorted by the presence of the major road, the canal, the military establishments and the railway station and present an unusual example of urban sprawl in an otherwise rural part of England. The area on the A5, the Roman road of Watling Street from London to Holyhead was known as "Road Weedon" and earlier "Weedon on the Street". The "Bec" part of the name is derived from the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, in Normandy, France, which owned most of the village until the dissolution of the monasteries, when King Henry VIII gave it to Eton College.

Weedon Lois or Lois Weedon is in a different part of the county.

The name came from the Old English "Wēo-dūn" meaning "Temple Hill". Before the Christian era there may have been a heathen temple here.

Facilities

Churches

The parish church of SS Peter and Paul is at the south of the village hemmed in and overlooked from both the Grand Union Canal embankment and the West Coast Main Line viaduct. According to Pevsner, it has a Norman west tower, with the main body 1825 (chancel 1863). there is also a Congregational Chapel of 1792.

Other buildings

The Priory in Oak Street is all that remains of a larger house. The Firs is Queen Street is a house dated 1692.

At the crossroads as might be expected for a major road prior to the railway, there are a large number of pubs, cafés and shops. It is now growing as a centre for the antique trade and more specialist shops.

Barracks

Next to the canal is the former Napoleonic War era Military Ordnance Depot^[3]. The Depot, which was the central small arms depot for the British Army, opened in 1803 and was originally served by the canal, by way of its own branch which entered the depot through a portcullis. When the railway was built, it too had a branch into the depot. There was also a Barracks in the village, holding a standing battalion, plus a troop of cavalry and a troop of horse artillery. The Barracks were demolished in the 1950s. Because the barracks and depot were situated in the heart of England, they were considered a safe haven. In the event of a Napoleonic invasion of Britain, King George III and other members of the Royal family would have been sent there from London on the canal. Three large Pavilions were built between the Depot and the Barracks to house them. These were demolished in the 1960s. Next door to the barracks was the Army School of Equitation, which was also demolished in the 60s. The Depot became redundant to the Army, in 1965, but is still in use for storage and light industry. It is hoped that the National Fire Service Museum will be opening there in the near future.

Notable Residents

• Leo G. Carroll (1886–1972), actor (The Paradine Case, North by Northwest and others), was born in Weedon Bec.

References

See also

• Northamptonshire Villages, (2002) Countryside Books, ISBN 1-85306-764-4

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