Northamptonshire is steeped in history, let the county share it’s intriguing tales and secrets with you.

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We Have a Heritage of Making History

History is of course, a story of people. And we have many, many intriguing tales of the people who have been in the county before us.

For instance, there’s the tragic tale of Mary Queen of Scots who was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle (now surrounded by Scottish thistles). The ghost of the Queen is said to walk the stairs of The Talbot hotel in Oundle.

Then we have two of the remaining three Queen Eleanor crosses built by Edward I to mark places where Queen Eleanor’s funeral procession stopped on its way from Lincolnshire to London in 1290.

For more interesting stories and details of our heritage sites visit the Explore Northamptonshire website

The battle of Naseby on the 14th June 1645 was the decisive fight of the English Civil War where Parliament's New Model Army defeated the forces of King Charles. Naseby ranks with Hastings and Bosworth as a turning point in English history.

A more recent, and perhaps more surprising link to history is that Northamptonshire is the final resting place of Nicolai Poliakoff, probably better known as the world-famous Coco the Clown. His carved image is to be seen on his gravestone in Woodnewton. Download your walking book from the Britain on Show site to find the walk to Nicolai’s grave.