Editing Northampton (section)

== Culture ==

=== Leisure ===
[[File:Northampton Market Square Lights 4.jpg|thumb|The Market Square at night]]

[[Billing Aquadrome]] leisure park is on the eastern outskirts. It has a caravan site, marina, funfair, bar, riverside restaurant and converted water mill with original workings. The Northampton Leisure Trust (branded Trilogy Leisure) has four leisure centres across Northampton: Danes Camp, Lings Forum, [[Mounts Baths]] and Duston Sports Centre. King’s Park Sports, operated by Action Centres UK, has sports facilities that include tennis courts, badminton courts, a climbing wall, trampolining, archery and more. There is also a public golf course at Delapré. Radlands Plaza is a new [[skatepark]] that opened in 2012.

According to the website of the (former) Northampton Borough Council, there are a total of 170 parks and open spaces around Northampton, which altogether span around {{convert|1880|acres|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 March 2009 |title=Parks and Open Spaces &#124; Northampton Borough Council |url=http://www.northampton.gov.uk/parks |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Northampton.gov.uk |archive-date=26 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926090215/http://www.northampton.gov.uk/parks |url-status=dead }}</ref> Popular parks include [[Abington Park]], which is the town's oldest, and the Racecourse, which was used for horseracing (until 1904) and as a cricket ground (between 1844 and 1885) in addition to being the original home of [[Northampton Balloon Festival]]. Other parks include Becket's Park (which is named after Thomas Becket as are nearby Becket's Well and Thomas á Becket pub), Bradlaugh Fields (named after the Northampton MP Charles Bradlaugh), Dallington Park, Delapré Park, Eastfield Park, Hunsbury Hill (which is built around an [[Iron Age]] [[hillfort]]), Kingsthorpe Park and Victoria Park.

Popular annual events include [[Northampton Carnival]], the Beer Festival, the Dragonboat Race, the Umbrella Fair, Diwali celebrations and [[St Crispin Street Fair|St Crispins Fair]]. Northampton Balloon Festival used to be a major event in Northampton, but since being scaled down, it has been poorly attended. Northampton Music Festival has been celebrated every year since 2007 in the town centre.

=== Entertainment ===
[[File:RoyalDerngate.JPG|thumb|right|[[Royal & Derngate]], one of the main venues for arts and entertainment]]
The [[Royal & Derngate]] theatre complex, on Guildhall Road in the [[Cultural Quarter, Northampton|Cultural Quarter]] of the town centre, is one of the main venues for arts and entertainment in Northampton. [[The Deco]], situated in Abington Square in the town centre, is a 900-seat theatre and conference centre, which shares its [[Art Deco]] building with the Northampton Jesus Centre. It was restored by the [[Jesus Army]] as part of their Jesus Centre project. The Deco used to be a cinema in the 1960s; [[The Beatles]] appeared there twice on stage in 1963: firstly as unknowns as part of the [[Tommy Roe]]/[[Chris Montez]] tour; secondly as part of their own tour in their own right.<ref name="BeatlesE">{{cite book |last=Harry, Bill |title=The Beatles Encyclopaedia (2000 paperback edition; first published 1992) |publisher=Virgin Publishing, London W6 9HA |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7535-0481-9 |location=London |pages=9 and 776}}</ref> Smaller theatres include the Northampton Playhouse and the Cripps Theatre, which is part of Northampton School for Boys.

The two commercial cinemas in Northampton are [[Vue (cinema)|Vue]] at [[Sol Central Northampton|Sol Central]] in the centre and [[Cineworld]] at Sixfields. There is also the subsidised Forum Cinema at [[Lings Forum]], whose film programme is widely varied and includes art-house and non-mainstream films. The Northampton Filmhouse, an independent cinema joined to the side of the Royal & Derngate theatre complex, opened in June 2013.

There are also many local entertainment venues which provide events. [[Roadmender (nightclub)|The Roadmender]], which used to be run and funded by the council and later bought by The Purplehaus group, hosts mainstream touring bands and one off-gigs. There are other popular late-night entertainment venues, pubs, bars and clubs in the town centre, and along the Wellingborough and Kettering Roads on the way into the town centre. Northampton also has ten-pin bowling alleys and late night casinos.

=== Libraries, museums and galleries ===
[[File:NorthamptonshireCentralLibrary.jpg|thumb|Northamptonshire Central Library in Abington Street]]
The Northamptonshire Central Library in town centre is a Grade II listed building which was erected in 1910.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/news/Newsreleases/Pages/2433.aspx |title=Happy 100th birthday Northamptonshire central library |publisher=Northamptonshire County Council |date=8 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053943/http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/news/Newsreleases/Pages/2433.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref> There are seven other public libraries that are dotted across Northampton—in Abington, Duston, Far Cotton, Hunsbury, Kingsthorpe, St James, Wootton—all run by Northamptonshire County Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/councilservices/leisure/libraries/visit-your-library/listlibraries/pages/listoflibraries.aspx |title=List of Libraries – Northamptonshire County Council |access-date=12 July 2015 |archive-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713025219/http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/councilservices/leisure/libraries/visit-your-library/listlibraries/pages/listoflibraries.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:NorthamptonMAG.jpg|thumb|left|Northampton Museum and Art Gallery]]
[[Northampton Museum and Art Gallery]] on Guildhall Road in the Cultural Quarter has a collection of historical footwear (one of the world's largest at 13,000), Italian art, glass and ceramics, plus visiting exhibitions and local history. There is also a smaller Grade I listed historical museum in the former Abington Park house which mainly has history on domestic life in the town and the Northamptonshire Regiment. [[78 Derngate]], the only house in England designed by [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]], includes a museum celebrating Mackintosh, an art gallery and a restaurant.

The Northampton Arts Collective is homed on a four-storey building entitled NN<ref>{{cite web |title=NN Contemporary Art, Northampton – Gallery, Studios, Education & Project Space |url=http://www.nncontemporaryart.org/ |website=NN Contemporary Art Northampton}}</ref> in the Cultural Quarter, opposite the Northampton Museum and next to the Royal & Derngate theatre complex. They relocated from the Old Fishmarket which was demolished to make way for the North Gate bus station.<ref>{{cite news |date=7 February 2012 |title=Northampton arts collective to move to cultural quarter |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-16925032 }}</ref> The Avenue Gallery, is at the Avenue campus of the University of Northampton. The university also spent £3&nbsp;million on its Portfolio Innovation Centre in early 2011, which houses around 60 creative freelancers, digital media developers, and designers.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100617203653/http://www.portfoliocentre.co.uk/ The Portfolio Innovation Centre]. Portfoliocentre.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.</ref> Other art galleries include Collective Collaborations, Artist's Sanctuary, Albus3, Gallery 177 and Primose Gallery. Northamptonshire also runs an annual county-wide Open Studios event celebrating visual arts in which artists' studios are open to the public.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030305230359/http://www.openstudios.org.uk/ Open Studios]. Open Studios. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.</ref>

=== Music ===
The composers [[Malcolm Arnold]], [[William Alwyn]], [[Trevor Hold]], [[Edmund Rubbra]] and [[Robert Walker (composer)|Robert Walker]] were born in Northampton. Northampton also boasts one of the oldest community orchestras in the U.K. – the Northampton Symphony Orchestra, which started life in 1896 as Saint Celia's Orchestral Society. Indie rock band [[The Departure]], as well as Gothic rock band [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]] formed in Northampton, the latter often cited as the godfathers of goth, helped pioneer the genre during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Spinoff bands [[Love and Rockets (band)|Love and Rockets]], as well as [[Tones on Tail]] were also formed in the town. The UK rapper [[Slowthai]] was born in Northampton and frequently talks about his life growing up there in his music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-46705455|title=Sound of 2019: slowthai 'telling the story of the people for the people'|date=8 January 2019|publisher=[[BBC]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109011858/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-46705455|archive-date=9 January 2019|access-date=9 January 2019}}</ref> Pop musician [[Sophie (musician)|SOPHIE]] was also born in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/cool-or-pretentious-72t90xt62|title=Cool or pretentious?|date=10 January 2016|publisher=Times|access-date=1 January 2025|archive-date=22 June 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240622123454/https://www.thetimes.com/article/cool-or-pretentious-72t90xt62|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> Both Dominic Major, drummer of [[London Grammar]] and [[Adrian Utley]], guitarist of [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]] originate from the town.

=== Sport ===
[[File:Northampton Saints play Worcester Warriors at Franklin's Gardens.jpg|thumb|[[Franklin's Gardens]], the home of the Saints, is the 5th largest stadium in the [[East Midlands]] and the largest stadium in [[Northamptonshire]].]]

====Rugby Union====

The town is home to [[Guinness Premiership|Premiership]] [[rugby union]] champions [[Northampton Saints]], who play at [[Franklin's Gardens]] in the St James End area to the west of town. The Saints have won 3 major titles so far: the [[Heineken Cup]] in 2000, and the [[Gallagher Premiership|English Premiership]] twice in 2014 and 2024 respectively, and have the highest average attendance of any professional sports team in the town.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/rugby/results/senior | title=Northampton Saints Results &#124; Saints Score }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/northampton-town/attendances | title=Northampton Town &#124; Home Attendances &#124; Football Web Pages }}</ref>

Rugby Union also maintains itself as a very popular amateur sport in the town, with it being played by nearly every secondary school in the area, as well as by around 10 amateur clubs within Northampton itself, most of which field multiple teams on weekends.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.englandrugby.com/play/find-rugby-results?postcode=northampton | title=Find Rugby Results &#124; Rugby Football Union }}</ref> Northampton is also home to Northampton Outlaws, its first inclusive rugby team and the 9th gay-friendly team in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ben Cohen joined celebrations with the Northampton Outlaws RFC :: The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation |url=http://www.standupfoundation.com/standup-news/ben-cohen-joined-the-celebrations-with-the-northampton-outlaws-rfc/ |access-date=29 August 2013 |publisher=Standupfoundation.com}}</ref> Due to its introduction to the town as a sport for all, it has maintained a considerably more working class character than elsewhere in the UK.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |pages=1–2 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref>

====Association Football====
{{English football updater|NorthamT}} [[association football|football]] club [[Northampton Town F.C.|Northampton Town]], known as "The Cobblers" from the town's shoemaking background, are based at [[Sixfields Stadium]]. Established in 1897, in their centenary season of 1997 they reached Wembley through the play-offs and beat [[Swansea City A.F.C.|Swansea City]] 1–0 with an injury time winning free kick from John Frain. It was the first club to set up a trust for supporters to work with the club as many have done. Sixfields was also briefly the home of [[Coventry City F.C.|Coventry City]] for just over one season between August 2013 and August 2014.

There are also three non-league clubs in the [[United Counties Football League]]: [[Northampton Spencer FC|Northampton Spencer]]; [[Northampton Sileby Rangers F.C.|Northampton Sileby Rangers]]; and [[Northampton ON Chenecks FC|Northampton Old Northamptonian Chenecks]].

====Cricket====

[[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club]], known in [[limited overs cricket]] as "The Steelbacks" (a reference to the Northamptonshire Regiment which was formed in 1881), is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic [[cricket]] structure. The club was promoted from Division 2 of the [[County Championship]] in 2019, and play in Group C of the [[Clydesdale Bank 40]] League and the Midlands/Wales/West group of the revamped [[Friends Provident]] [[Twenty20 Cup|T20]]. They are based at the [[County Cricket Ground, Northampton|County Ground]], in the Abington area.

====Motorsport====

The [[Silverstone Circuit]], current home of the [[British Grand Prix]], is a few miles south of Northampton. [[Rockingham Motor Speedway]] and [[Santa Pod Raceway]] are a few miles north and east of Northampton respectively, the latter offering a range of [[drag racing]] events.

====Other Sports====

Northampton is also home to [[Collingtree Park#Facilies|Collingtree Park Golf Club]], which hosted the [[British Masters]] in 1995. There are also many equestrian and country activities, and several water sports centres, such as the Nene Whitewater Centre, which provides an artificial [[whitewater]] course for [[canoe]]s, [[kayak]]s and [[raft]]s. The Northampton Swimming Club also trained the young Olympic swimmer [[Caitlin McClatchey]].

Northampton is also home to [[Be Military Fit]] in Abington Park where members can train up to 7 times a week with serving or ex-military fitness instructors.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

[[Northampton Greyhound Stadium]] hosted [[Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom|greyhound racing]] from 1928 to 1964 and [[Motorcycle speedway|speedway]] from 1929 to 1930.<ref>{{cite web |title=OS Plan 1962–1963 |url=https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/475828/259748/13/101329 |publisher=old-maps.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Northampton Greyhound Stadium Summary |date=12 February 2019 |url=https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2019/02/12/northampton/ |work=Greyhound Racing Times}}</ref>

=== Media ===
The ''[[Northampton Chronicle & Echo]]'' (established 1931) is the town's newspaper, published on Thursdays (before 2012, it was published Monday to Saturday) with jobs, property, motors and entertainment supplements. There are other free newspapers circulated within the town. These include ''The Mercury'' (on Thursdays) and ''Northants on Sunday'', both from the publishers of the ''Chronicle & Echo'', and the ''[[Northampton Herald & Post]]'' (on Thursdays). These free papers mostly consist of advertising and have limited news. ''The Mercury'' was one of the oldest newspapers still in circulation first published in 1720, founded by William Dicey, an ancestor of the public law commentator, A.V. Dicey. It was the fifth-oldest such newspaper in the United Kingdom and the tenth-oldest such in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Association of Newspapers |url=http://www.wan-press.org/article2823.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040107070325/http://www.wan-press.org/article2823.html |archive-date=7 January 2004 |access-date=30 August 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Broadcasting House, Northampton.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Radio Northampton's Broadcasting House is located on Abington Street in Northampton.]]

[[Heart FM]] and [[BBC Radio Northampton]] are the major stations that serve the town. There are four community radio stations: [[Inspiration FM]], [[NLive Radio]] (Formerly NNBC), Revolution Radio and Embrace Radio. Revolution Radio was awarded a 5 year licence on 16 July 2020. Inspiration FM was officially launched in July 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ofcom press release 24 July 2008 |url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/07/nr_20080724a |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711222601/http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/07/nr_20080724a |archive-date=11 July 2009 |access-date=24 April 2009 |publisher=Ofcom website}}</ref> The station broadcasts on 107.8 FM.

NNBC was originally launched in September 2016 as a joint venture with the University of Northampton.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 March 2015 |title=Ofcom grants FM licence for new community radio station in Northampton |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/ofcom-grants-fm-licence-for-new-community-radio-station-in-northampton-1-6643833 |access-date=6 October 2017 |website=Chronicle and Echo |location=Northampton |archive-date=6 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212241/http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/ofcom-grants-fm-licence-for-new-community-radio-station-in-northampton-1-6643833 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 30 September 2017, the station was re-branded as NLive Radio. The station marked the re-branding with a live broadcast from Market Square on 30 September.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 September 2017 |title=Northampton radio to mark relaunch with Market Square live broadcast |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/northampton-radio-to-mark-relaunch-with-market-square-live-broadcast-1-8155073 |access-date=6 October 2017 |website=Chronicle and Echo |location=Northampton}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 September 2017 |title=It's Launch Day – We Are Officially NLive |url=http://nliveradio.com/?p=399 |access-date=6 October 2017 |publisher=N-Live website}}</ref> Later that same evening, the station ran a live evening of music from a music venue in Northampton. The evening of music was headlined by Hana Brooks and broadcast live on the station under the banner 'Shoetown Sounds'.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 September 2017 |title=Gig to mark radio rebrand in Northampton |url=http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/whats-on/music/gig-to-mark-radio-rebrand-in-northampton-1-8168428 |access-date=6 October 2017 |website=Chronicle and Echo |location=Northampton}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2 October 2017 |title=NLive Upgrades and Reveals The Shoetown Sounds |url=http://nliveradio.com/?p=399 |access-date=6 October 2017 |publisher=N-Live website}}</ref> The station broadcasts on 106.9 FM. 

Embrace Radio, was launched on 5 March 2022. It serves the town on the local small-scale DAB service.

Revolution Radio and Inspiration FM can also be found on the local DAB service.

Regional TV news is provided by ''[[BBC Look East]]'' and ''[[ITV News Anglia]]''. Northampton has also been used as a location for television, film and theatre. Northampton Castle is featured in [[William Shakespeare]]'s history play ''[[King John (play)|King John]]'' and in ''[[Becket (Tennyson play)|Becket]]'', a play by [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson]]. The town was the location for the [[BBC]] sitcom ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'' from 1990 until 1995. Parts of the 2005 film ''[[Kinky Boots (film)|Kinky Boots]]'' were also made in Northampton and featured shots of the statue outside the Grosvenor Centre in the town centre and inside RE Tricker's shoe factory in St. Michaels Road representing the original factory in Earls Barton.<ref name="Trickers">{{cite web |title=RE Trickers Limited |url=http://www.trickers.com/ |access-date=21 May 2008}}</ref> The film was turned into a musical ''[[Kinky Boots (musical)|Kinky Boots]]'', maintaining its Northampton backdrop, which premiered on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 2013 and won 6 [[Tony Award]]s. It transferred to the [[West End theatre|West End]] in London in 2015 and won 3 [[Laurence Olivier Award|Olivier Awards]]. In addition, [[BBC Three (former)|BBC Three]] shows ''[[Bizarre ER]]'' and ''[[Junior Paramedics]]'' were filmed in Northampton.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/bizarre-er-bbc-three-1911737 |title=Bizarre ER, BBC Three |website=walesonline.co.uk |first=Nathan |last=Beven |date=6 June 2010 |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/junior-paramedics-tv-review-rookies-get-dose-reality-eye-opening-documentary-9158490.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/junior-paramedics-tv-review-rookies-get-dose-reality-eye-opening-documentary-9158490.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Junior Paramedics, TV review: Rookies get a dose of reality in an eye-opening documentary |newspaper=The Independent |first=Ellen |last=Jones |date=28 February 2014 |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref> ''[[Changing Ends]]'' (2023), a semi-autobiographical sitcom based on [[Alan Carr]]'s childhood, was set in 1980s Northampton.