Thrapston lies just off the A14¹, in East Northamptonshire, shortly before the County border with Cambridgeshire. It is approximately ten miles from Kettering and twenty miles from the county town of Northampton. A few miles north of Thrapston, on the A605, is Oundle, a picturesque town with a well-known private school.

Thrapston has grown steadily in recent years, as it is well situated for access to both the A1 (major route) and M1 (motorway) and attracts commuters, who have easy access to the towns and cities along those roads. It has therefore seen a lot of new building and has a number of housing estates. The centre of town, however, is much older. In 2001, according to the national Census, the population of the town was 4855.

The River and Lakes

Before the A14 was built, Thrapston lay on the main road from the east coast of England to the Midlands. Traffic had to cross the stone bridge (Nine Arch Bridge) in order to traverse the River Nene, which runs through the town. Interestingly, the Nene changes its pronunciation around the Thrapston area. South of Thrapston the first 'e' is long ('Neen') and North of the town the name becomes 'Nen'. The Nene is navigable and narrow boats often pass through the town.

Thrapston has a number of lakes which were created in an old quarry site. They are home to two sailing clubs and lots of wildlife and there are paths for walkers. The town also has a variety of sports clubs and community groups.

The Market Charter

The origins of the town are said to date back to Saxon times. In 1205 Thrapston was granted a Market Charter by King John. This turned it into a Charter Town, a status it still treasures. A charter gave permission for regular trading; a livestock and produce market is still held every Tuesday. In 2005 the 800th anniversary of the charter will be celebrated by many special events involving the Community.

The American Connection

Thrapston has four churches, including the parish church of St James where the wife of Sir John Washington is buried. Sir John's nephew, also called John, emigrated to Virginia, USA and was the grandfather of George Washington, who became the first President of the United States of America. Thrapston is very proud of this link and the Washington family flag, the Washington Arms, is said by locals, some historians and most of the tourist guides written about the area to be the origin of the Stars and Stripes. Sir John Washington's house is still standing and is now used as business premises by a legal firm.

Shops and Businesses

Thrapston has a small number of shops and a handful of pubs and restaurants. It has a Victorian style tea shop where the staff wear period costume and classic jazz music is played. The tea shop also sells historical books and memorabilia, both local and national.

There are quite a few factories in Thrapston. Three of the more interesting ones include a sweetmaker, a flag manufacturer and a dance-shoe/bridal-shoe producer (Northamptonshire is well known for shoe and bootmaking). Sadly the huge Scandinavian Furniture warehouse which one passes when entering Thrapston from the East is just that - a warehouse; anyone wishing to buy anything has to travel to the nearest store in Birmingham or London. This can be somewhat annoying when you could easily carry an item a few metres to your door!

Transport

The town used to be served by two railway branch lines and had two stations. Neither station exists anymore, although the buildings for one are still standing. The first was closed in 1959 and the second in 1964, the latter as a result of the implementation of the Beeching recommendations contained in 'The Re-Shaping of British Railways'². There are bus connections to nearby towns. The nearest train stations are Kettering and Wellingborough, although for certain journeys it can be best to start from Huntingdon or Peterborough stations, both in Cambridgeshire.

Thrapston has a community website which can be found here: Thrapston Online.