Lying
either side of what used to be the A6 trunk road to Leicester, Desborough's
origins lie in the Bronze Age some 2000 years BC. From those humble
origins the town evolved through the Industrial Revolution as a centre for
the shoe and silk trade. It was one of the first towns to start its
own Cooperative Society to protect its workforce and much of the land in and
around town still belongs to the Co-op. For more on the town's
history, see our history page and the town's
Civic
Society website.
In
the High Street, as a centrepiece of what is now the Market Square, stands a
pillar. Locals call it the Town Cross, despite it being a square column with
a stone ball on top. It is perhaps better referred to as an obelisk. Its
origins are thought to be a gateway pillar from Harrington Hall. The
obelisk bears no inscription and is overdue for renovation as the lower
stonework is badly worn. It is a popular meeting place for local
youngsters whose use of it as a resting place has left its mark.
The Desborough section of the
A6 has been diverted twice. The first time its course was changed from
its meander from Rothwell Road up Lower Street, into the High Street and
finally onto Harborough Road. It became a straight run from Rothwell Road
into Harborough Road. This effectively cut the town in two and the
work was accompanied by the destruction of houses and shops in the High
Street. Desborough became a town without a heart. The second
change came with the opening of the bypass that now takes the A6 from just
beyond Rothwell out to the Market Harborough side of Desborough.
Plans for the area around the
Town Cross and the High Street together with plans for the former Lawrence's
factory and Desborough Motors site are designed to put the heart back into
the town.
The new development on The
Grange was conceived as being in keeping with the existing mix of building
styles in the town and there are Victorian and Edwardian themes with
variations of brickwork that echo the variations in the town.
You can find details of Downloads relating to
the Rothwell and Desborough Urban Extension Area Action Plan on the
Kettering Borough Council website -
click here.
The North
Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit published the
North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy in February 2007.
This document expands upon the previously published plans for this area and
includes the proposals set out in the
2005 document on the proposed distribution of new housing. This proposed
a rise in housing of 1900 from 2001 to 2021 in Desborough. The NNJPU website
has a list of all consultation received to date which includes the views of
many of the councils in the area and beyond. There is none listed from
Desborough yet.
KETTERING
RURAL WEST 
