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Newnham is a village in the
Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in Engalnd. The
village is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Daventry, 3 miles (4.8 km) west
from Weedon Bec, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of junction 16 of the M1 motorway
and 11 miles (18 km) west of Northampton. The A45 road runs a mile
northwest of the village. The nearest railway station is at Long Buckby,
8 miles (13 km) northeast. The village nestles below a large hill in the
valley of the River Nene. The village name is thought to derive from the
nearby River Nene. The hill, called Newnham Hill, is topped by an
ancient disused windmill, and has commanding views over the nearby town
of Daventry. Also on the hill is a large aerial which is part of the air
traffic control system of the British Isles. The parish church, called
St Michael and all Angels, is a former chapel of a parent church at
Badby. The benefice has always been Badby-cum-Newnham, with the vicarage
of Badby. As the church is perched high on a bank, the churchyard
descends steeply east and south. The chancel, the north aisle and the
present nave were built in the early 14th century, on the site of a 12th
century chapel. The tower was built in the late 14th or early 15th
century and, although the church has undergone many alterations, the
tower still contains six bells.
On the village green can be found the post office
and general store that used to supply a wide range of goods and services
until its closure in October 2008. Also on the green is the Romer Arms,
a public house which was originally called the Bakers Arms. It was
bought by a man named Romer Williams, who was a hunting man and a lawyer
by profession. He renamed it the Romer Arms and it is his family coat of
arms that is depicted on the sign. Translated, the Latin inscription on
the coat of arms is, 'To do and to suffer is the better way for the
Roman'.
The village had another public house called the
New Inn which is now a private residence. This former pub, cafe and
hand-pumped petrol station, was on School Hill. A former proprietor, a
Mr Howard, displayed a notice that read 'You can have tea at teatime —
you can have beer at beer time — you can have petrol at any time'
Newnham Hall dates from 1820 and is set in 120
acres (0.49 km2) of Northamptonshire Parkland. Newnham Hall was the home
of the former Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Lieutenant Colonel
John Walkelyne Chandos-Pole OBE, who died in 1993.
Another fine residence is The Grove. Located in
the grounds of The Grove, which was owned by the Marriott Family, is the
Nuttery which is the site of a hazel orchard. The Nuttery was planted by
the Marriotts of Newnham House. Hazel nuts are still picked, sorted in
the house and then sent to Covent Garden. Daffodils and snowdrops grow
underneath the trees and are picked in the spring for market. The
orchard is open to the public.
Thomas Randolph
He was born, 15 June 1605, in Newnham at the brown
stone gabled house in Poets Way. A lesser-known 17th century poet. He
was a poet and dramatist as well as a writer of English and Latin verse.
He was an author of six plays including The Jovial Philosopher (1630);
The Jealous Lovers (1632); The Muses' Looking-Glass (1633), and Amyntas
(1634). It was recorded that Randolph was one of Ben Jonson’s cleverest
disciples. Pleasant anecdotes are recorded of their relationship and one
of Randolph's best poems is his, Gratulatory. Thomas Randolph died in
1634 at the age of 29.
Nigel Lawson
The former Chancellor of the Exchequer of Margaret
Thatcher's government, Nigel Lawson, has a home close to the village. On
1 July 1992 he was created a life peer as Baron Lawson of Blaby, of
Newnham in the County of Northamptonshire. Lawson is the father of
journalist and food writer Nigella Lawson, Dominic Lawson, the former
editor of The Sunday Telegraph and Tom Lawson, housemaster of Chernocke
House at Winchester College.
Newnham Windmill
At the summit of Newnham Hill near the edge of
Beggars Bank is the village's most complete and prominent reminder of
the rural industries. It is believed that a windmill has stood at this
location as far back as 1661, when it was first recorded in an inventory
of the then miller, John Bignell. The current building dates back to the
early 19th century and was three floors high. The building was in a
state of disrepair until the 1980s when a group was formed to repair and
reconstruct the damaged building. Keys can be obtained to view the
windmill by appointment through Daventry Tourist Information Centre.
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