The thread of
Village history

	Anna   BROSNAN
Anna.brosnan@northantsnews.co.uk

TIMES have changed in Far Cotton over the last two centuries and there would be few people more suited to describe how this change happened than members of the Far Cotton History Group.
The group, which now has at least 60 members. is currently celebrating the publication of a DVD and booklet called Threading History Through Far Cotton, which traces the major places and events of the last two centuries.
And the DVD, compiled with the help of £25,000 in lottery funding, has been selling well with 'cottonites' here and across the world buying up more than 600 copies in the two months since its launch.
The research project took two years of hard work but, with two centuries of Far Cotton history to examine, there was a lot of ground to cover.
The group’s vice chairman, Gwen Haynes, said: “We started as a reminiscence group. There were less than a dozen of us to start with. In the beginning we reminisced about what it was like to live in Far Cotton and we realised people have stories to tell and people’s stories make history.”
She continued: “Once people had started talking about what they remembered, they started bringing in old photos and memorabilia and other stuff started to come in.”
The 19th century was a time of serious development for Far Cotton as it transformed from a small rural area, separate from the town, to a place where railway and iron workers would live. Rows of houses were built to accommodate these working families and a “family atmosphere” really grew to be part of the community.
The DVD and booklet deal with everything from the shops and other buildings such as the Tivoli cinema - which formed part of the area, to the floods which have repeatedly devastated Far Cotton since the 1700s.
Mrs. Haynes. 70, and 69-year-old Sheila Hollowell, who were among those to work on the DVD project. both grew up in Far Cotton and have personal memories of living in the area.
Mrs. Hollowell said: “The bowling green was like a meeting place in the summer. All the way around the track we would be hanging over the railings watching the bowlers and you could get ice cream at the pavilion.”
Mrs. Haynes said: “There was a safe, social atmosphere. There was one time, though, when you did feel unsafe, as we heard there was a ‘Jack the Ripper’. He was a man who would wear an old, dirty mack with a rope tied around the middle. There was one young girl slashed down her neck. I can recall seeing the scar around her neck, but whether it was by ‘Jack the Ripper’ I don’t know.”
Mrs. Haynes said while researching the project it was interesting to hear about how people lived years ago.
Located in Ransome Road, the Co-op dairy’s horse-drawn milk floats became common sights in the 1950s.

Gwen Haynes and Sheila Hollowell, of the Far Cotton History Group with their DVD
CE Picture by Tracy Chambers 080125TC3

Tom Booth, who now lives in Colorado, US, described in the booklet his dairy worker father Fred’s failed bid to buy his horse, Star.
He said: “My father attempted raising money to retire Star to a workhorse sanctuary. Many obstacles were overcome reaching an amount, basically the animal’s pet food value. Fred’s efforts proved vain.
“Contract terms allowed local horse supply agency Johnny Tompkins disposal rights. Three days’ stable rest, fate in the balance, before the worn out animal was shot to fall directly into the knackers cart.
“My father switched to a new round soon after. He never attended another horse show.”
In both Far Cotton’s recent and historic past, floods have played a major part in the lives of many of its residents.
In October 1939, the canal at Weedon burst its banks and miles of water flowed to Northampton.
But one of the most serious floods happened in April 1998, when the water rose to four feet

high in some places.
Mrs. Hollowell said her daughter’s house in Southampton Road was seriously affected.
She remembered: “She rang us early in the morning, at 6am, and actually a friend of hers
had a night out on the tiles and had come home and noticed the flood before knocking on the doors of the people in her street.
“We just picked up some sand and stuff and by the time we got down there the water was knee-high. Walking in the house was like walking in a bouncy castle. Water came up through everything. The electricity went and we had to get upstairs.”
Mrs. Haynes said: “For those who still live
what was the flooded area, it must be terrifying when the heavy rain comes in.”
¦To order a copy of Threading History Through Far Cotton, call Northampton 762015 or 762952. The cost is £7.50 if it can be collected, or £10 including UK postage. DVDs are also available from Delapre Abbey. For more information, log on to www.cottonites.co.uk