BLISWORTH

'Blisworth' is a village and civil parish in the South Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, in England. It is 6 miles south of Northampton, 4 miles north of Towcester and about 10 miles north of Milton Keynes. The 2001 census shows a population of 1,786. The village is in the area of the South Northants District Council where it is in the two-member Bliswoth and Roade ward.
The village has its own primary school, Blisworth Community Primary School (see external links), with around 200 children. The school takes in a number of children from surrounding areas including the southern outskirts of Northampton. The local secondary school, Roade School, is the only Sports College in Northamptonshire. Apart from Blisworth, the catchment area extends to Grange Park, Stoke Bruerne and several other villages in the area.

Contents

Transport

Externals links

Transport

The village is the site of the Blisworth Tunnel of the Grand Union Canal and one of the longest on the English canal system. The tunnel runs south to the nearby village of Stoke Bruerne.
The London and Birmingham Railway, under the surveying and construction control of Robert Stephenson, bypassed Northampton and opened a station in Blisworth in 1839. In 1855, after much discussion, Lord Grafton agreed to fund a new station as long as it was a "first class" station - ie, all trains stopped at it. Ford Lane became Station Road, the location of Blisworth station. Opposite the new station was built Blisworth Hotel, now called the 'Yew Tree' by Thomas Shaw, the proprietor of the Angel Hotel in Northampton. In 1845 a branch line on to Peterborough was completed via Northampton, and in 1866 a single track line was built to Banbury. Blisworth station closed in January 1960 and both branch lines have also long since gone. The main railway line remains, electrified in the 1960s and is now part of the West Coast Main Line running 125mph trains from London Euston to Glasgow. The Northampton Loop of the line leaves the main line at Roade, just south of Blisworth, taking trains on into Northampton and north to re-join the main line at Rugby.

Externals links

★ Blisworth Community Primary School

★ Blisworth Tunnel preservation group

★ Blisworth Historical Society includes historic photos of the village

★ Pictures of Blisworth station

★ Canal boat local hire

★ Roade's local High School including Post 16, the only Sports College in the county