Oundle

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Oundle


Image:Uk outline map.png Image:Red pog2.svg Oundle shown within the United Kingdom
Population	5,345 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	TL038880
District	East Northamptonshire
Shire county	Northamptonshire
Region	East Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PETERBOROUGH
Postcode district	PE8
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
European Parliament	East Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Northamptonshire

Coordinates: 52°28′49″N 0°28′22″W / 52.4802, -0.4727

Oundle is an ancient market town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 5,345 (2001 census). It is 80 miles north of London and 12 miles south-west of Peterborough.

1 History
2 Buildings
3 Schools
4 Festivals
5 External links

[edit] History

Oundle, like many other villages and towns in England, was originally a trading place and market for local farmers and craftsmen. As the area became more prosperous, wealthy traders set up shops and houses, and guilds were formed. A document dating from 638 refers to Oundle as the site of an hospitium, a building used by monks to give shelter and assistance to travellers. The Talbot Inn was eventually constructed on this site. The inn was initially constructed out of timber; it was later rebuilt with stone from the ruins of nearby Fotheringhay Castle. Other public houses in the town include The Rose and Crown, The Ship Inn (a 14th century coaching inn), The Angel, and The George.

[edit] Buildings

There are a number of churches in Oundle. By far the largest and most prominent – with the largest steeple in the area – is St. Peter's Parish Church, which occupies the main churchyard. There are also Methodist, Baptist and Roman Catholic churches in Oundle. However, the Baptist church does not have its own building and holds services on Sunday mornings in Prince William School.

Other major buildings include the Stahl Theatre, Oxfam, a primary school, and many very large Oundle School buildings which are sometimes open to the public. These include a full-length swimming pool and the school's Great Hall.

A farmers' market is held in the Market Place on the second Saturday of every month.

There is also a park where play equipment such as swings and climbing frames can be found, as well as a skatepark, built in 2005 to accommodate the skateboarders and rollerbladers in the town. A fair also arrives annually, attracting many locals each year.

Oundle is home to two of the three factories producing the world renowned luxury boats from Fairline Boats PLC, the last factory being situated in Weldon near Corby. The original factory is based at Barnwell Road in Oundle and the newer factory in Oundle is at the Nene Valley site. The company has a multi-million pound turnover.

[edit] Schools

The town has a primary school and an award-winning middle school which joined with Kings Cliffe in 1992.^{[citation needed]}. It is also home to the comprehensive Prince William School as well as Oundle School, each of which have over a thousand students.

[edit] Festivals

The Oundle Internation Festival (OIF) is a music festival and organ school held in Oundle, England. Oundle International Festival (OIF) was founded in 1985, with the training of young organists as its core component. The summer schools were to be centred upon a new organ, built by Frobenius of Denmark and installed in Oundle School Chapel. A concurrent festival programme for the general public was also planned as a recurrent feature of the enterprise. Thus, every July OIF has welcomed up to 60 young organists each year, in the age range 14 to 24. An international team of distinguished organists is engaged to provide intensive coaching.