Geddington is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

on the A4300, previously A43, in

North Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Northamptonshire, England, and was created in 2021. The council is based in Corby, the district's la ...

between

Kettering Kettering is a market town, market and industrial town, industrial town in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, west of Cambridge, England, Cambridge, southwest of Peterborough, southeast of Leicester and north- ...

and

Corby Corby is a town and civil parish in the North Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England, northeast of Northampton. In 2021 it had a population of 68,164. From 1974 to 2021, it was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of ...

. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,503, virtually unchanged from 1,504 at the 2001 census. The villages name means "Farm/settlement connected Gaete" or "farm/settlement connected with Geiti". Alternatively, "

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

place farm/settlement". The village contains an Eleanor cross. The monument dates from 1294, when the crosses were raised as a memorial by

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

(1239–1307) to his late wife, Eleanor of Castile (1241–1290). There were originally 12 monuments, one in each resting place of the funeral procession as they travelled to

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. The Geddington cross is one of only three Eleanor crosses still standing; the other two being in Hardingstone (near Northampton) and Waltham Cross, although remnants and reconstructions of the lost ones can also be seen at other sites. The Geddington cross is regarded as the best preserved. The village was also formerly home to a Royal hunting lodge which was used as a base by monarchs for hunting within the

Royal forest A royal forest, occasionally known as a kingswood (), is an area of land with different definitions in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The term ''forest'' in the ordinary modern understanding refers to an area of wooded land; however, the ...

of Rockingham. The building has subsequently been lost; however, the "King's Door" within the church of St Mary Magdalene, Geddington in the village remains, it was the entrance through which the King could enter the building while staying at the lodge. The old main road runs through the village and crosses the River Ise by a spectacular mediaeval bridge. The bridge, built in 1250, has five arches and three pedestrian refuges. A more recent ford also runs alongside the bridge. The village is famous for its annual boxing day squirt in which a barrel attached to a rope across the river is squirted from one side of the ford to the other by competing fire crews from Geddington and Kettering. Geddington has three public houses: The Star Inn, The White Hart, and The White Lion. The village has one cafe/restaurant 'Café Oak'.

Transport

The nearest mainline railway station is Kettering railway station, a distance of from the village. Corby railway station is from the village. There is a partial cycle path from the village to the nearby town of Kettering and the village of

Weekley Weekley is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire, on the outskirts of Kettering. The village's name probably means, 'wood/clearing by the Romano-British vicus', a trading settlement. There are two known R ...

, but difficulty crossing the road at Weekley means cycling remains an underused mode of transportation.

References

External links

Geddington Village websiteBus service 8 links Geddington with Kettering and Corby
* ttp://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.11861 English Heritage page on Geddington's Cross
Walking tour with pictures
* {{authority control Villages in Northamptonshire English royal forests Civil parishes in Northamptonshire North Northamptonshire Scheduled monuments in Northamptonshire

Transport

See also

References

External links