Wappenham is a
linear village
In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties:
* linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping'');
* linearity of a ''polynomial''.
An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x)= ...
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 ...
in
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
, England. It is south-west of
Towcester
Towcester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. From 1974 to 2021, it was the administrative centre of the South Northamptonshire district.
Towcester is on ...
, north of
Syresham
Syresham is a village and civil parish in the English district of West Northamptonshire. The civil parish population at the 2011 census was 855. It is near Brackley town and close to Silverstone Circuit. It is surrounded by villages and haml ...
and north-west of
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
and forms part of
West Northamptonshire
West 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. It contains the county town of Northampton, as wel ...
. At the time of the
2001 census, the parish's population was 266 people, increasing to 294 at the 2011 Census.
The village's name means 'homestead/village of Waeppa' or 'hemmed-in land of Waeppa'.
Buildings
Wappenham has some of the earliest architectural works by Sir
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
.

The red-brick vicarage, east of the church, built in 1833 as a home for his father Reverend Thomas Scott who was vicar of Wappenham at the time, was Gilbert Scott's first work, built while he was still an assistant architect. Pevsner describes it as ''"...only remarkable for being Sir George Gilbert Scott's first building"''.
The village also contains four other houses designed by Gilbert Scott, and on the village green there is a still-functional
red K6 telephone box designed by Gilbert Scott's grandson
Giles Gilbert Scott
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and de ...
.

The
Manor House
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
Wappenham west of the church is dated 1704.
The church is 13th century and dedicated to St Mary. There are several monuments located there to various individuals, including Thomas Lovett of
Astwell Castle
Astwell Castle is a manor house in Northamptonshire, England about south-west of Wappenham. It is a Grade II listed building and part of the parish of Helmdon, a village west.
History
The De Wauncys were amongst the earliest possessors of th ...
(d.1492),
Thomas Lovett III
Thomas Lovett III (23 September 1473 - 16 December 1542) was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1505, and was the King's Escheator in Northamptonshire in 1528 and 1533.
Lovett was born at Astwell Castle, Northamptonshire, England. His father, T ...
(d.1542), Constance Butler (d.1499), and Sir
Thomas Billing
Sir Thomas Billing (died 1481) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
Early life and career
Billing is said by Fuller to have been a native of Northamptonshire, where two villages near Northampton bear his name, and to have ...
(d.1481), Chief Justice, of
Biddlesden Abbey
Biddlesden was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1147 by Ernald (or Arnold) de Bosco (de Bois), steward to the Earl of Leicester. The first monks came from the earl's own foundation at Garendon Abbey, Garendon. Ernald's claim to the land appears to ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
.
Wappenham had
its own railway station until 1951, on the former
Towcester
Towcester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. From 1974 to 2021, it was the administrative centre of the South Northamptonshire district.
Towcester is on ...
/
Banbury
Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
line between
Helmdon
Helmdon is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish about north of Brackley in West Northamptonshire, England.
The village is on the River Tove, which is flanked by meadows that separate the village into two. The parish includes ...
and Greens Norton Junction. The last train on the line ran on 12 July 1953.
The Unofficial SMJ Society
/ref>
References
External links
Village website
*
Villages in Northamptonshire
Civil parishes in Northamptonshire
West Northamptonshire District
{{Northamptonshire-geo-stub