Northampton Cathedral

I was put off from visiting Northampton after seeing Alan Carr’s set, where he described some of his experiences growing up there. Despite his disparagement of the town, Alan is on the list of notable people from Northampton. Perhaps because of his set, I was pleasantly surprised by my visit.

Northampton is a town, not a city. So far (Jan 2023), it has failed in its attempts to be classified as a city. The most recent being in 2022. The town is 60 miles northwest London and 50 miles southeast of Birmingham.

There’s evidence of settlements in the area going back to the Bronze Age and, of course, the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons. It became a major town in the Middle Ages, was granted a town charter by Richard I in 1189 and was the site of 2 battles in 164 and 1460. During the English Civil War, Northampton supported the parliamentary side, and Charles II ordered the destruction of its walls and Castle. The town was largely destroyed by fire in 1675 but was quickly rebuilt and grew rapidly during the industrialisation of the 18th century. With the development of the Grand Union Canal and the railways, the town grew further during the 19th Century, becoming a centre for leather manufacturing and shoe making. Following both World Wars, the town fell into a decline, but in 1968 it was designed as a New Town, and growth has continued into the 21st century.

Northampton Cathedral, or The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Thomas, is a Catholic cathedral. In 1823, Fr William Foley was sent to Northampton to minister to the Roman Catholics in the town. In 1825, he bought a plot of land that used to be part of St Andrew’s Priory and built a chapel. By 1840, the chapel was too small, and Augustus Putin was commissioned to design a collegiate chapel which opened in 1844. Soon this chapel was also too small, and Edward Putin was chosen to design and extend the church and to turn it into a cathedral which was opened in 1864. Most of the stained glass in the Cathedral was made by John Hardman of Birmingham.

In 1948, Albert Herbert was commissioned to extend the cathedral further. This meant that part of the 1825 chapel had to be demolished. The work was completed in 1955. In 1998, the sanctuary was re-ordered. A new window, designed by Joseph Nuttgens, was put into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the original choir stalls from the main altar were moved into the chapter room and the cathedra (or bishop's throne) was replaced with one carved by Stephen Foster; designed to accompany the Triptych of the Holy Spirit behind it.

Here are some photos of this lovely small Cathedral.