Northampton

Carlsberg, Cromwell and Cobblers

Home of Nene College, a place big enough to tell Leicester where to stick its tin-pot degrees and start issuing its own. A place of shoes, of Cobblers, of Saints, Suunysides and Racecourses with no races - a town where suburbs have bizarre names like Lumbertubs, Spinney Hill, Far Cotton and Semi-Long.

While Northampton itself is not the most picturesque of English towns, Northamptonshire is not called the rose of the shires for nothing boasting some of the best in British countryside and picture postcard villages. Unfortunatly for the average student, pretty villages are not as important as a good pint. There are many pubs in the Northampton area, in my day we mostly visited The Sunnyside, The Wedgewood (or Butlers), The Romany, The Whitehills, The Britania, The Cock, The Old Five Bells, The Bantham Cock, Molly Malones and of course the KPT aka The White Elephant. Since I left Northampton the town centre has developed a great deal and there are a number of new pubs and bars off the main high street and market square areas. As popular as ever though is the Wellie-road run, a road with many pubs, from The Abingdon Arms into town you can have a pint in each and be trully smashed, or in my case, asleep.

Student Districts

I managed to spread myself around during my time at Nene, living in 7 differnt houses. First years these days tend to get a place in halls, but in the early nineties only one in ten got a place in halls - these were mostly BEd students who had applied to go to Nene rather than going through clearing. Popular student districts were St Michaels Mount, Kingsley, Kingsthorpe, Abingdon, Semilong and St James (Jimmys) End.

Cromwell

I dunno about Cromwell, he was a bit before my time, but apparently he was very good on the battlefield, not much of a Protector and his son (Rich as opposed to Oli) wasn't very good at anything so we got Charles back, not the same Charles you understand, the first one was without a head. Anyway, I don't know what he had to do with Northampton and I'm not a historian, so if somone could fill in the gaps I'd be grateful.