Wellingborough Civic Society

Registered Charity No.264158

Croyland Abbey and gardens, from a commercial postcard printed in 1961. The gardens probably look as good today as they ever have, but the building, though Grade II Listed and so important to the history of Wellingborough, is sadly empty and urgently in need of a new use

Wellingborough is an historic market town in Northamptonshire, established in the Anglo-Saxon period and mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was granted a Market Charter by King John in 1201. It sits on a belt of ironstone, the quarrying and use of which has shaped the town into what we see today. A lack of investment after the 1930s depression have ensured that a great many lovely old ironstone buildings remain and the Civic Society actively campaign to ensure that they remain. We are however, not against modern development of the right type and in the right place, but re-purposing of the old buildings is usually our preferred option.

In recent years the electrification of the Midland Main Line and the building of thousands of new homes have meant that Wellingborough is a viable London commuter town, which is bringing fresh pressure to bear on the old town, business and structures. Our MP is keen to promote the town as a tourist attraction and we agree that with the old buildings, conservation area, beautiful parks and gardens, plus the river Nene, this is a sensible suggestion.

As a registered charity, we work within a framework which defines our aims as: "To encourage high standards of architecture and town planning within the geographical area covered by the Town Council of Wellingborough and parishes in the surrounding areas, and to encourage the conservation and preservation of the listed and historic buildings and streets and amenity areas of our geographic area."

In order to do that we hold monthly talks on related topics and produce a quarterly Newsletter. We try to raise public awareness of buildings with special local interest or at risk and to that end we research and publish historical information about places and people. We use social media to get our message across and to campaign, but we also use the more traditional methods. Probably most importantly, we work with other organisations including local, county, regional and national statutory partners, on specific projects in the town and surroundings, and we keep members informed of developments which relate to our aims.

There is very much a social dimension to our activities.