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11th July 2017

This month’s history hunting took me to the north east of the county, to visit a town famous for it’s ancient good looks. Most people associate the beautiful blonde town of Oundle with the famous school, but its story begins much earlier. Wandering through the ancient streets lined with quirky and beautiful stone buildings it’s not hard to see that there’s a great deal more to this lovely old town.

If you want to know more about the buildings as you ramble around, there’s a simple town guide booklet available, I found mine in the bookshop located in the old colonnaded building in the market place. You can learn that St Peter’s church has been on this site for over 1300 years. The current church has the tallest spire in the county and can be seen for miles around. The nearby Talbot Hotel also has a fascinating past, going back over 400 years, although most of what can be seen today dates back to the destruction of Rockingham Castle, as the masonry was used to rebuild the hotel.

Investigating Oundle’s history a little further, I learned that there’s been people living in the area for nearly 3000 years. Iron Age and Roman archaeological remains are plentiful in the area. However the earliest historic mention of Oundle comes in 709 AD from the Venerable Bede, a Saxon historian. He records the presence of a monastery belonging to Peterborough Abbey. The town grew around the church, and flourished.

The mediaeval town layout is still to be seen in the town, with historic buildings filled with inviting retail opportunities, coffee shops and delicatessen. Even the chain stores have kept their usual looks toned down to keep the prettiness of the town unblemished. Thankfully even Boots and Tesco are well camouflaged in honey coloured stone buildings. The excellence of Oundle market has been celebrated for over a thousand years, It’s currently held on the second Saturday of the month. I’m partial to a spot of shopping, and Oundle did not disappoint. The ancient market place was full of local farmers’ fresh produce, cheeses, preserves, baked goods, and flowers. Delightful, and well worth a visit.

But the place that truly made my visit special was the excellent Oundle Museum, which occupies the old Courthouse. Here the history of this remarkable little town comes to life with imaginative displays, fascinating objects and wonderful stories. For a relatively small museum the volunteers have captured every period of Oundle’s history beautifully. Some of my favourite exhibits include the talking villain waiting in the original prison cell, and the recreated virtual steam train journey. For me, the most touching exhibit concerned the war time experiences of Rita Bone, a young Oundle girl born in 1923. Rita’s father was the local policeman, and she lived in what is now the museum, completing her diaries daily between 1941 and 1947. The diaries record the ups, downs, hardships and joys of war time life, and the exhibition illustrates the reality of life lived during wartime in the most engaging way. I was fascinated by the home knitted underwear, and thankful that rationing is well and truly over! Poignant stories from nearby RAF Polebrook, home of Bomber Command  and later of the American Airforce reminded of the realities of war, and the heroic men and women who worked there.

The museum is entirely run by volunteers who offer the warmest of welcomes and who patiently answered my questions. Do call in if you visit Oundle, this museum is worth a special detour!

Scores on Oundle’s doors?
Stunning prettiness of the town - 5/5
Excellent foodie opportunities - 5/5
Surprising brilliance of Oundle Museum and its volunteers - 5/5

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