Rushden, located approximately 16 miles from Northampton
and 13 miles from Bedford, is the largest town in Northamptonshire
that doesn’t have district or borough status. Instead it forms
part of the district of East Northamptonshire along with five other
town councils, one being an ancient borough.
Rushden, in common with most of our present-day towns and villages,
has ancient origins and in 1085 was one of the entries in the Doomsday
Book. Then, it consisted of; 6 hides, land for 12 ploughs, 19 freemen,
a mill at 10s, meadow and 30 acres. For many centuries Rushden continued
as a small rural village with its two manors and a cluster of smaller
properties. Its close neighbour Higham Ferrers, however enjoyed
town status from the thirteenth century.
One substantial property that has survived from around this time
is Rushden Hall with its 32 acres of grounds. The Hall is now the
offices of Rushden Town Council and previously those of Longhurst
Housing Association and East Northamptonshire District Council.
Rushden Hall was, until 1928, a family home but its mature and attractive
grounds are now a valuable asset to the town’s recreational
facilities.
When the former Rushden Urban District Council purchased Rushden
Hall in 1931, the town had progressed from its agricultural village
status to a bustling shoe manufacturing town. Its population had
rapidly risen from just 2,500 in 1876 to 15,000 in 1916 and it was
described as one of the most remarkable towns in Northamptonshire
because of its manufacturing capacity. Local factories at this time
were producing huge quantities of boots for the allied armies engaged
in the world war. At one time there were nearly fifty factories
in the town varying greatly in size and capacity. One of the largest
factories was ‘Caves’, remembered by  local
people for its two fires, the second of which, in 1903, destroyed
a considerable part of the centre of the town. Many of these local
manufacturers were self made men starting as bench workers before
establishing their own factories. A large proportion of them were
also non-conformists in their religion. With the growth of factories,
places of worship were erected for the good of themselves and their
workers. Late Victorian structures may be seen in the Wesleyan Chapel
(in the High Street) and those of the Baptist and Methodist churches
in Park Road. St Peters Church and the Mission Chapel are also of
the same period, while the Roman Catholic Church was not built until
the 1970’s.
Nowadays, Rushden is still a bustling town but with the closure
of most of these factories it is not the industrial town it once
was.
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