SILVERSTONE

Tourist Tips:

Northamptonshire been dubbed the county of 'Spires and Squires' and although you might not bump into many squires on your walks nowadays you won't go far without seeing evidence of the many graceful spires. Driving through the county on the M1 you might be forgiven for not wanting to stop, as industrial areas and the adjacent scenery do not make you want to reach for your walking boots. But head for the Nene Valley in the north of the county and you are soon in rich pastureland sprinkled with woodland remnants of the once vast Rockingham Forest.

Attractions well worth a visit include Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, which boasts the largest and finest collection of footwear in the world, Coton Manor Garden, with a 17th century manor house constructed of mellow Northamptonshire stone. Other local places of interest include Sulgrave Manor, the home of George Washington's ancestors, the world famous Santa Pod International Raceway and the 18th century Kelmarsh Hall set in over 3000 acres of gardens and parkland.

Sulgrave Manor:

Sulgrave is six miles the north of Brackley and approximately the same distance from Banbury. As such it is ideally placed for exploring many of the historic sites that populate the towns and villages of this great area. George Washington the famous first American president has his roots set firmly here amid ancient English countryside.

As part of a plan to dissolve the monasteries, Henry VIII sold the priory-owned manor in 1539 to Lawrence Washington, who had been mayor of Northampton. The Washington family occupied Sulgrave for more than a century, but in 1656, Colonel John Washington left for the New World. Born in Virginia, George Washington was a direct descendant of Lawrence (seven generations removed).

A group of English people bought the manor in 1914 in honor of the friendship between Britain and the United States. Appropriate furnishings and portraits, including a Gilbert Stuart original of the first president, have been donated from both sides of the Atlantic. The Washington family coat of arms on the main doorway -- two bars and a trio of mullets -- is believed to have been the inspiration for the Stars and Stripes.

To-day, this house is a museum and many mementoes of the president and his wife are on display - these include a piece of Martha Washingtons Wedding Gown.

The Medieval church of St. James still has the 17th-century Pew used by the Washington family and also on display is a Brass monument to Lawrence Washington and his wife Anne

Fotheringhay:

A mound here once carried the grim castle in which Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned and executed in 1587. Today, the place in which Queen Mary met her death remains thistle-barbed and grassy and each summer Scottish thistles cover the site, growing tall and quite splendid as if reaching for the sky. It is said that Mary planted these Thistles shortly before she died. The castle was built in 1100 and was rebuilt in the 14th-century when it was used as a Royal residence. During the 17th-century, the castle fell into a state of decay and was demolished.

Fotheringhay parish church, the Church of St.Mary and All Saints has a most magnificent tower that can be seen from miles around. It rises in stages and is grandly topped by a gilt falcon, the badge of the illustrious House of York. This church is of Cathedral like proportions and it's size is matched by the treasures housed within, there are numerous windows which allow in floods of light.

In the main street, limestone cottages stand solid and often four square with heavy slate roofs. At the east end of the village stands a house reputed to have been built as a hostel by Edward IV when he was resident at the castle, it has a 15th-century gateway and a Gothic arch.

Nowadays, the mellow old cottages and willow-hung banks of the river Nene create an air of pure tranquility, so much so that it difficult to imagine the macabre deeds of 1587. It is a pretty place strewn with a diversity of quaint old cottages and the grander, more elegant houses of a later build. The river Nene wends it's way through Fotheringhay as it does through much of the pleasant Northamptonshire countryside.

Salcey Forest:

Beautiful forest, with massive oaks over 500 years old, situated a short distance from Ravenstone, close to Stoke Goldington. Although almost entirely in Northamptonshire, parts of the forest spill into neighbouring Buckinghamshire. Once a medieval hunting ground, the forest today provides dense cover for a rich variety of wildlife and is a perfect place for bird watching. There are interesting woodland walks, rare plants, shrubs and flowers. Trees range from tall dark firs to lofty oaks and brilliant beech, providing a constant change of colour according to the season.

Stratford-Upon-Avon:

Stratford is one of England's most historic and vibrant towns. A market town dating back to medieval times, Stratford is today most famous as the birthplace of the Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the town each year to visit the historic properties associated with Shakespeare, go to the theatre and enjoy the many attractions in the town and surrounding area.

Stratford also has much to offer the gourmet, with a wide variety of well priced restaurants offering local and international cuisine. Many restaurants offer pre-theatre dinners, timed to ensure you don't miss the performance. Some also cater for the late-night needs of peckish theatre goers once the performance has finished.
 

The Cotswolds:

The chocolate box image of traditional England, is epitomised by the peaceful villages of The Cotswolds. Here you will find picturesque cottages, flower bedecked cottages and imposing manor houses. You will also find bustling market towns set in breathtaking countryside, just waiting to be explored.

Many of the Cotswold's most famous villages, including Bourton-on-the-Water, Upper and Lower Slaughter and Broadway are in the North of The Cotswolds. So are some of the great wool and market towns such as Chipping Campden, Moreton- in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold.

London:

London has the greatest concentration of major attractions in Britain and boasts four World Heritage Sites. 238 attractions that are free to enter, so there's nowhere else in the world where you can see so much for so little. Choose from the classic British Airways London Eye to museums and galleries, or head outdoors to one of London's many parks.

Other local attractions that you might consider:

• Woburn Abbey
• Blenheim Palace
• Bletchley park
• Warwick Castle
• Althorp Estate
• Rockingham Castle
• Grand Union Canal
• Castle Ashby House
• Haddonstone Show garden
• Holdenby House, Gardens & Falconry Centre
• Kelmarsh Hall

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