Editing Towcester (section)

===Georgian and Victorian periods===
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, in the heyday of the stagecoach and the mail coach, Watling Street became a major coaching road between [[London]] and [[Holyhead]], and Towcester flourished, becoming a major stopping point. Many [[coaching inn]]s and stabling facilities were provided for travellers in Towcester, many of which remain.

The coaching trade came to an abrupt halt in September 1838 when the [[London and Birmingham Railway]] was opened, which bypassed Towcester and passed through [[Blisworth]]; four miles away but enough to result in Towcester quickly reverting to being a quiet market town. By 1866 however, Towcester was linked to the national rail network by the first of several routes which came together to form the [[Stratford Junction Railway|Stratford and Midland Junction Railway]].<ref name="SMJR">{{cite web |title=Stratford and Midland Junction Railway (SMJ) |url=http://www.towcestersrailwayhistory.co.uk |access-date=5 June 2008 |archive-date=23 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723113316/http://www.towcestersrailwayhistory.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Eventually, from [[Towcester railway station]] it was possible to travel four different ways out of the town: to Blisworth (opened May 1866); to [[Banbury]] (opened June 1872); to [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] (opened July 1873); and finally [[Olney, Buckinghamshire|Olney]] (for access to [[Bedford]], opened December 1892). The latter line however was an early casualty, closing to passengers in March 1893 although it continued to be used by race specials up until the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. The Banbury line closed to passengers in July 1951 and the rest in April 1952. Goods traffic lingered on until final axing in February 1964 as part of the [[Beeching cuts]]. The site of Towcester railway station is now a [[Tesco]] supermarket.

Towcester might have gained a second station on a branch line of the [[Great Central Railway]] from its main line at [[Brackley]] to [[Northampton]], but this branch was never built.{{cn|date=June 2022}}