Editing Kettering

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England}}
{{About|the town in England|the city in Ohio|Kettering, Ohio|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| official_name = Kettering
| coordinates = {{coord|52.39312|-0.72292|type:city(64,000)_region:GB-NTH|display=inline,title}}
| population_ref = 56,676 (Parish, 2021)<br />{{nowrap|63,150 (Built up area, 2021)<ref name=2021census>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>}}
| civil_parish = Kettering Town
| unitary_england = [[North Northamptonshire]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Northamptonshire]]
| region = East Midlands
| constituency_westminster = [[Kettering (UK Parliament constituency)|Kettering]]
| parts_type = Areas of the town
| p1 = [[Barton Seagrave]]
| p2 = [[Burton Latimer]] (town)
| p3 = [[Isham]]
| p4 = Town Centre
| p5 = [[Warkton]]
| p6 = [[Weekley]]
| post_town = KETTERING
| postcode_district = NN14, NN15, NN16
| postcode_area = NN
| dial_code = 01536
| os_grid_reference = SP8778
| static_image_name = File:Kettering Collage.png
| static_image_caption = Clockwise from top: Horsemarket. Market Hill. Town Centre. Market Street
| london_distance = {{convert|67|mi|km|0}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/}}
}}
'''Kettering''' is a [[market town|market]] and [[industrial town|industrial]] town in the [[North Northamptonshire]] district of [[Northamptonshire]], England, {{convert|45|mi|km|0}} west of [[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]], {{convert|31|mi|km|0}} southwest of [[Peterborough]], {{convert|28|mi|km|0}} southeast of [[Leicester]] and {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} north-east of [[Northampton]]. It is west of the [[River Ise]], a tributary of the [[River Nene]]. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ketter's people (or kinsfolk)".<ref name="R.L. Greenall 2003, p.7">R.L. Greenall: A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003, {{ISBN|1-86077-254-4}}. p.7.</ref>

At the 2021 census, Kettering had a population of 63,150.<ref name=2021census/> It is part of the [[East Midlands]], along with the rest of [[Northamptonshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Corby – fastest growing place in England and Wales |url=http://www.corby.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/CouncilNews/Pages/Corby%E2%80%93fastestgrowingplaceinEnglandandWales.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926002413/http://www.corby.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/CouncilNews/Pages/Corby%E2%80%93fastestgrowingplaceinEnglandandWales.aspx |archive-date=26 September 2010 |access-date=30 July 2010 |publisher=Corby Borough Council |quote=The statistics highlight North Northamptonshire's emergence as the biggest single growth area outside London}}</ref> There is a growing commuter population as it is on the [[Midland Main Line]] railway, with [[East Midlands Railway]] services direct to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras International]].

==Early history==
Kettering means "the place (or territory) of Ketter's people (or kinsfolk)".<ref name="R.L. Greenall 2003, p.7" /> Spelt variously Cytringan, Kyteringas and Keteiringan in the 10th century, although the origin of the name appears to have baffled place-name scholars in the 1930s, words and place-names ending with "-ing" usually derive from the [[Anglo-Saxon]] or [[Old English]] suffix ''-inga'' or ''-ingas'', meaning "the people of the" or "tribe".

Before the Romans, the area, like much of Northamptonshire's [[prehistoric]] countryside, appears to have remained somewhat intractable with regards to early human occupation, resulting in an apparently sparse population and relatively few finds from the [[Palaeolithic]], [[Mesolithic]] and [[Neolithic]] periods.<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.19.</ref> About 700 BC the use of iron spread into the area from the continent.<ref name="Greenall20">R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.20.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ingram |first=Mike |title=Northampton:5,000 years of history |publisher=Northampton Tours Publications |year=2020 |isbn=9798579592910 |pages=5}}</ref> Between then and about 300BC two alignments of hill forts appear to have been constructed, with roughly even spacing between each fort on each chain. One of the alignments was along the north western side of the county with one of them possibly at Desborough. Iron age finds have been discovered there including the [[Desborough Mirror]] but the existence of that fort cannot be proved because the probable site has been quarried away. The other alignment was along the Nene Valley, roughly parallel to the first. One of these forts was at Irthlingborough and it was discovered in 1984. An archaeological investigation there found early iron age pottery and showed that a wooden structure there with a stockade was burnt down at some stage.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=Dennis |title=A Northamptonshire Archaeologist |publisher=Northamptonshire Archaeological Society |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-9507151-4-8 |pages=122–124}}</ref>

===Roman===
Like most of what later became Northamptonshire, from late in the 1st century BC the Kettering area became part of the territory of the [[Catuvellauni]], a [[Belgic tribe]], the Northamptonshire area forming their most northerly possession.<ref name="Greenall20" /><ref>Ingram. Northampton 5000 years of history Page 6</ref> The Catuvellauni were in turn conquered by the Romans in AD&nbsp;43.

The town traces its origins to an early, unwalled [[Roman Britain|Romano-British]] settlement, the remnants of which lie under the northern part of the modern town. Occupied until the 4th century, there is evidence that a substantial amount of [[iron smelting]] took place on the site.<ref name="Greenall9">R.L. Greenall, A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003, {{ISBN|1-86077-254-4}}. P. 9.</ref> Along with the [[Forest of Dean]] and the [[Weald]] of Kent and Sussex, this area of Northamptonshire "was one of the three great centres of iron-working in Roman Britain".<ref name="Greenall9" /> The settlement reached as far as the [[Weekley]] and [[Geddington]] parishes. However, it is felt unlikely that the site was continuously occupied from the Romano-British into the [[Anglo-Saxon]] era.<ref>R.L. Greenall, A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003, {{ISBN|1-86077-254-4}}. P. 10.</ref> Excavations have revealed that the site at Weekly had been used for agriculture during the later iron age and a fortified enclosure had been constructed during the first century BC. During the first century AD lime kilns and kilns for making pottery were constructed. The site appears to have been occupied until about a hundred and fifty years after the Roman conquest. That would be until about 190 to 200 AD.<ref>Jackson, Dennis;

work cited pp 81-87, 112,113,125,126,130,131,

{{ISBN|978-0-9507151-4-8}}.</ref>  Pottery kilns have also been unearthed at nearby [[Barton Seagrave]] and [[Boughton, Northamptonshire|Boughton]].

===Saxon===
[[Excavation (archaeology)|Excavations]] in the early 20th century either side of Stamford road ([[A43 road (England)|A43]]), near the site of the former Prime Cut factory (now the Warren public house), revealed an extensive early [[Saxon]] burial site, consisting of at least a hundred cremation urns dating to the 5th century AD. This suggests that it may have been among the earliest Anglo-Saxon penetrations into the interior of what later became England. The prefix ''Wic-'' of the nearby village of [[Weekley]] may also signify Anglo-Saxon activities in the area; Greenall reports that it could be "an indication of [[foederati]], Anglo-Saxon mercenaries brought in to boost the defences of the Empire."<ref name="Greenall9" /> This was established imperial policy, which the Romano-British continued after Rome withdrew from Britain around 410, with disastrous consequences for the Romano-Britons.

By the 7th century the lands that would eventually become Northamptonshire formed part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of [[Mercia]].<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.26.</ref> The Mercians converted to Christianity in 654 with the death of the pagan king [[Penda]].<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.29.</ref> From about 889 the Kettering area, along with much of Northamptonshire (and at one point almost all of England except for [[Athelney]] marsh in [[Somerset]]), was conquered by the Danes and became part of the [[Danelaw]], with the ancient trackway of [[Watling Street]] serving as the border, until being recaptured by the English under the [[Wessex]] king [[Edward the Elder]], son of [[Alfred the Great]], in 917. Northamptonshire was conquered again in 940, this time by the Vikings of York, who devastated the area, only for the county to be retaken by the English in 942.<ref>[[Michael Wood (historian)|Michael Wood]]: The Domesday Quest, BBC Books, 1986 {{ISBN|0-563-52274-7}}. p. 90.</ref>

It is unlikely, however, that Kettering itself existed as a village earlier than the 10th century (the county of Northampton itself is not referenced in documents before 1011).<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.34.</ref> Before this time the Kettering area was most likely populated by a thin scattering of family farmsteads.<ref name="Greenall9" /> The first historical reference of Kettering is in a charter of 956 in which [[Edwy of England|King Edwy]] granted ten "cassati" of land to Ælfsige the Goldsmith. The boundaries delineated in this charter would have been recognisable to most inhabitants for the last thousand years and can still be walked today. It is possible that Ælfsige gave Kettering to the [[monastery]] of [[Peterborough]], as [[Edgar the Peaceful|King Edgar]] in a charter dated 972 confirmed it to that monastery.

===Medieval===
At the [[Domesday survey]] in 1086, Kettering manor is listed as held by the Abbey of Peterborough, the church owning 10 [[Hide (unit)|hides]] of land. Kettering was valued at £11, with land for 16 ploughs. There were 107 acres of meadow, 3 of woodland, 2 mills, 31 villans with 10 ploughs and 1 female slave.<ref>Domesday Book: A Complete Translation, Penguin Books, 1992, {{ISBN|0-14-100523-8}}. p. 596.</ref>

The nearby stately home of [[Boughton House]], sometimes described as the 'English [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]]',<ref>[[Michael McNay]]: Hidden Treasures of England, Random House Books, 2009, {{ISBN|1-905211-83-X}}. p.271.</ref> has for centuries been the seat of the [[Dukes of Buccleuch]], major landowners in Kettering and most of the surrounding villages; along with the Watsons of [[Rockingham Castle]], the two families were joint lords of the manor of Kettering.<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003, {{ISBN|1-86077-254-4}}. p.4.</ref>

Kettering is dominated by the [[crocket]]ed spire of about {{convert|55|m|ft|order=flip}} of the [[St Peter and St Paul's Church, Kettering|Parish church of SS Peter and Paul]]. Little is known of the origins of the church, its first known priest becoming rector in 1219–20. The chancel is in the [[Early Decorated]] style of about 1300, the main fabric of the building being mostly [[Perpendicular]], having been rebuilt in the mid 15th century (its tower and spire being remarkably similar to the tower and spire of St Peter's<ref>{{Cite web |title=St Peters Church Oundle |url=http://www.oundlestpeters.org.uk/ |website=www.oundlestpeters.org.uk}}</ref> [[Oundle]]). Whether the current building replaced an earlier church on the site is unknown.<ref name="Greenall20" /> Two medieval wall paintings, one of two angels with feathered wings, and one of a now faded saint, can still be seen inside the church.<ref name="R.L. Greenall 2003. p.21">R.L. Greenall, A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003. p.21.</ref>

The charter for Kettering's market was granted to the [[Bishop of Peterborough]] by [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] in 1227.<ref name=bartholomew/>

===17th century===
In June 1607 at the nearby village of Newton, the Newton Rebellion broke out,<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.41-42.</ref> causing a brief uprising known as the [[Midland Revolt]], which involved several nearby villages. Protesting at land enclosures at Newton and [[Pytchley]] by local landlords [[Tresham baronets|the Treshams]], on 8 June a pitched battle took place between [[Levellers]] – many from Kettering, [[Corby]] and particularly [[Weldon, Northamptonshire|Weldon]],<ref>R.L. Greenall: A History of Northamptonshire, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 1979, {{ISBN|1-86077-147-5}}. p.42.</ref> – and local gentry and their servants (local militias having refused the call to arms). Approximately 40–50 local men are said to have been killed and the ringleaders [[hanged, drawn and quartered]]. The Newton rebellion represents one of the last times that the English [[peasant]]ry and the [[gentry]] were in open conflict.

By the 17th century the town was a centre for woollen cloth.

==Recent history (from 19th century to present day) ==
The present town grew in the 19th century with the development of the boot and shoe industry, for which Northamptonshire as a whole became famous. Many large homes in both the Headlands and Rockingham Road were built for factory owners, while terraced streets provided accommodation for the workers. The industry has markedly declined since the 1970s,<ref name="R.L. Greenall 2003. p.215">R.L. Greenall, A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003. p.215.</ref> large footwear-manufacturers such as [[Dolcis]], [[Freeman, Hardy and Willis]], Frank Wright and Timpsons, having left the town or closed down in the face of stiff overseas competition, while others have outsourced their production to lower-cost countries. Only two smaller footwear-businesses remain.<ref name="R.L. Greenall 2003. p.21" />

[[William Carey (missionary)|William Carey]], born in 1761 at [[Paulerspury]], spent his early life in Kettering before leaving for India as a [[missionary]] in 1793. Carey Mission House and Carey Street were named after him. [[Andrew Fuller]] helped Carey found the [[Baptist Missionary Society]] and he is remembered in the Fuller Church and Fuller Street. In 1803 [[William Knibb]] was born in Market Street and became a missionary and emancipator of slaves; he is commemorated by the Knibb Centre and Knibb Street. Toller Chapel and Toller Place take their names from two ministers, father and son, who preached in Kettering for a total of 100 years. The chapel was built in 1723 for those who since 1662 had been worshipping in secret.

Politics in Kettering has not always been a sedate affair: in 1835, a horrified [[Charles Dickens]], then a young reporter for the ''[[Morning Chronicle]]'', watched aghast as a [[Tory]] supporter on horseback, intent (along with others) on taking control of by-election proceedings, produced a loaded pistol and had to be restrained by his friends from committing murder. The ensuing riot between Tory and [[Whig (British political party)|Whig]] supporters led Dickens in his article to form various opinions of Kettering and its voters, none of them complimentary.<ref>R.L. Greenall, A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003, {{ISBN|1-86077-254-4}}. P. 106.</ref>

After several false starts the [[Midland Railway]] opened [[Kettering railway station]] in 1857, providing a welcome economic stimulus to an ailing local economy, suffering as it was from the loss of wayfaring business since the introduction of railways nationwide. The line in 1857 ran through Kettering from [[Leicester]] to [[Hitchin]], where it joined the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]]. Trains ran from there into [[London King's Cross railway station|London King's Cross]]. The line was finally linked to London directly in 1868 when the Midland opened its own line from [[Bedford]] to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]].<ref>R.L. Greenall, A History of Kettering, Phillimore & Co. Ltd, 2003. p.116.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nock |first=O.S |title=The Railways of Britain |publisher=Batsford |year=1962 |location=London |pages=50–51}}</ref>

John Bartholomew's 1887 ''Gazetteer of the British Isles'' described Kettering as:

{{cquote|Kettering, market town and parish with railway station, Northamptonshire, {{convert|8|mi}} N. of Wellingborough and {{convert|75|mi}} from London, 2840 ac., pop. 11,095; P.O., T.O.; 3 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-day, Friday. Kettering is an ancient place, and was called by the Saxons, "''Kateringes''". It is a fairly prosperous town, with tanning and currying, mfrs. of boots and shoes, stays, brushes, agricultural implements, and some articles of clothing. It has a handsome town hall, a cattle market, a [[corn exchange]] and a grammar school. Many Roman relics have been found in the vicinity.<ref name=bartholomew>{{cite book|url=http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/Bart1887/427l.html|first=John|last= Bartholomew|year= 1887 |title=Gazetteer of the British Isles|page=427}}</ref>}}

Iron-ore quarrying began in the Kettering area, probably for the first time since Roman times, at Glendon to the north of the town in 1863. At that place the digging of a railway cutting had exposed the ore beds. Quarrying began a little north of what later became Glendon Junction on the west side of the main railway. The Glendon quarries continued in operation until 1980. The last ore was extracted a little to the east of the starting point on the west side of the A6003.<ref>{{Tonks ironstone |part=6 |page=85–123}}</ref> Other quarries opened to the east, south and west of Kettering, all opening and closing at some time between 1875 and 1969. There were also two ironworks in or near the town which used local ore. The Cransley Ironworks stood on the north side of the [[A43 road|A43]] to the west of what is now the junction with the [[A14 road (England)|A14]]. It began smelting iron in 1877 and ceased production in 1959. The site later became a scrapyard. The [[Kettering Ironstone Railway|Kettering Ironworks]], on the west side of the main railway to the north of Rothwell Road, began smelting iron in 1878 and ceased production in 1959, though ore quarrying continued until 1961.<ref>{{Quine ironstone |part=2}}</ref>

In 1921, [[Wicksteed Park]], Britain's second-oldest theme park, was officially opened on the southern outskirts of the town.

From 1942 to 1945 the town witnessed a large influx of American servicemen (including on several occasions [[Clark Gable]]), mainly from the [[Eighth Air Force|US 8th Air Force]] at [[RAF Grafton Underwood]], {{convert|3.7|mi|km}} away. The airfield was soon nicknamed "Grafton Undermud" in reference to the perceived English weather of "rain, rain and more rain".<ref>John N. Smith, Airfield Focus 44: Grafton Underwood, GMS Enterprises, 2001, {{ISBN|1-870384-84-9}}. p. 4.</ref> The first bombing raid – targeting the marshalling yards at [[Rouen]] in northern France – was led by Major [[Paul W. Tibbets]], who in 1945 piloted ''[[Enola Gay]]'', the [[B-29]] [[Superfortress]] that dropped the [[atomic bomb]] on [[Hiroshima]].<ref>John N. Smith, Airfield Focus 44: Grafton Underwood, GMS Enterprises, 2001, {{ISBN|1-870384-84-9}}. p. 3.</ref> Aircraft from Grafton Underwood dropped the 8th Air Force's first and last bombs of the Second World War.<ref>John N. Smith, Airfield Focus 44: Grafton Underwood, GMS Enterprises, 2001, {{ISBN|1-870384-84-9}}. p. 33.</ref>

==Governance==
There are two tiers of local government covering Kettering, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Kettering Town Council and [[North Northamptonshire Council]]. The town council has its offices at 10 Headlands and holds its meetings at various venues.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact us |url=https://www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/contact-us |website=Kettering Town Council |access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref> North Northamptonshire Council has its main offices in [[Corby]] but retains the former [[Borough of Kettering|Kettering Borough Council]] headquarters at the [[Kettering Municipal Offices|Municipal Offices]] on Bowling Green Road as an area office.<ref>{{cite web |title=Visiting the council and our addresses |url=https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/your-council/visiting-council-and-our-addresses |website=North Northamptonshire Council |access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
[[File:Corn Exchange Kettering.jpg|thumb|225px|right|[[Corn Exchange, Kettering|Corn Exchange]], Market Square: Built 1853 and also served as a town hall until 1904.]]
Kettering was an [[ancient parish]]. Until 1872 the parish was governed by its [[vestry]]. In 1872 the parish was made a [[Local board of health#Local Government Act 1858|local government district]], governed by a local board.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23955|page=1369|date=4 March 1873}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Kettering: Local Board |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search-newspapers |access-date=11 December 2023 |work=Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury |date=6 September 1872 |location=Stamford |page=4 |quote=The first meeting of this board was held on the 28th ult., at the office of Mr. Preedy, Gas-street...}}</ref> The board subsequently held its meetings at the Town Hall, which was the main assembly room at the [[Corn Exchange, Kettering|Corn Exchange]] in the Market Place, which had been built by a private company in 1853 to the designs of [[Edmund Francis Law]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=soI35rrNLMIC&pg=PA273  |title=Northamptonshire (Buildings of England Series)|first1=Nikolaus |last1=Pevsner|first2=Bridget|last2= Cherry|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0300096323|page=273}}</ref>

Such local government districts were reconstituted as [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] in 1894.<ref>[[Local Government Act 1894]]</ref> In 1904 the council moved its meeting place to Stamford Road School (now the William Knibb Centre).<ref>{{cite news |title=Urban District Council, Wednesday |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search-newspapers |access-date=12 December 2023 |work=Northampton Mercury |date=28 October 1904 |page=7}}</ref> Kettering Urban District was enlarged in 1935 to take in [[Barton Seagrave]]. The urban district was elevated to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1938, allowing the council to appoint a mayor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=303}}</ref>

[[File:Kettering - Town Hall (geograph 2889662).jpg|thumb|right|[[Kettering Municipal Offices|Municipal Offices]] in Bowling Green Road]]
The council relocated in 1966 to the Municipal Offices in Bowling Green Road, which had previously been [[Kettering Grammar School]], having been completed in 1913 to the designs of [[John Alfred Gotch]], in the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical style]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northamptonshirerecordsociety.org.uk/eNpp/NppNo66.pdf|title=Northamptonshire Past and Present|publisher=Northamptonshire Record Society|year=2013|page=28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=£120,000 transforms school to Council HQ |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search-newspapers |access-date=12 December 2023 |work=Evening Telegraph |date=5 April 1966 |location=Kettering |page=8}}</ref>

The municipal borough of Kettering was abolished in 1974 to become part of a larger [[non-metropolitan district]] called the [[Borough of Kettering]], which also covered [[Burton Latimer]], [[Desborough]], [[Rothwell, Northamptonshire|Rothwell]] and several parishes from the former [[Kettering Rural District]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref> Kettering itself became an [[unparished area]]. Barton Seagrave was re-established as a separate parish in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kettering (Parishes and Electoral Changes) (No. 2) Order 2001 |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20221202004038mp_/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/12329/kettering-parishes-and-electoral-changes-no.-2-order-2001.pdf |website=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref>

The borough of Kettering was abolished in 2021 to become part of the unitary authority of North Northamptonshire, which also took over county-level functions from the abolished [[Northamptonshire County Council]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 May 2019 |title=Northamptonshire: Unitary authorities plan approved |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-48270222 |access-date=18 August 2020 |website=BBC News}}</ref> Concurrent with these changes, the [[unparished area]] of Kettering became a [[civil parish]] which also gained some land from [[Cranford, Northamptonshire|Cranford]] and Barton Seagrave, which enabled it to establish a new [[Parish councils in England|town council]]. The new Kettering Town Council inherited the mayoralty from the former borough council.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kettering's new town council will take over the market and allotments |url=https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/ketterings-new-town-council-will-take-over-market-and-allotments-2989590?itm_source=parsely-api |publisher=Northamptonshire Telegraph |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kettering Borough Re-organisation of Community Governance Order 2020 |url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Resources/Local%20Government%20Orders/East%20Midlands/The%20Kettering%20Borough%20Re-organisation%20of%20Community%20Governance%20Order%202020.pdf |access-date=26 October 2020 |publisher=[[Local Government Boundary Commission for England]] |archive-date=7 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507192343/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/Resources/Local%20Government%20Orders/East%20Midlands/The%20Kettering%20Borough%20Re-organisation%20of%20Community%20Governance%20Order%202020.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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===Constituency===
Kettering is represented in parliament by a constituency of the same name, which is currently (as of August 2024) represented by [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP [[Rosie Wrighting]].

==Economy==
[[File:Arena, Wicksteed Park.jpg|thumb|Wicksteed Park]]
Kettering's economy was built on the [[Shoemaking|boot and shoe industry]]. With the arrival of railways in the 19th century, industries such as engineering and clothing grew up. The clothing manufacturer [[Aquascutum]] built its first factory there in 1909. Kettering's economy is now based on [[Service Sector|service]] and [[Distribution (business)|distribution]] industries due to its central location and transport links.

Kettering's unemployment rate is amongst the lowest in the UK and has over 80% of its adults in full-time employment.<ref>[http://www.go-em.gov.uk/geographical.php?LA=34UE&x=0&county=northants&y=1 Government Office of the East Midlands] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007081547/http://www.go-em.gov.uk/geographical.php?LA=34UE&x=0&county=northants&y=1 |date=7 October 2011 }}</ref> It is home to a wide range of companies including [[Aryzta]], [[Weetabix]], Pegasus Software, [[RCI (company)|RCI]] Europe, [[Timsons]] Ltd and Morrisons Distribution as well as [[Wicksteed Park]], the United Kingdom's second oldest theme park, which now plays host to one and a quarter million visitors every season. It has a very large free playground area, which was built by Wicksteed Playscapes, who are based in Kettering; the company is the world's oldest-known playground producer.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 July 2013 |title=Is this the oldest swing in the world? |url=http://www.wicksteed.co.uk/is-this-the-oldest-swing-in-the-world-n196.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029212827/http://www.wicksteed.co.uk/is-this-the-oldest-swing-in-the-world-n196.html |archive-date=29 October 2013 |publisher=Wicksteed}}</ref>

[[Kettering General Hospital]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kettering General Hospital: Getting here |url=http://www.kgh.nhs.uk/getting-here |access-date=30 July 2010 |publisher=Kettering General Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust}}</ref> provides Acute and Accident & Emergency department services for north Northamptonshire including [[Corby]] and [[Wellingborough]]. With its new £20&nbsp;million campus,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tresham College of Further and Higher Education: Kettering |url=http://www.tresham.ac.uk/about/our_campuses/kettering |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415213818/http://www.tresham.ac.uk/about/our_campuses/kettering |archive-date=15 April 2010 |access-date=30 July 2010 |publisher=Tresham College of Further and Higher Education}}</ref> 16,000 students and 800 staff, [[Tresham College of Further and Higher Education]] is a significant employer in the region.

The former [[Northamptonshire Police|police station]] and social club on London Road has been closed down and as of 2020 the site is for sale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Police Station and Social Club London Road, Kettering NN15 7QP |url=http://fishergerman.reapitcloud.com/fsgrps/pdf.php?p=BAN190430 |website=Fisher German}}</ref> Northamptonshire Police have an enquiry desk situated within the [[Kettering Municipal Offices]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northamptonshire Police |url=https://www.kettering.gov.uk/directory_record/15450/northamptonshire_police |website=Kettering Borough Council}}</ref>

Kettering Business Park, a recent and current commercial property development undertaken by Buccleuch Property is situated on the A43/A6003, on the north side of Kettering.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kettering Business Park – Overview |url=http://www.ketteringbusinesspark.com/overview.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012011013/http://www.ketteringbusinesspark.com/overview.php |archive-date=12 October 2009 |access-date=30 July 2010 |publisher=Kettering Business Park}}</ref> Many office buildings are being built as part of the project as well as a leisure sector with a new hotel. Many large distribution warehouses have been constructed in the area, creating thousands of jobs for the local economy.

Kettering's Heritage Quarter houses the Manor House Museum and the Alfred East Gallery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Walk Around Kettering's Heritage Quarter |url=http://www.kettering.gov.uk/downloads/walk_heritage_quarter.pdf |access-date=25 May 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The magnificent [[Boughton House]], Queen [[Eleanor cross]] and the 1597 [[Triangular Lodge]] are local landmarks within the borough. Sir [[Thomas Tresham II|Thomas Tresham]] was a devout [[Catholic]] who was imprisoned for his beliefs. When he was released he built Triangular Lodge to defy his prosecutors and secretly declare his faith.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1052038 |desc=Rushton Triangular Lodge |accessdate=6 October 2010}}</ref>

The British sitcom ''[[Peep Show (British TV series)|Peep Show]]'' has various scenes located in Kettering owing to the head office of JLB, the company which employs lead character [[Mark Corrigan (Peep Show)|Mark Corrigan]], being located there.

===Regeneration===
In March 2007, a project was revealed to refurbish and bring new leisure and shopping to the town centre, including water features, public art, sculptures, street furniture, trees, plants and an innovative pavement lighting scheme.<ref>[http://www.ketteringtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2135857&SectionID=5388 "A new dawn" by Monique Cleaver in ''Northants Evening Telegraph'', 21 March 2007]{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Education==
Primary Schools in Kettering include St Peter's School, an independent school, Park Road School, St Thomas More Catholic School, St Edward’s Catholic Primary School, St Andrew's Church of England School, Hawthorn School, Greenfields Primary, St Mary's, Millbrook Junior School and a number of others associated with Secondary Academies. A new Church of England primary school, Hayfield Cross,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Government minister visits site of Kettering's newest school |url=http://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/top-stories/government-minister-visits-site-of-kettering-s-newest-school-1-6635173 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709181949/http://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/top-stories/government-minister-visits-site-of-kettering-s-newest-school-1-6635173 |archive-date=9 July 2015 |access-date=1 June 2015 |website=www.northantstelegraph.co.uk}}</ref> was due to open in September 2015.{{update inline|date=December 2024}}

Kettering has four secondary schools, each with the ability to take on pupils after the age of 16 to allow pupils to complete their A-Levels and BTEC Diplomas. The four secondary schools located in the town are [[Bishop Stopford School]], [[Kettering Science Academy]], [[Kettering Buccleuch Academy]] and [[Southfield School, Kettering|Southfield School for Girls]]. Both the Kettering Science Academy and Kettering Buccleuch Academy have become academies in recent years{{when|date=December 2024}} and both academies are joined to separate primary schools to allow for an easier transition from [[Key Stage 2]] to [[Key Stage 3]].{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

[[Latimer Arts College]] is also in the area and is located in the nearby village of [[Barton Seagrave]]. The school also has a sixth form facility, but no primary schools are specifically linked to them.

Kettering is also home to one of [[Tresham College of Further and Higher Education]]'s three campuses. Tresham allows full and part-time students over the age of 16 to study a range of vocational courses such as Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, ICT, Hospitality and Catering and Motor Vehicle Technology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tresham.ac.uk/sectors/full-time/|title = School Leavers &#124; the Bedford College Group &#124; Further & Higher Education}}</ref>  Tresham College also offers [[Access to Higher Education]] courses and undergraduate courses in association with the [[University of Bedfordshire]] and [[University of Northampton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tresham.ac.uk/sectors/higher-education/undergraduate/|title = Undergraduates &#124; the Bedford College Group &#124; Higher Education and Training}}</ref>

==Sport==
The multi-purpose sports and business facility at the [[Kettering Conference Centre]] provides both a [[leisure centre]], [[health club]], children's activity and [[conference centre]] all in one venue. It is also the home to [[Volleyball England]]'s National Volleyball Centre.

===Snooker===
The 2024 [[2024 World Snooker Championship|
world snooker champion]] [[Kyren Wilson]] is from Kettering.

===Football===
[[Kettering Town F.C.|Kettering Town]] is the town's football club, who as of the [[2021–22 in English football|2021–22 season]] play in the [[National League North]], the sixth tier of English football. Kettering Town played their home matches at [[Rockingham Road]] in the town until 2011. Following spells at [[Nene Park]] in [[Irthlingborough]] and Steel Park in [[Corby]], the team currently plays at Latimer Park in [[Burton Latimer]].

===Rugby===
Kettering is home to [[Kettering Rugby Football Club]] (KRFC), located in Waverley Road on the eastern side of the town.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kettering Rugby Football Club: How to find us |url=http://www.ketteringrugbyclub.co.uk/about/howtofindus.html |access-date=30 July 2010 |publisher=Kettering Rugby Football Club}}</ref> After a period of playing under Uppingham Public School Rules the club formally adopted RFU rules in 1875 and became a significant participant in both the local community and the fast-developing Rugby scene in the East Midlands. In the early days games were played on a number of sites including farmers' fields and council-owned grounds. It was during this period, prior to adopting a home of their own, that the club developed its high profile in the town.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===Other===
A short-lived [[Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom|greyhound racing]] track was opened on 4 July 1930 and raced on Friday evenings. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the [[National Greyhound Racing Club]]) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barnes |first=Julia |title=Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 417 |publisher=Ringpress Books |year=1988 |isbn=0-948955-15-5}}</ref> It is not known how long the track traded.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bickington |date=22 March 2019 |url=https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2019/03/22/barnstaple-bickington/ |publisher=Greyhound Racing Times}}</ref>

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]]. Television signals are received from the [[Sandy Heath transmitting station|Sandy Heath]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sandy_Heath | title=Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 }}</ref>

The town's local radio stations are [[Northants 1]] and [[Northants 2]] from NN Media, a local media organisation, providing local information, news and advertising and specialises in providing media training for young people in Northamptonshire, they set up originally as Shire Sounds Radio to provide Kettering and the surrounding areas with a local radio station.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} The area also has [[BBC Radio Northampton]] on 103.6 FM, [[Heart East]] on 96.6 FM and [[Smooth East Midlands]] (formerly [[Connect Radio 97.2 & 107.4|Connect FM]]) on 107.4 FM.

Kettering is served by two local newspapers: ''[[Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph]]'' and ''[[Northampton Chronicle and Echo]]''.

In the [[BBC One|BBC]] soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]'', the character [[Sonia Fowler]] moved to Kettering between 2016 and 2017 for a new job, whilst actress [[Natalie Cassidy]] was on maternity leave. The town has been referenced several times in the soap since.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/is-kettering-council-paying-them-8841717 | title=Baffling EastEnders storyline sends Twitter into meltdown | website=[[Daily Mirror]] | date=15 September 2016 }}</ref>

==Transport==
===Roads===
The [[A14 road (England)|A14]] skirts the west and south of the town, links the town with the [[A45 road|A45 dual carriageway]], [[M1 motorway|M1]] and [[M6 motorway|M6]] motorways. The [[A6003 road|A6003]] links Kettering to [[Corby]]. The [[A43 road|A43]] links Kettering with Corby and the county town of [[Northampton]] and the A509 (Kettering/Wellingborough Road) links Kettering with [[Wellingborough]]. The [[A6 road (England)|A6]] Links Kettering with [[Rushden]] and [[Bedford]].

===Buses===
In April 1986, the bus station was relocated away from the market area to the Newland Street entrance of the modern Newlands shopping centre. This caused a fatal decline in market trade, although buses were re-allocated there in April 1987 before closing again in September 1989. A smaller version of a bus station was also closed in May 1999 and so buses just served the [[Kettering Library, Northamptonshire|library]] and Newlands Shopping Centre; however, since May 2010, all buses now serve the new Horsemarket bus interchange and they no longer serve the library. New bus stops have been installed around the railway station and The Headlands.

The town is served by bus services operated by [[Stagecoach Midlands]] with the following routes:
[[File:Kettering_Bus_Map_2024.png|thumb|264x264px|Kettering Bus Map in Autumn 2024]]
*15 – Kettering – Highfield Road – Stamford Road – Geddington – Corby
*16 – Brambleside – Kettering – Cranford – Thrapston – Raunds
*48 – Stamford Road – Kettering – Burton Latimer – Irthlingborough – Wellingborough
*50 – Kettering – Burton Latimer – Irthlingborough – Higham Ferrers – Rushden – Bedford
*17 – Thrapston – Ise Lodge –  Kettering – Telford Way –  Rothwell –  Desborough
*18 - Ise Lodge –  Kettering – Telford Way –  Rothwell –  Desborough – Market Harborough
*19 – Ise Lodge – Kettering – Rothwell – Desborough – Rushton – Corby
*X4 – Peterborough – Oundle – Corby – Kettering – Wellingborough – Northampton
*X10 – Kettering – Broughton – Moulton – Northampton
*10 – Kettering – Mawsley – Moulton – Northampton

===Rail===
[[File:Kettering_Station_With_Class_222.jpg|thumb|255x255px|Train at Kettering Station]]
[[EMR Connect]] Rail services operated by [[East Midlands Railway]] depart every 30 minutes from {{Stnlnk|Kettering}} to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]], with an average journey time of 59 minutes. These trains stop at [[Wellingborough railway station|Wellingborough]], [[Bedford railway station|Bedford]] and [[Luton railway station|Luton]]. Faster, direct [[EMR Intercity|Intercity]] services also depart every 30 minutes, with an average journey time of 41 minutes.<ref name="EMT">{{Cite web|title=East Midlands Trains: Midland Main Line (London services) Timetable|url=https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/train-times/kettering-to-london|access-date=1 July 2021|publisher=East Midlands Trains – Stagecoach Group plc}}</ref> St Pancras also provides an interchange with the [[Eurostar]] service to France and Belgium. Kettering has direct trains to [[Corby railway station|Corby]], [[Leicester railway station|Leicester]] and [[Nottingham railway station|Nottingham]] to the north and [[Derby railway station|Derby]] and [[Sheffield railway station|Sheffield]] can be reached with a change at Leicester.<ref>{{Cite web|title=East Midlands Trains: Network Map|url=https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/timetables-updates/route-map|access-date=1 July 2021|publisher=East Midlands Trains – Stagecoach Group plc}}</ref> With its good rail links, a large and growing [[Commuting|commuter]] population takes advantage of Kettering's position on the [[Midland Main Line]] railway.

===Air===
Five airports are within 2 hours' drive of the town, these being [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]], [[Luton Airport|Luton]], [[East Midlands Airport|East Midlands]], [[Birmingham Airport|Birmingham]] and [[Stansted Airport|Stansted]]. Luton can be reached directly by train, while East Midlands and Stansted can be reached by one change at Leicester. [[Sywell Aerodrome]], located {{convert|6|mi|km}} south-west of Kettering, caters for [[general aviation|private flying]], [[flight training]] and corporate flights.

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Kettering}}

==Climate==
Kettering experiences an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]) which is similar to most of the [[British Isles]].

{{Weather box
|location = Kettering, GBR
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = 7
|Feb high C = 8
|Mar high C = 11
|Apr high C = 13
|May high C = 17
|Jun high C = 19
|Jul high C = 22
|Aug high C = 23
|Sep high C = 19
|Oct high C = 14
|Nov high C = 10
|Dec high C = 7
|Jan low C = 2
|Feb low C = 2
|Mar low C = 4
|Apr low C = 4
|May low C = 7
|Jun low C = 10
|Jul low C = 12
|Aug low C = 12
|Sep low C = 10
|Oct low C = 8
|Nov low C = 5
|Dec low C = 3
|Jan precipitation cm = 4.51
|Feb precipitation cm = 3.39
|Mar precipitation cm = 2.87
|Apr precipitation cm = 4.39
|May precipitation cm = 3.49
|Jun precipitation cm = 4.66
|Jul precipitation cm = 4.21
|Aug precipitation cm = 4.69
|Sep precipitation cm = 5.49
|Oct precipitation cm = 5.68
|Nov precipitation cm = 4.8
|Dec precipitation cm = 4.98
|source 1 =<ref>{{Cite web |title=Average weather for Kettering |url=http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?&wealocations=wc:UKXX0254&q=Kettering,+GBR&setunit=C |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729153245/http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx |archive-date=29 July 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 |publisher=MSN weather}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

==Nearby places==
Kettering's nearest towns are [[Desborough]], [[Burton Latimer]] and [[Rothwell, Northamptonshire|Rothwell]], with the larger towns of [[Corby]] and [[Wellingborough]] a little further away.

{{Geographic location
|title = '''Destinations from Kettering'''
|Northwest = [[Rothwell, Northamptonshire|Rothwell]], [[Desborough]], [[Market Harborough]], [[Leicester]]
|North = [[Cottingham, Northamptonshire|Cottingham]],<br />[[Leicestershire]] villages
|Northeast = [[Geddington]], [[Corby]]
|West = [[Broughton, Northamptonshire|Broughton]], [[Mawsley]], [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]]
|Centre = Kettering
|East = [[Thrapston]], [[Huntingdon]]
|Southwest = [[Pytchley]], [[Northampton]]
|South = [[Burton Latimer]], [[Islip, Northamptonshire|Islip]], [[Wellingborough]]
|Southeast = [[Finedon]], [[Irthlingborough]], [[Rushden]], London
}}

==Town twinning==
Kettering is [[Town twinning|twinned]] with:{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
* [[Kettering, Ohio]], United States
* [[Lahnstein]], Germany
* [[Kettering, Tasmania]], Australia

==See also==
{{Portal|England}}
* [[Kettering Ironstone Railway]]
* [[Kettering Grammar School]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kettering}}
{{Wikivoyage|Kettering}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Kettering |volume=15 |short=x}}
* [http://www.ketteringlocal.com/ Kettering local free business directory, local news, events and offers]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110305235404/http://www.ketteringweathercentre.co.uk/ Kettering Weather Station]
* [http://www.ketteringtoday.co.uk/ Kettering Evening Telegraph]
* [http://www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/ Kettering Town Council]

{{Northamptonshire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kettering| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Northamptonshire]]
[[Category:Market towns in Northamptonshire]]
[[Category:North Northamptonshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Northamptonshire]]