Highlights will include:

• Displays and exhibitions from local history groups and societies
• Guided tours of the Abbey (prebook on 01604 214614 or 708675)
• Talks by local history groups
• Battlefield walk
• Estate walk
• Trails and Activities for children

The Friends of Delapre Abbey will be joined by

• The Northamptonshire Association for the Blind (NAB)
• Northampton Heritage Hunters
• Northamptonshire Family History Society
• Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group (NIAG)
• Far Cotton History Group
• Hardingstone History Society
• Northamptonshire Record Society
• Northamptonshire Finds Liason Officer
• Friends of Northampton Castle (FONC) (that’s us!)
• Friends of 78 Derngate
• Spratton Local History Group
• Wollaston Heritage Society

So come along and enjoy the beautiful Abbey Estate and take the opportunity to learn something about the town and county’s rich heritage. Please share this flier on your facebooks if you’re coming :) Free admission.

Station Visit
A number of members had been able to take up the kind invitation by WNDC to visit the excavation site in the short-stay carpark at Castle Station. All agree that the visit had been fascinating and were amazed at the quality of the finds especially the late Anglo-Saxon brooch and Stamford Ware glazed earthenware. Many thanks were extended to Tim Upton-Smith, NCC Archaeology, for guiding us round the site and also to Iain from WNDC who arranged the visit and so carefully ensured our safety on the site. The excavation site will be extended as work progresses to encompass the footprint of the new station. It was pleasing to see the high profile that the local media in particularly the local press had given the Dig; and also the reported comments that the finds would be displayed in the new station building when completed.

Talks/Tours
Jon has put together an informative PowerPoint presentation for use when delivering talks, about Northampton Castle and the work and aims of FONC, to various groups. Indeed, just before Easter, he had given such a talk to an audience of over two hundred members belonging to the University of the Third Age.

This information package will also be the basis for talks, tours and displays at the numerous events FONC is involved in this spring/summer (see below under Events Diary for details and dates). Therefore at the start of this meeting, to refresh members’ memories ahead of the forthcoming events as to why they are keen members of FONC and to provide additional information, Jon gave a truncated version of his talk. He patiently endured the lively interruptions from members giving comments and answered their questions throughout the talk. At the end he was thanked, by all those present, for all his hard work in putting together such a wealth of information.

Events Diary 2013

• Delapre Abbey Bank holiday weekend 25th, 26th & 27th May
• Spring Boroughs Residents Association Saturday 15th June
• Big Dig Introduction Day: Saturday 13th July, Finds Days: Saturday 3rd & 10th August

Umbrella Fair Weekend 17th/ 18th August
Member volunteers to help man these events are still needed, ‘many hands, less work’, and help with transportation of display boards and possibly tables and chairs to some events is needed. The actual times of the events will be given when available.

Delapre Abbey Event
Julia agreed to coordinate this event. She will liaise with Friends of Delapre Abbey (FoDA) and those members of FONC who have volunteered to help; and also Jon who is producing promotional display material. It would be necessary to ascertain the size and facilities allocated for the FONC pitch plus other details before finalising the style and amount of material on display. Marie would pass on to Julia the contact details for FoDA.

Big Dig
John will be meeting with an official in the Borough Council very soon to discuss gaining permission to dig on communal land during the Big Dig period.

2014 Events
Paul and Marie had attended the 2014 Celebration steering group meeting last month. They reported that the Becket anniversary is viewed as being the major event. Paul further reported that with dates set for the Masque Theatre to perform the Anouilh play, Becket for a five day run during the actual week in October 2014 that marks the 850th anniversary of the trial at Northampton Castle, the finer details such as tickets and costing were now being considered. It was agreed that Paul and Marie would continue to liaise on FONC’s behalf with the steering group and associated parties organising events next year.

Marie reported that she had been invited for consultation on a proposed 2014 year long display to mark the events in the foyer of the Central Museum. FONC had previously hosted a month long display on the Castle in the People’s Gallery of the museum in May 2012. She suggested that Paul and Julia should also attend the meeting if they were available on the date to be arranged.

George Row Business Club
Marie & John and Elaine & Paul kindly paid to attend a ticketed dinner at the Town & County Club on George Row, Northampton to network and drum up potential sponsorship for the Becket celebrations. Although no firm offers of support on the night, they raised awareness of FONC’s aims and with a talk to be delivered when a date has been arranged hopefully laid seeds for future support.

STOP PRESS! Marie has been booked to speak on 23/05/2013 at the George Row Business Club about the Castle and the Heritage Gateway.  The event runs from 5.30 till 7.00 and includes a “light bite” for a £10 fee.  The organisers are contactable at Emily.askew@dialecttelecom.com or 01604 212258 – if anyone wants to attend.  The organisers have suggested we might want to run a raffle for our own funds and we will consider this when we have an idea of numbers.  

Heritage Gateway Proposal
Although Marie could not report on the outcome following completion of the feasibility study to the meeting, due to an embargo until details have been finalised, she is very optimistic and excited. However, before there is any public announcement the County Council elections will take place on Thursday 2nd May. Therefore, members are encouraged to contact their County Councillor and prospective candidates to seek their support for the Heritage Gateway.

Joe proposed a show of thanks to Marie for all her endeavours in lobbying for the Heritage Gateway Proposal; which was duly given by all present.

Promotional and ID Material
As agreed at the last meeting, identity lanyards and clothing had been purchased for members to wear at events. Members, who had placed an order, were given their FONC logo clothing at the meeting. Spare clothing in a range of sizes is available (polo-shirts; sweat-shirts; and T-shirts) for members yet to place an order. One item will be free of charge for members who volunteer for an active role at events; the cost will be paid for out of FONC funds. All other members will be charged the purchase price of each item chosen. Members are requested to contact Julia with style and size required. Members present at the meeting were also given a FONC lanyard. Joe will distribute membership ID to be attached to the lanyard in due course.

The group was also shown the FONC logo balloons which will be given out at events and the children’s ‘Big Dig 2013’. T-shirts which will be available to buy during events this summer. It was generally agreed that the products were eye-catching and that the supplier, Braunston Printing, had produced work of a high standard.

Finance
Joe reported that finances were good. Most of the remaining Community First Funding had now been spent following the recent purchases (see above). He had membership subs and also payments for members clothing to pay into the bank account.
Jon gave Joe a cheque payable to FONC that he had received for his talk to the University of the Third Age.

Date and Venue of Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held at 6pm on Friday 10th May at Castle Hill United Reform Church, Doddridge Street, Northampton.

This month it was a brisk ‘belt and braces’ meeting. Apologies were received from Philip.

Events Diary

Marie gave an outline and dates of events that FONC has been invited to participate in; plus the finalised dates for the Big Dig. Notice of actual times has not yet been clarified.

• Delapre Abbey Bank holiday weekend 25th, 26th & 27th May
• Spring Boroughs Residents Association Saturday 15th June
• Big Dig Introduction Day: Saturday 13th July, Finds Days: Saturday 3rd & 10th August
• Umbrella Fair Weekend 17th/ 18th August

Ian Bates from the Umbrella Fair Organisation came along to the meeting and gave a potted history of achievements to date of his group of volunteers whose aim is to generate community co-operation and interest in local environmental issues in and around the Northampton Racecourse area. Their two day annual summer free music and arts festival which is held on the Racecourse attracted over 25,000 visitors last year. This year they planned to have a local history marquee and were in the process of inviting local history groups to exhibit. The view of those present at the meeting was that this was an ideal opportunity for FONC promotion to a wide audience. Ian was thanked for taking the time to personally address the meeting.

Sign Up Now

There then followed a discussion on the logistics of supporting the above events. Marie invited those members present to sign up on a planner which events they would be available for as volunteers. Members who were not present at the meeting are urged to contact Marie as soon as possible to sign up for volunteering.

Transportation of display boards and possibly tables and chairs to some events would be required. Again offers of help as soon as possible by anyone with suitable transport would be most welcome.

Big Dig

The time frame for the Big Dig has now been confirmed; starting with the Introduction Day on July 13th and ending with the two Finds Days 3rd & 10th August.

John will contact the Borough Council to seek permission to dig on communal land.

George Row Business Club

FONC had received an invitation to attend a ticketed dinner to be held on 21 st March at the Town & County Club on George Row, Northampton. Marie & John and Elaine & Paul kindly offered to purchase tickets for the dinner so that they could attend with a view to network and drum up potential sponsorship for the Becket celebrations. The club had also invited FONC to give a talk in the near future.

Talks

A number of talks to groups have been arranged. Jon is currently putting together an informative PowerPoint presentation to assist delivery of FONC talks.

Heritage Gateway Proposal

Marie has seen a restricted preview report by the consultants undertaking the feasibility study on the Heritage Gateway Proposal. Five or six options, ranging from ambitious big impact plans to minimalist outlay, will be presented to local leaders for their consideration. It will be their decision on commitment of funds and release of land that would influence the final design. Information should be released by the next meeting.

St. Thomas Becket Anniversary Celebration

Paul reported that the Masque Theatre would perform the Anouilh play, Becket for a five day run commencing 13th October 2014 to mark the 850th anniversary of the trial at Northampton Castle.

Other events, centred on St. Peter’s and around the castle heritage area, are also envisaged to celebrate the anniversary next year.

The next meeting of the 2014 Celebration steering group is to be held on Wednesday 27th March.

Saxon Brooch

It has been confirmed that Network Rail is the legal owner of the Saxon brooch found in the archaeological exploratory trench dug last October in the railway carpark. County Archaeology has the brooch at present. WNDC is happy to negotiate on behalf of FONC to use an image of the brooch for promotional purposes.

Promotional Material

Julia showed samples of designs for lanyards; t-shirts and balloons using the FONC logo. It was decided that identity lanyards and t-shirts would be purchased for members to be worn at events. Members are requested to contact Julia with size required. T-shirts will be free of charge for members who volunteer for an active role at events; the cost will be paid for out of FONC funds. All other members who order a t-shirt will be charged the purchase price. Balloons would be purchased for promotional use. Julia was also directed to obtain costing for children’s ‘Big Dig 2013’ t-shirts for sale during the Big Dig this summer.

Date and Venue of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held at 6pm on Friday 12th April at Castle Hill United Reform Church, Doddridge Street, Northampton.

Apologies were received from Marie, Sanaa and Joe.
In the absence of Marie, Jon chaired the meeting.

West Northampton Development Corporation (WNDC)

Ian and Duncan showed images and talked through the detailed plans for the station site. Images are available on the station website www.northamptonstation.co.uk and also WNDC’s website www.wndc.org.uk which includes a Castle Railway Station photostream. Although still to be refined the building design, twice the size of the existing station, would try to make effective use of space and aesthetics of the site; the building colours being in harmony with the surroundings and the adjacent, soon to be built, Innovation Centre. Comprising of three levels, the ground floor would be for operational needs and access from the carpark; and the smaller mezzanine third floor for management. The main entrance and facilities would be on the middle floor and include the ticket office, toilets, retail units, and of particular interest to our group the waiting area and cafe would be situated on the side of the castle site. The access arrangements had been subject to many comments and were still under review. The Buckingham Group had been appointed for construction and careyjones chapmantolcher (CJCT) were the appointed architects. Network Rail would own the building.

There then followed a discussion during which FONC members expressed:-

a) That FONC meet with the architects to emphasise and ensure the heritage is reflected in the final design.

b) That the registered station name and all name signs include the word ‘Castle’.

c) The desire for the waiting area and cafe to reflect the castle heritage. Ideas put forward included the cafe being appropriately named and themed; permanent display of archaeological finds; a displayed model of the castle; a media screen with a scrolling package of archive photos and informative video; etchings in the glass windows; murals painted by local artists on the walls; and, depending on feasibility, a glass viewing floor of archaeological evidence in situ.

Duncan envisaged that FONC would be consulted when the conversation between the architects, the Heritage Gateway consultants and WNDC commenced. He said that the inclusion of ‘Castle’ in the name of the station was being worked on. The final interior decor would need to take into consideration the corporate style of the franchised owners of the cafe once appointed and the displaying of archaeological evidence, especially the glass floor, could not be considered until investigation of the site for evidence was concluded.

The next stage in the redevelopment would be the permanent closing of the short-stay carpark at the end of this month for exploration work by the contractor and archaeology team to assess what was under the ground before redevelopment commences. A group of FONC members would be invited to visit the site, at a prearranged date and time, as they were during the initial exploratory trench dig in October last year.

Duncan and Ian were thanked for taking the time to come to the meeting and it was arranged that they would brief a future meeting once the exploratory work was complete.

St. Thomas Becket Anniversary Celebration
Paul reported on the meeting hosted by the leader of NBC that he and Marie had attended in January for interested groups to discuss plans for celebrating the 850th Anniversary of St Thomas Becket’s trial at Northampton Castle. This celebration will now be part of a town event promoting ‘2014 – A vintage year for Northampton’ marking a number of significant local and national anniversaries and will run from February to November. Other anniversaries include the 825th of the charter being granted to the Borough Council; the 750th of the first Battle of Northampton; as well as the centenary of the start of the 1st World War and the 70th of the D Day landings. Given St. Thomas Becket’s national historical status, his local celebrations would attract national interest and thereby promote Northampton. The old Charter Seal will be the logo for the celebrations. This meeting was the preliminary meeting of the 2014 Celebration steering group; whose role is to suggest ideas for the celebrations.

FONC had originally starting planning a celebration of Becket’s trial last autumn to promote recognition of the castle and Northampton’s medieval heritage and had begun to plan with the Masque Theatre the possibility of staging open-air scenes from the Anouilh play, Becket. At this meeting Masque Theatre was offered the use of the Guildhall to stage the play and now is planning a four day run of performances in October 2014 to mark the anniversary month of the trial.

Other interested parties represented on the steering group at this stage included The Borough and County Councils; The Royal British Legion and Royal & Derngate theatres. Funding will be sought from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council. The Borough council has a dedicated web-site for the celebrations www.northampton.gov.uk/2014 to promote and invite suggestions. The next meeting of this group is to be held on Wednesday 27th March, when further ideas on how to celebrate the respective anniversaries will be aired.

Bedford Castle Visit
Jon and Marie, as representatives of FONC, had accompanied local authority leaders and officials on a recent fact-finding tour of the Bedford Castle Mound site to see an example of how another local authority embraced its heritage. He circulated photographs and described the features seen. Some could be incorporated into the Heritage Gateway project. He particularly liked the use of flags and information flagstones.

Northampton Alive
John informed the meeting that Marie has been asked to give a presentation on our Heritage Gateway project to local business and other key organisations at the next Northampton Alive meeting to be held on 22nd February. Northampton Alive showcases regeneration projects taking place in Northampton to shape the future of the town.

Summer Big Dig
Following on from ideas discussed at last month’s meeting a proposed framework for the Dig was presented. The Dig would take place in Castle Ward during July and August. Residents would be encouraged to dig a metre trench in their garden (if a home owner) or garden (with landlord’s agreement) or communal garden grassland (if permission granted by Council/Housing Assoc.) and then on a prearranged Saturday in August bring any finds to a central location for evaluation by the team of experts that Jon was assembling. St. Peter’s church was hopefully available to be this location and would also be the venue for an information meeting for residents; which would take place on a Saturday during Archaeology ‘week’ this year running from Saturday 13th to Sunday 28th July. The ‘Finds Saturday’ would be two /three weeks later. A promotional mail-shot to residents, would hopefully be included with the Community Courtyard/ Unite union project blanket area mailing package, giving advanced details and advising to check the FONC website or listen to local media nearer the time for more information. The Borough Council would be approached for permission regarding digging on communal land.

Education Package
The meeting was informed that the compilation of a Castle tutorial programme for Secondary schools by FONC and the accompanying proposed presentation seminar for interested history teachers had been put on hold as the County Council’s Education Department wished to undertake the compilation of an education package introducing Northampton Castle into both Primary and Secondary school work to coincide with the St. Thomas Becket anniversary in 2014. Whilst it was good news that this task had been taken on by the NCC, it was stressed that FONC would be pressing to be consulted over the accuracy of content and be recognised in the material sent to schools.

Castle Project Talks/Tours
In recent weeks there had been a growing number of requests to members and via the web-site for a member of FONC to give a talk to a local group. It was proposed and agreed that a response along the following lines would be given to any such requests:

The group would be thanked for their interest. That FONC is a small working group and, due to commitments and time constraints by members, as a general rule did not give talks to groups. However, their request had been referred to a possible speaker who would contact them. The group may be interested in, and would be most welcome, to join a Castle Heritage Project Talk and Walk tour; date details being advertised in advance via our web-site and the local media.

It was arranged that Howard and Jon would liaise regarding setting up a system for speaker referrals.

Details of the proposed ‘Castle Heritage Project Talk and Walk’ tours where discussed. The tours would take place in the late Spring and Summer (Bank Holiday weekends being a suggestion) and the format would be based on the popular tours given during last year’s Heritage Weekend. Starting in St. Peter’s church with an introductory talk, followed by a guided walk round the Castle Heritage area and finishing at the Holy Sepulchre Church where the tour group would be handed over to a St. Sep’s volunteer for a talk/tour there. John would inquire at St. Peter’s about date availability and Jon would liaise with St. Sep’s.

The cost of a projector for PowerPoint presentations and display boards would be obtained, with a view to purchasing, for use by members to aid delivery of talks and special presentations.

Young Diggers Club
John was looking into the possibility of FONC starting a Young Archaeology Club. The nearest group seemed to be in Leicester. Jon had enquired at the museum and although there is not one set up there the museum would give support to such a club. The list of last summer’s diggers includes under 18’s; which could be a starting point for recruiting junior members.

Promotional Material
Howard brought to the meeting a new supply of FONC business cards updated with the new FONC castle logo that he had designed. The group was shown his e-mail/letter-heading design which was approved of as being clear and eye-catching. He would liaise with Julia on use of the design.

With a number of public events being planned for the summer the purchase of FONC identity items such as lanyards and T-Shirts was raised by Julia. She advised that members leading tours or stewarding should be easily identified not only to promote FONC but also as good safeguarding practice when children were present. Other promotional items bearing the FONC logo, such as pens; pencils; badges; stickers and balloons could be useful advertising. John suggested that T-shirts could be year related and include topical slogans to promote events. Julia would look into suitable suppliers and costing.

Umbrella Fair Organisation
Ian informed the meeting that he had been approached and offered on behalf of FONC a stand in the Umbrella Fair Organisation‘s local history marquee at their two day annual summer free community music & arts festival held on the Racecourse; which this year will be the weekend 17th/18th August. It was agreed that it would be an ideal opportunity for promoting FONC aims and Ian was thanked and asked to confirm details.

Date and Venue of Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held at 6pm on Friday 8th March at Castle Hill United Reform Church, Doddridge Street, Northampton.

Everyone was welcomed to the meeting and wished a Happy New Year by Marie.

Following the news that Brian Binley M.P. a staunch supporter of our group’s aims was to receive treatment for cancer, everyone at the meeting was asked to sign a card expressing best wishes for a fully successful and speedy recovery.

WEST NORTHAMPTON DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (WNDC)

Duncan Harper the WNDC project manager of the railway redevelopment and Ian Andrews from its communication department made a welcomed return visit to our group. Primarily, to discuss the archaeological evaluation report on the exploratory dig in Castle station carpark last October; which is available to read on the WNDC website.

Duncan reported that the dig had generated much interest. This was especially so, given the evidence and finds, which included a late Saxon brooch, uncovered in such a small area. He had met with the County Archaeologist and representatives from Northampton County Council (NCC), Network Rail and London Midland before Christmas to discuss the way forward. It had been decided that the next course of action would be the fencing off of the whole of the short-stay carpark in February for a further exploratory dig; whilst still keeping open the access road round that area for taxis and drop off vehicles. This would enable the appointed contractor as well as the archaeology team to assess what was under the ground in this area before redevelopment starts. The NCC was keen to explore the footprint of the whole area and then, depending upon the evidence found there, to carry out further investigation during Stage 2 of the redevelopment. Accordingly, the NCC wished to monitor the redevelopment work.

Ian also reported that the appointment of a contractor for the redevelopment of the station was midway through the process which came with a preferred design option. The design would be in the public domain by early February; hopefully, including a temporary exhibit in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. This design would be similar in detail to the initial design and would not show the heritage footprint. However, Duncan stressed that Network Rail were very keen to reflect the heritage of the site in the final design and were hoping to talk with the consultants of the Heritage Gateway feasibility study during the process.

Jon, FONC’s expert archaeologist on the Castle site, said the County Archaeology team should be congratulated for producing such a fine report. Julia thanked Duncan and Ian for their support in releasing the report into the public domain and ensuring that the report was readily available to view on their website. Howard was concerned about the construction of the multi-storey carpark in Stage 2 of the redevelopment given this area is where the inner bailey would have been located. Ian said that the phasing of work was important. When funding was available for Stage 2 the same stringent process of assessing the site would be carried out as for Stage 1.

Marie raised the query as to ownership of the finds from the site. There was general agreement among those present that Network Rail as owners of the site would have first claim of ownership. Ian would ascertain whether this was indeed the case. There then followed a discussion as to the desirability of displaying any finds in the new station rather than the town museum and also, once ownership clarified, whether replicas of finds such as the Saxon brooch, could be produced to sell as tourist items in suitable town locations perhaps in the museum shop and the library.

Sanaa wondered if it was actually feasible for any suitably located exposed ground level evidence to be exhibited through a glass floor as, given the station would be on three levels with the main public area on the second level, few would notice it. Ian was of the opinion that as the entrance into the station from the carpark would be at ground level, and especially once the multi-storey carpark was built, there would be more people entering the station at this level than the main street entrance on level two.

Marie summed up the discussion then thanked Duncan and Ian for coming to the meeting and looked forward to them coming again in February to discuss the detailed design work for the station building in the context of the Heritage Gateway.

Heritage Gateway

Marie informed the meeting that Focus Consultants had won the contract for the Heritage Gateway feasibility study. It was hoped that someone from Focus Consultants would attend our meeting either next month or in March.

Howard had prepared a comprehensive statement to express the aims of FONC in the design of the redevelopment of the station area; which he had classified under two headings: – ‘Information’ and ‘Celebration’. In summary, FONC’s primary aim was the recognition of Northampton Castle and to ensure that the new station building recognised and celebrated the castle. By finding out about the archaeology; publicising new and existing information on the castle; along with celebrating it on and near the actual site this under-exploited medieval heritage could be turned into an asset for the immediate and future benefit of the town. Howard was thanked for drafting the statement and it was agreed that, after consultation regarding exact detail, it would be put on the web-site.

John suggested that nearer the time of the official opening of the new station building that a poster in the style of pre-war tourist railway posters could be commissioned either by a local artist or a publically held competition.

Spring Lane Dig Follow-Up

Jon had completed the Dig Report and it was about to go on the web-site. Everyone who took part in the Dig would be sent, where possible, a copy by e-mail. The Mayor, who opened the Dig with the first turn of soil, and Brian Binley MP, who also visited the site, would also receive a copy. Jon presented a detailed account; in which he had calculated that of the 113 copies required, 45 would need to be printed and then posted. The estimated cost for printing and posting amounted to £149.50. He was given the go-ahead to print and send the necessary copies; and as he already had some cash in hand from the Dig, he was given a cheque at the meeting for the residual cost he would incur.

Joe had made inquiries about renting a Council owned garage for storing the tools used in the Dig that at present are stored in the school. The local Housing Officer was unsure whether any garages were available. However, Joe believes that some are available and will keep chasing up.

Summer Big Dig

Further to ideas suggested at the last meeting, John put forward the proposal that it might be possible for FONC to advertise the Big Dig in a joint Community Courtyard /UNISON project that involved mailing every household in the local area.

A community centre or somewhere nearby would be needed as a collection point for the finds. As many lived in housing that did not have a garden, the only alternative place to dig were communal gardens. It was agreed that John would talk to the Borough Council and that John would liaise with him.

Photo Gallery

An exciting addition to the web-site is a photo gallery showing archive photographs of the ruins of the castle. Northamptonshire Libraries and Information Service were warmly thanked for kindly allowing FONC the use of the photographs from the collection held at Northampton Central Library.

VIP Mailing List

A recent promotional New Year greeting message to key persons in the town had resulted in an offer from the business development adviser for the Chamber of Commerce to raise awareness of our group’s aims across the Chamber’s membership. This offer had been readily taken up.

Following on from the compilation of the VIP list, it was agreed that a master mailing list would be collated by Julia of contacts and members so that information could be distributed to all interested parties when necessary. Anyone with a mailing list was requested to forward it to Julia for cross referencing.

Community Courtyard Project

Members had been asked to view the outline of the triptych mural currently being created by Gerald Porter, before the start of the meeting, and give any comments to Lynne who would pass them on to Gerald. Howard reported that following last month’s appeal for volunteers to assist Gerald there had been a few offers of help received via Facebook.

Membership

Joe invited those members who have not already paid their subscription for 2013 to do so as soon as possible. He also asked those present at the meeting to supply their e-mail address so that he could update his membership records.

Community First Funding

There was a discussion on how best to use the money, still available for a limited time, from the Community First Fund. Some would be used as rent if a place for storing the tools, as discussed earlier, was found. A suggestion about a promotional mailing to Heads of Humanities and History teachers in the town’s secondary schools was expanded upon during discussion and resulted in the agreed following course of action. That Jon, Julia, Shane and John would put together a tutorial programme on Northampton Castle that teachers could use as part of the GCSE history module concerning castles. An invite would be sent to all the secondary schools’ humanities department for interested teachers to attend a Saturday seminar on the castle in which they would be shown the tutorial programme and weather permitting a tour of the castle trail. The seminar would be held at the Castle Hill Church and refreshments would be provided. Community First Funds would be used to produce the tutorial; mailing of schools; cost of hiring venue and refreshments; and any other costs incurred in the event.

Old Black Lion

Andy reported that work had commenced on repairs to the Old Black Lion Pub and that volunteers at St. Peter’s would be alert for further news on the building’s future.

Future Meetings/Diary Dates

Our monthly held meetings, which are open to all, usually take place on the second Friday of the month. Accordingly, dates for the next three meetings are 8th February, 8th March and 12th April.

Date and Venue of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held at 6pm on Friday 8th February at Castle Hill United Reform Church, Doddridge Street, Northampton.

We have had an amazing 2012, with a growing base of volunteer members, over 20,000 pages viewed on our website, and serious progress on our Heritage Gateway proposal, culminating with the council offering a contract worth £15,000 for a feasibility study & options appraisal, with FONC listed as a key stakeholder.

Here’s a quick review of some of the highlights of FONC’s 2012.

Towards the beginning of 2012 our focus was on finalising the medieval square/heritage gateway proposal, which has since been hugely important for the group.

In April, we successfully exhibited some information about the castle in the People’s Gallery in Northampton Museum.

The Castle Revels held in May attracted over 300 visitors and helped spread awareness of the castle.

By July, the three-dimensional virtual model of the castle was ready for the website, and has since been viewed on youtube over 1,100 times. This model provided key visual imagery for us to use in greetings cards, on social networking sites and has really helped to contextualise the castle for many Northamptonians.

Our “Small Big Dig” at Spring Lane School in July attracted the local press, the Mayor and nearly 100 local volunteers helping with digging, sifting and recording the finds.

July was also the last time the Friends met in the Old Black Lion, finding a welcome new home from June at Castle Hill United Reformed Church.

FONC made a strong debut at the Heritage Open Days during September, presenting information in St Peter’s Church and giving several guided walks around the castle site in groups of 15 to 20 visitors.

September also saw our first celebrity endorsement, with famed historical author Alison Weir delivering a captivating and well-attended talk for FONC about the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Our 3D reconstruction of the castle was augmented in October with not only all-new graphics, but also an audio guide, which was previewed at the Heritage Open Days and has been seen by over 500 people since publication on youtube.

Also in October, 12 FONC members were invited to attend the exploratory trench on the site of the castle, witnessing significant stonework unearthed in the first dig on the site for over 50 years.

In November, two members of WNDC attended one of our open meetings, giving FONC an overview of their plans and beginning what we hope will be an ongoing and mutually beneficial dialogue between the two groups.

December saw local artist Gerald Porter present a preliminary design for a Northampton Castle themed mural triptych, to be displayed in Chalk Lane Car Park.

We ended the year with a lovely meal at Sorrentinos restaurant, and we look forward to the next twelve months with eager anticipation. If you have talents that could be useful for our group – anything from cake-making to 3D computer graphics – then why not come along to our next open meeting? Our homepage is kept up to date with the latest meeting details.

Apologies were received from Paul and Elaine and also Ian.
Members present at the meeting were informed that Tom Welsh, a founding member of FONC, was in the throes of moving to Chester. He would continue to take a keen interest in the group albeit as a correspondence member. There was unanimous agreement that he would be sorely missed. He was wished happiness and much success in his new abode. He will be kept fully informed and it is hoped that he may visit for key events.

HERITAGE GATEWAY PROJECT
Northampton Borough Council (NBC) commitment to the Heritage Gateway has been shown in that they are paying for a feasibility study to start in the New Year and be finished by the end of March. Their scoping brief for developing the Northampton ‘Heritage Gateway’, to be found on the Source Northamptonshire website http://www.sourcenorthamptonshire.co.uk, states the following:-
‘There is a shared aspiration to ensure that the current development and regeneration of Northampton’s Town Centre is fully informed by and reflects the town’s unique heritage offer. Specifically, there are aspirations around the development of a ‘heritage gateway’ into the town.

The purpose of this feasibility and options appraisal is to explore the potential around the site of the former Northampton Castle and also taking advantage of existing heritage assets in this area as a focus for celebration of the Borough’s past, and specifically how an offer can be developed for an area known as ‘Castle Hill’ taking into account its heritage significance and setting, as part of the wider ‘heritage gateway’.

Friends of Northampton Castle are listed as one of the Key Stakeholders. This exciting development in making the Heritage gateway a reality was great news to finish a busy year on for the members.

Following on from this NBC’s Leader together with some officers have planned a trip on the 29th January to Bedford for a fact-finding tour of the Bedford Mound site. Two members of FONC have been invited to be included in this party and it was agreed that Marie and Jon would go.

COMMUNITY COURTYARD PROJECT
At the May Castle Revels plans to paint a wall mural in the Chalk Lane carpark was postponed due to the bad weather. Gerald Porter presented to the meeting an outline of his proposed triptych of murals which he wanted to be a validation of the area’s history and heritage. Based on historical representations, St. Thomas Becket was portrayed in the first panel and Henry II in the third panel. The middle panel consisted of an outline of the castle and the town seal headed with the title Northampton Castle in the style of FONC’s title on its website. The mural will have a protective covering when in situ on the carpark wall. Gerald is keen for art teachers and their art students to volunteer during the next few weeks to come along to the Castle Hill Church to assist in creating the mural. Gerald can be contacted on gerald_porter@talktalk.net and members were asked to pass on his details as a matter of urgency to anyone whom they thought might be interested in helping in this worthy project. Gerald was thanked for all his hard work so far.

BECKET ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
An invitation has been received from the leader of NBC for FONC reps. to attend a meeting, which he is hosting on Tuesday 22nd January 2013 for interested parties, to discuss plans for celebrating the 850th Anniversary of St. Thomas Becket’s trial at Northampton Castle. It was proposed that Marie and Paul should attend on behalf of FONC.

COMMUNITY FIRST FUNDING
The Community First Funding was granted for the community dig at Spring Lane School last July. Joe informed members that money was still available. Members were asked to suggest at the next meeting how best to use this funding.

NORTHAMPTON RAIL USERS ASSOCIATION
Tom had been a member of the Northampton Rail Users Association and thus represented FONC’s interest on the group. John will volunteer to join this group to maintain FONC’s link.

Also, before leaving Northampton, Tom had given Jon a copy of a pamphlet about the history of Norwich Castle; a form of which could be incorporated in a similar booklet on Northampton Castle that Jon is planning.

MEMBERSHIP
Joe reminded members that at a previous meeting it had been agreed that the £10 membership subscription would be due at the start of each calendar year. Accordingly, he was happy to accept payment of 2013 subs. with immediate effect.

Howard suggested and it was agreed that an e-mailing list be drawn up of current members so any news or information could be circulated swiftly.

SPRING LANE DIG FOLLOW-UP
Jon has completed an informative and lively eight page Community Excavation Newsletter detailing the Dig and the finds. A copy will be circulated to interested parties and everyone who took part in the New Year.

The finds and also the tools are still being kept at the school. It was suggested that the Community First Fund money could be used to rent a lockup in the area and if funds are available buy some more tools. Joe will look into the possibility of renting one of the unused council owned garages.

It is hoped to carry out a ‘Big Dig’ in 2013. This dig would involve those residents that wish to take part digging a one metre square hole in their garden or community area and seeing what they unearth. We would then visit and record what was found. The aim of this dig is to assist in understanding the development of the area and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.

2013 MEETING DATES
It was agreed that future monthly meetings in 2013 would take place on the second Friday of the month. It is hoped that there will be an update from WNDC at the next meeting to be held on January 11th. There will be reports on the trip to Bedford Mound and the Becket Anniversary Interested Parties gathering at the February 8th meeting.

OLD FISHMARKET/NEW BUS STATION SITE
Work has started on pulling down the old Fishmarket and preparing the site for building the new bus station. Jon is lobbying for the Northants Archaeology Unit to investigate the site for any remaining evidence of the medieval synagogue. He is of the opinion that the synagogue was built in the Germanic gothic style which, if evidence is found, would attract international interest and foreign tourists to the town. He requested that members support calls for a preliminary investigation. Howard will put an awareness alert on the web-site and also on Facebook.

MAILING OF INTERESTED PARTIES
Using Sanaa’s ‘ghost of the castle’ image, Howard and Julia had designed an e-mail season’s greeting to be sent to a drawn up list of VIP supporters before Christmas. A further list would be drawn up in the New Year of potential sponsors and members are asked to give Julia names and contact details of any organisation that might support FONC’s aims and specifically the Becket Anniversary celebrations.

FOSP with FONC
John raised the possibility of the Friends of St. Peter’s (FOSP) and FONC merging given the mutual aims; the close proximity to one another; and a number of FONC members also being members of FOSP. FOSP was bound by a constitution which would need to be unravelled before the two groups could merge. John also gave details of the Prince of Wales Rattlers alternative Christmas taking place on Sunday 23rd December at 7.30pm to which all were welcome.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be at 6pm on Friday 11th January 2013 at Castle Hill United Reform Church, Doddridge Street, Northampton.

The concert begins on Sunday December 23rd 2012 at 7:30PM, admission on the door is £5 which includes a mince pie and a complimentary glass of mulled wine, so come along and let’s get festive!

Duncan Harper the WNDC project manager of the railway redevelopment and Ian Andrews from its communication department, were welcomed to the meeting. They gave an introduction and overview of the proposed redevelopment with details of progress thus far. They circulated a copy of the original plan plus a map of where the exploratory archaeological trench was dug in October. Although the original plan showed the position of the new station building and a multi-storey carpark, funding at this moment in time had only been secured for the construction of the station building; the carpark would be built in a second phase once funding had been secured. Network Rail was leading the project management. Tenders were due in on the day of this meeting for design and construction. Work was expected to commence in April –May next year with completion within fourteen months time, so hopefully by May 2014. The archaeological investigative trench was a prior approval condition of planning consent. The report by the County Archaeologist would establish what further stages of archaeological investigation would be required. WNDC and Network Rail were fully aware of the historical significance of the site and that when the second stage came to fruition further exploratory investigation would be carried out. They emphasised that they were in a discovery stage and had come to the meeting to ascertain what FONC as a group would like to see incorporated into the redevelopment.

There then followed an intense discussion over whether the County Archaeologist’s report would be made public to enable scrutiny and critique before further action. Tom was concerned that it was often the case that archaeological reports were restricted to customer only. Ian from WNDC stressed that they were not in the process to be secretive. However, Tom and Marie strongly urged that WNDC would ensure that the report was made public as the County Archaeology Department seemed to place great faith and reliance for information regarding the castle layout on an inaccurate desktop report. The initial evidence found in the exploratory trench showed up this report to be misleading and that further investigation was needed to establish the extent of the inner and outer bailey. June also pointed out that locating the west gate could be a major find.

The final design of the station building was also discussed at length. John was concerned that Network Rail would bring in an architect who was unaware of, or unsympathetic to, the historical significance of the site. Sanaa asked if FONC could be involved in the design stage. Ian replied that the outline design would be available on WNDC’s web-site and that the station had planning parameter limits to what could be changed; however people would be able to comment on it. The possibility of a see-through viewing platform of the remains was aired and Marie said that the architects should take account of the vistas on the hill in the design. The relocation of the Postern Gate was also raised; however members were told that the final location of it would be for a future stage in the redevelopment of the site. Howard summed up that the final design should be a celebration of the Castle in a modern context.

Marie thanked Duncan and Ian for addressing the meeting and being so forthcoming. That FONC wanted a real and solid attempt to restore the Castle’s position so that people visiting in the future would appreciate the area’s rich historical past. John insisted that, although FONC would not be complacent and that there was a constant need for dialogue, he sensed a change in attitude by the public bodies, such as the Borough and County Councils and WNDC, to recognising the potential of the historical significance of the site to promoting tourism and attracting new jobs particularly to the nearby hi-tech innovation centre that was to be constructed. Duncan and Ian in turn thanked the meeting and expressed a wish to return frequently to future meetings to keep members informed and discuss progress. This was readily agreed. They then left the meeting.

CASTLE IMAGE NOTELET CARDS

Designs for the promotional seasonal flyer to be included in the notelets, for pre-Christmas mailing of potential sponsors of FONC activities such as the Becket celebration and research costs and also to key persons in the town, were shown to all present. The ghost image of the Castle was favoured as a contrast to the image on the notelet. The actual size of the flyer will depend on how much information is included. The possibility of having two separate flyers; one for those who support the aims of FONC already and another for sending to new contacts was considered. Also shown was a design by Howard that could be used as the FONC logo. This logo was favoured as being clear and eye-catching. Members were requested to e-mail Julia with names and addresses of potential sponsors to be included in the mail-shot.

SPRING LANE DIG FOLLOW-UP

The finds were sorted during the half-term break. June reported that there were a number of interesting finds such as 17th century pipes. It is hoped that the school will have a permanent labelled display of the finds. Jon is in the process of compiling a report on the Dig.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON

As reported last month, the University’s History Department has contacted Tom about the possibility of students putting together, as part of their first year heritage module, a mobile exhibition on St. Thomas Becket and second year students being seconded to do a Castle related project. Also, students were encouraged to be active as volunteers in heritage projects; which the Friends of St. Peter’s are interested in taking up.

Given that the second year students would need to be supervised, Marie proposed, and it was accepted, that she would suggest at the next meeting with the leader of the Borough Council that the students be placed with the Council to assist in putting together the heritage celebration of the 850 anniversary of Becket’s Trial in 2014.

Ian suggested that students should be invited to our meetings with a view that some students may be keen enough to become active members of FONC.

LEADERS MEETING

Marie has been invited to attend the monthly Leaders Meeting which includes the leaders of the Northamptonshire County Council and Northampton Borough Council, Brian Binley MP and the Chair of WNDC. This will provide an opportunity to highlight FONC concerns and events such as the Becket Anniversary and the placement of students as noted above.

UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE

Following a request to FONC from the University of the Third Age, it is being arranged for Jon to give a talk to them in either January or March next year.

WEBSITE

There was a discussion about promoting a talk that will be given by Mike Ingram from the Battlefields Trust on the ‘Battles of Northampton’ at St. Peter’s Church on Saturday 24th November on the FONC website. Although it is normal policy not to advertise other groups activities on the website, it was decided that given the topic was relevant to the history of the Castle an exception would be made for this event.

CHRISTMAS SOCIAL EVENT

John D. has booked twenty places at the Sorrentino’s restaurant for Friday 14th December at 7.30pm. Members will therefore be able to attend the December meeting and move on to the restaurant afterwards. Members are invited to contact John via e-mail if they wish to reserve a place for themselves (spouses are also invited) on a first come, first served rule.

CASTLE HILL CHURCH

Since the sudden closure of the Old Black Lion, the Elders of Castle Hill Church have kindly allowed the FONC monthly meetings to be held there for free. However, given that there is no sign of the OBL reopening soon, the Elders have not unreasonably requested that a hiring fee be paid for future use of the church. Very generously instead of the usual hire rate, they have suggested that each member attending any given meeting pay an attendance fee of £1. This arrangement was accepted with grateful thanks for the Elders’ hospitality.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be at 6pm on Friday 14th December at Castle Hill United Reform Church, Doddridge Street, Northampton.

For an informational poster about the event, take a look at the FoSTP website: http://www.fostp.org.uk/posts/2012/talk-the-battles-of-northampton/