Best places to live in Northamptonshire

Slider image

A popular landlocked county in the East Midlands, Northamptonshire is known as ‘The Rose of the Shires’, speaking to its revered status amongst its residents and the neighbouring counties.  

The following is a list of some of the best places to live in Northamptonshire. 

We delve into what makes each of them so special and why they’re such great places to live in. 

What is Kettering like to live in?

Kettering is one of Northamptonshire’s most well-connected towns, with direct links to London St Pancras. 

From the town’s railway station, commuters can expect to get into London within an hour – a benefit of Kettering being situated on the Midland Mainline Railway.

Other commuter links include direct services to the likes of Bedford, Corby, Derby, Leicester, Luton, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Wellingborough, 

However, more than just a commuter town, there are also loads of things to do in Kettering if you enjoy an active lifestyle. 

For example, there’s the Kettering community swimming pool to take advantage of or the Kettering TKD where you can master the art of taekwondo. There’s also the Kettering Sports Club which specialises in a whole host of outdoor activities like archery, cricket, rifle shooting, tennis, and football. 

Living in Kettering also means living in a town with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and some of the most beautiful manors you’ve ever seen. 

A walk-through Kettering’s Heritage Quarter will allow you to take in some of these architectural masterpieces.  

Kettering also has several primary schools, four secondary schools as well as one of Tresham College and Further Education’s campuses – a college that offers a number of vocational courses including Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy, Hospitality, and Catering.

If you think you’d be interested in living in Kettering, we have a number of new homes in Kettering that we would be happy to tell you more about! 

Get in touch with our team today. 

What is Desborough like to live in?

Perfectly suited to laid back living, Desborough, Northamptonshire is a town that’s largely residential and mostly rural. 

Slightly removed from Northamptonshire’s busier and more commercial towns, Desborough is perfect for people looking for a more relaxed pace. 

Desborough is also perfect for families with young kids, having a hybrid primary school, infant and junior school made up of the Loatlands Primary and the combined Havelock Infant and Junior Schools.  

The town also has lots of family friendly activity spots, making planning afternoons out with the kids a breeze. 

The town also has lots of family friendly activity spots, making planning afternoons out with the kids a breeze. 

For example, there’s the Desborough Leisure Complex which boasts a football pitch, a basketball court, a gym, a café, a skate park and on Sunday mornings, there’s a supervised junior park run for kids aged 4-14 to get involved in. There’s also the Targetcraft Archers to get involved with – an archery club for all abilities and ambitions that operates out of the Westlodge Rural Space.      

Whilst Desborough doesn’t have its own major railway station, the neighbouring towns of Corby, Kettering and Market Harborough are all just a short five-mile drive away from the town. 

If Desborough sounds like the place for you, we have a number of beautifully designed new homes in Desborough you need to see.

Get in touch with our team today!

What is living in Northampton like?

As one of the largest towns in the UK and something of a commercial capital for the county of Northamptonshire, life in Northampton is understandably equal parts fast paced and exciting!  

Northampton has an incredible live entertainment scene with the annual Northampton Music Festival – a free music festival - being a must-attend for any lover of live music. Other festivals like the Alive at Delapré Festival and the A Walk in the Park Festival round out what is an epic live music calendar. Local venues like The Roadmender will often host touring bands and have done a lot to boost Northampton’s already strong music scene. 

However, Northampton’s visual arts scene is just as impressive. The Royal and Dern Gate is one of the town’s most beloved theatres. Situated in the heart of the town centre, The Royal and Dern Gate also houses the independent cinema, The Northampton Filmhouse. 

Indeed, Northampton is a big supporter of the independent film movement, also being home to The Forum Cinema – an independent cinema that regularly puts on arthouse pieces for the public to discover. 

The other popular cinema and theatre in Northampton is The Deco at The Old Savoy – a 900-seat restored 1930s cinema.  

Outside of music and drama, Northampton has over 170 parks and open spaces and, if you enjoy being active, there are certainly plenty of things to do in Northampton.   

There’s the King’s Park Tennis Centre, the Delapré Public Golf Course, the Radlands Plaza Skatepark, the impressive Benham Sports Arena (which includes its football, tennis, archery, badminton, trampolining, and roller-skating facilities), as well as a number of leisure centres managed by the Northampton Leisure Trust scattered around the town. 

The town is also incredibly well connected with Northampton Railway Station offering regular direct services to places like London Euston (which is only an hour away), as well as Birmingham and Crewe.

Northampton is also home to the University of Northampton – considered by both The Times and The Guardian to be one of the top 100 universities in the UK (as of 2023).  

The town is also home to 50 primary schools, eight secondary schools and the further education institution, Northampton College. 

What is it like to live in Wellingborough?

Situated in a hilly region of Northamptonshire, Wellingborough is a beautiful town that overlooks the River Nene. 

The town is one of Northamptonshire’s prominent market towns, with a market taking place three times a week in the town centre. There are also lots of high street stores in the town centre with Swansgate being Wellingborough’s main shopping centre.

Life in Wellingborough isn’t just shopping though, a great family day out can be had at the popular Club Diana which boasts five squash courts, a swimming pool, a spa, a bar, and a restaurant. There’s also a competition swimming pool to be found at the Waendel Leisure Centre as well as a shallow teaching pool for non-swimmers keen to learn! 

Additionally, Wellingbrough has a lovely community theatre, The Castle Theatre. Community groups like the Castle Youth Theatre and the Youth Dance regularly make use of the space.

Wellingbrough is also an excellent town for commuters as there are trains heading to London St Pancras from Wellingbrough every 30 minutes – getting travelers to London in a little under an hour. 

The town’s Grade II-listed railway station also offers regular and direct services to the likes of Bedford, Corby, Derby, Leicester, Luton, Nottingham, and Sheffield.

In terms of schools, Wellingborough is home to 14 primary schools, five secondary schools and one of Tresham College of Further and Higher Education’s campuses – a college that offers a number of vocational courses including hairdressing and hospitality.  

A county with plenty to offer, find out more about living in Northamptonshire. 

Our locations

Our locations
Angus Ayrshire Barnsley Burton On Trent Castleford Chester-le-Street Chesterfield County Durham Derby Derbyshire Dundee Durham East Kilbride East Lothian East Midlands Edinburgh Glasgow Huddersfield Kettering Lanarkshire Leamington Spa Leeds Leicester Leicestershire Lincolnshire Market Harborough Middlesbrough Midlothian Newark-on-Trent Newcastle North East North Yorkshire Northamptonshire Nottingham Nottinghamshire Pontefract Preston Renfrewshire Retford Scotland Sheffield South Yorkshire Stirlingshire Sunderland Wakefield Warwick West Midlands West Yorkshire York Yorkshire and Humber
View all locations
Slider image

Buying with Avant

Why Choose Avant

About Avant

Customer Care

More

Avant logo NHQC logo

www.avanthomes.co.uk is a site operated by Avant Homes Limited (”Avant”). Avant is registered in England and Wales under company number 03215228 and we have our registered office at Avant House, 6 and 9 Tallys End, Barlborough S43 4WP. Our main trading addresses are listed here. Our VAT number is 181 3492 62.

Website by MMS

© 2024 Avant Homes