Northampton is home to many attractions, including parks, impressive architecture and museums. There’s plenty to see and do both in the town and beyond, and renting a vehicle for your stay opens up the possibility of visiting some other great destinations during your time in England.
Culture and history
One of Northampton’s most popular attractions is Castle Ashby Gardens, a 35-acre site surrounding the stately home of the same name. The site boasts parkland designed by the famous landscape gardener Capability Brown, as well as an orangery and arboretum. Parking is available on site and the gardens are open all year round, except in extreme weather conditions.
Northampton is home to the only house in England designed by the famous Scottish artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This distinctive property at 78 Derngate is open to the public every day except Monday and UK Bank Holidays, so it’s possible to see the work of this visionary artist in its original setting. Inside the house you will also find a boutique restaurant where you can enjoy sandwiches and afternoon tea.
The oldest park in Northampton, Abington Park, is an excellent family day out with sports facilities, peaceful gardens and lakes where you can admire the scenery. The park is also home to Abington Park Museum, situated in a 500-year-old manor house building.
Here you can learn all about the history of Northampton, including its military heritage, through a fascinating collection of articles and photographs.
A day at the races
If you want to visit some of the biggest sporting attractions in the UK, Northampton is the ideal starting point. Just 15 miles south of the city you will find Silverstone race circuit, home to the British Grand Prix.
This highlight of the motor racing calendar takes place every summer, but if you’re not lucky enough to see the race you can still enjoy visiting the circuit and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the world-famous track.
Discover an enigma
Just over 20 miles south of Northampton, via the M1 motorway, you’ll find one of the most important heritage sites in England. Bletchley Park, not far from Milton Keynes, was home to a team of codebreakers who played a crucial role in the Allied victory in World War II. They cracked German Enigma codes in an operation so top secret that it was only revealed to the British public in the 1970s.
Today, the Bletchley Park estate has been transformed into a fascinating museum where you can take a tour of the codebreaking huts and learn all about the men and women who worked here. The park is open to visitors almost all year round, with tickets available to reserve online or purchase on the day of your visit.
Renting a car for your visit to Northampton opens up the possibility to explore all this and more during your time in England.