The was a golf course until .. On 27th January 1987 a notice appeared in the local newspaper the Chronicle & Echo stating a planning application had been submitted by the Committee of the club to build 800 houses on the Golf Course. It transpired the arrangement was for Costains to build the houses and the Club would move to Earl Spencers land. This was a dreadful shock for all of the people of Northampton - not just the immediate residents - because Northampton had already lost much of its green space that many of our forefathers had left to the town to enjoy including the Chairpersons of Bradlaugh Association.
At the same time one had to appreciate it would be for the Golf Clubs best interest to move out. However this area was seen to be so valuable as an open space the planning application had to be fought against. Very quickly the L.A.S.H. (Links and Spinney Hill) Action Group was formed. Some 835 individual letters were received by the Council, which had never been known before. From then on a hard and arduous battle continued with the help of many individuals and societies. Funds were raised by various methods to build up moneys for legal help and advice. On the 15th July 1987 the Borough Council turned down this planning application.
The fight had to continue because Costain Homes appealed to the Secretary of State for the Environment who called a Public Enquiry to resolve the issue. The group prepared a very strong case against the development and kept the public regularly informed by delivering four thousand leaflets at a time in the vicinity of tlle Golf Course, which kept the help and momentum going. after the group joined in the seven day Hearing in Northampton's Guildhall on the 12th April 1988 the Borough Council stated they were prepared to place a Compulsory Order on the site. The result of the Appeal came through on the 1st December 1988 having been given a Nil Certificate meaning on this appeal no homes could be built.
During the wait Kingsthorpe Golf Course sought Planning permission for four hundred houses to be built on their land receiving the news of a Nil Certification with the Kettering Road Golf Course they accepted the Borough Councils refusal of their application. Also during the wait Costain Homes had sold the land to the builders Gallagher in Birmingham who then applied for planning permission for less houses to be built on the Golf Course but within a short time after meetings with the Borough Council and L.A.S.H., a compromise was accepted in that Gallaghers would keep fourteen acres to build a Supermarket.
Bradlaugh Fields was on its way The Council received one hundred acres and a contract was agreed for Gallaghers to pay for a new road layout and forwarded a million pounds to cover costs to maintain the land. Nearly a quarter of a million pounds the money was later used to renovate the Barn to be used as an Interpretation Centre for the Fields. A contract was signed by all parties that this open space would remain open never to be built upon. The University was given land for a sports area with football pitches on the condition the general public can use for so many days a year if they so wish. On the 23rd July 1996 at the request of the public a Public Meeting was held at The Girls School Spinney Hill Road Chaired by the then Councillor Tony Clarke to discuss the future of the saved land. The Hall was full mostly of residents. The overwhelming view was for this open space not to be a formal park but it to be a passive tranquil leisure area concentrating on improving it as a conservation area and protecting the already established wildlife flora and fauna.
Why use the name Bradlaugh Fields?
After this agreement the Council asked for suggestions for a name for the open space. Councillor Roger Alder suggested Bradlaugh Fields after Charles Bradlaugh a Northampton M.P from 1881 to 1885. During which time he successfully defended himself against some of the best legal experts of the nation. He became known as an incorruptible public figure and a champion of unpopular causes. Everyone agreed to the name Bradlaugh Fields possibly with tongue in cheek along with a little smile. Very soon afterwards a unique partnership was formed between the public Northampton Borough Council British Trust for Conservation and the Wildlife Trust. The park was opened in 1998 and this partnership still exists today. Each partner working together to improve and enhance the park for peoples use and to educate the public from every walk of life from every age group.
Our Connection with Northampton Castle
There are many rabbit warrens in the area that we suspect could date back to Medieval times. In some documents it reads of the King's Rabbit Warrens, since rabbits were an important source of food for everyone including the King. We have discovered that this area provided Northampton Castle with timber, game, deer, rabbit and hare. In 1298, for example, oak timber was supplied and used to carry out repairs to the castle. A unique stone, reading 'Clipston 2 rods 1611' was found in Woodcote Avenue, close to Bradlaugh Fields, by a Mrs Bell in the 1960s. It is now in the hands of Northampton Museum.
Enclosures
An Old Enclosure Map shows that the Bradlaugh Fields area had many enclosures after the 1776 Enclosure Act, probably because it had connections with the King's Deer Park. There are boundary banks that can still be seen in the ground. The most interesting one is a very large earth bank 6-8 metres broad flanked by a ditch that runs right through The Barn (the interpretation centre on Bradlaugh Fields). It may be a medieval boundary. You can follow its route from the houses on the east side to the houses on the Kingsthorpe side, as a continuous line. It also shows an enclosure running through the Hills and Hollows. If examined carefully parts can still be seen.
Did Bradlaugh Fields provide water for the town centre?
Whilst mentioning the Hills and Hollows there is a set of wells called 'Triway' and various other names. These are situated in the area towards the allotments. These provided water for the town to a water tank near The Mounts Swimming Baths. Northampton town centre always had a 'shortage of water. In the 13th century there were many springs in and around Bradlaugh Fields (they are still difficult to control) and with others they were used to supply the Friaries in the town.
The Jurassic Period
Clues can be found on Bradlaugh Fields dating back to the jurassic period. The fossils in the underlying rocks show that the Fields were submerged under a warm and shallow sea about 170 million years ago.
The Bronze Age
Flints have been found dating to the Neolithic/Bronze Age. A Quantity of post-medieval materials along with a few artefacts clearly of a much earlier date and some of Roman and Prehistoric times were discovered when extraction was carried out in about 1996, before the supermarket on the Kettering Road was built.
The Ancient Hedge
The ancient hedge bordering the Scrub Field dates back to the Middle Ages (13th to 15th centuries) and quite possibly to Anglo-Saxon times. This is ascertained by the variety of species and how they are placed using Hooper's Rule. The types of sherd found leave us to understand that much of Bradlaugh Fields was cultivated arable land at this point in time and beyond. It is very likely that Bradlaugh Fields including the scrubs and Quarry Fields bordered the King's land since running along the ancient hedge is a deep ditch, known as a deer leap, to keep the deer within the Kings land. (This can still be seen).
