Top 15 Attractions and Activities in Daventry, Northamptonshire

In the 18th century, Daventry, conveniently located just off the M1, flourished as a prominent coaching town; however, its prosperity waned following the inauguration of the London and Birmingham Railway in 1838, which bypassed Daventry. Grand Georgian coaching inns, such as the Dun Cow on Brook Street, continue to enrich Daventry’s landscape, alongside a rare Georgian church and Moot Hall dating back to 1768, each emblematic of the town’s rich coaching history.

Dominating the eastern side of the town is Borough Hill, rising 200 meters and capped with prehistoric hillforts, which served as a broadcasting station for the BBC throughout much of the 20th century.

The broader Daventry District is replete with historic country houses and gardens, which typically open for tours during the spring and summer months.

1. Self-Guided Walk in Daventry Town

The historic center of Daventry, characterized by its winding High Street and Market Square, is certainly deserving of exploration, facilitated by a self-guided walk provided by Daventry Town Council.

Detailed instructions can be accessed on the council’s website in a downloadable format.

The walk commences at the Holy Cross Church, which was constructed in the 1750s and is the only 18th-century church in Northamptonshire.

The charming Market Square is lined with homes dating back to the late 16th century.

At the northern end of the Market Square stands the Moot Hall, established in a historic ironstone building in 1806, replacing an earlier Moot Hall from 1150. Over the years, this structure has served various purposes including town council meetings, a women’s prison, a town museum, and the mayor’s parlour.

2. Althorp House

Having served as the seat of the Spencers for over 500 years, Althorp House is often recognized as one of England’s most distinguished stately homes.

The Spencer family is notable, with Lady Diana Spencer being its most renowned member, who grew up at this estate and was the main resident prior to her marriage to Prince Charles.

Diana’s final resting place is located in a Doric-style temple on the Round Oval lake’s island within the grounds.

The current structure dates back to 1688, albeit the exterior was modified in the 1780s with mathematical tiles and the installation of four prominent Corinthian pilasters beneath the pediment.

Althorp House opens its doors to visitors during July and August, offering access to one of Europe’s most significant private collections of furniture, paintings, and ceramics amassed by 19 generations of the Spencer family.

The picture gallery, which is adorned with Tudor carved oak, features notable artworks such as a portrait of Charles II by Mary Beale, Anthony van Dyck’s War and Peace, and a portrait of Charles I by John de Critz.

3. Canons Ashby

Following its acquisition by the National Trust in 1981, Canons Ashby House was on the verge of collapse, with its rare terraced gardens having become overgrown.

This Elizabethan house was erected on the site of a dissolved Augustinian priory circa 1550, with a major refurbishment occurring in 1710. The interior retains much of its original layout, and the National Trust has furnished the residence as it would have appeared during the time of Sir Henry Edward Leigh Dryden (1818-1899).

Visitors can appreciate magnificent early 17th-century plasterwork and Elizabethan wall paintings.

The house is enveloped by meticulously designed terraced gardens, featuring vibrant herbaceous borders and an orchard holding fruit tree varieties from the 16th century.

The National Trust has established walking trails into the surrounding countryside, where one can visit the surviving priory church dating back to 1250.

4. Coton Manor Garden

Spanning ten serene acres, Coton Manor Garden unfolds down a hillside and showcases an array of stunning gardens surrounding a 17th-century manor house.

The manor house, constructed from warm Northamptonshire stone, serves as the focal point, adorned with wisteria and framed by roses and shrubs against its historic walls.

At the lower area, a traditional orchard and mature yew and holly hedges are complemented by borders vibrant with color from spring through autumn.

The garden, adorned with fountains, ponds, and streams, descends into woodland that bursts with bluebells in spring and wildflowers during the summer.

As suggested by its name, the Stableyard Café, housed in converted stables, offers a selection of teas, scones, cakes, and light lunches, with ample outdoor seating available in the yard.

5. Daventry Country Park

Encompassing 166 acres on the northeast side of town, Daventry Country Park features meadows and crack willow woodland encircling a reservoir.

Daventry Reservoir, one of several local water bodies constructed to supply the Grand Union Canal, can be traversed via the 2.5-mile Reservoir Walk that borders its perimeter.

During the summer months, ducks and geese gather at the reservoir, and visitors may purchase seed packets from the park’s café to feed them.

The park includes an adventure playground, redesigned in 2019, alongside picnic areas, a community sensory garden, and a designated bird hide.

Visitors can commonly spot song thrushes, dunnocks, lesser whitethroats, and yellowhammers in the park.

6. Borough Hill

Rising 200 meters, Borough Hill commands the most scenic views of Daventry from its elevated position.

This solitary hilltop was utilized by the BBC as a broadcasting station, transmitting long-wave, medium-wave, and shortwave signals intermittently between 1924 and 1992. While the hill was once bustling with masts, only a single DAB mast remains today.

In 1935, Robert Watson-Watt conducted the first successful demonstration of radar technology at this location, utilizing a signal transmitted from this station.

Borough Hill also contains Bronze Age barrows, two Iron Age hillforts, and a Roman-era farming settlement.

In the 19th century, a villa located within the ramparts of one of these hillforts was excavated and subsequently backfilled to safeguard its sandstone walls.

7. Church of St Mary the Virgin, Fawsley

Located just a few minutes south of Daventry, this Grade I church from the 13th century is nestled along a scenic country lane.

St Mary the Virgin is situated near Fawsley Hall, a luxury hotel and spa today.

Constructed in 1209 to replace an earlier wooden Saxon church, the church underwent modifications in the 14th and 16th centuries, with its chancel rebuilt in 1690. Inside, visitors can find an impressive collection of wall monuments and brasses, including a tomb chest with effigies for the Knightley Family, dating from the 1500s to 1800s.

Notably, a carving of the Washington coat of arms can be seen outside, as the church was located on land that belonged to George Washington’s great-great-grandfather.

This coat of arms is also visible in a stained-glass window in the chancel, with the 16th and 17th-century glass having been transferred from Washington’s ancestral home, Sulgrave Manor.

8. Cottesbrooke Hall and Gardens

Cottesbrooke Hall welcomes the public on certain days during the summer months.

This exemplary representation of early 18th-century Queen Anne architecture is the private residence of the Macdonald-Buchanan family.

Guided tours lasting 45 minutes provide insight into both the family’s history and the splendid architecture and decor of the house.

Visitors can admire 18th-century furniture from both England and France, in addition to an extensive collection of English, European, and Chinese porcelain, prominently featured in the corridors, library, drawing room, and dining room.

Cottesbrooke Hall is particularly renowned for its Woolavington Collection of sporting art.

The gardens, updated since the 1930s and still under development, showcase the works of notable designers such as Dame Sylvia Crowe (1901-1997). Highlights include Gordon Jellicoe’s formal forecourt, the Statue Walk featuring works by Peter Scheemakers (1691-1781), and Sylvia Crowe’s Pool Garden.

9. Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens

For those still seeking grand country houses, Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens offers another magnificent estate.

This Palladian-style hall, constructed in 1732 and designed by James Gibbs, is renowned for iconic structures like Oxford’s Radcliffe Camera and St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square.

Visitors may explore the hall on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Bank Holiday Mondays from mid-April to late-October.

Since 2018, guests can also choose to go “Below Stairs,” gaining access to the servants’ quarters, laundry rooms, cellars, and bakery.

The celebrated Grade II gardens are available on the same days as the house, with additional access on Thursdays.

Designed by the esteemed Nancy Lancaster in the 1920s and 1940s, the gardens boast an intimate and informal design, featuring a walled garden, sunken garden, and abundant sweet pea borders in July.

10. Everdon Stubbs

Ideal for a peaceful walk, Everdon Stubbs encompasses 100 acres of ancient woodland situated just south of Daventry.

This area is home to a variety of tree species including sycamores, lowland birches, sweet chestnuts, and both common and sessile oaks.

During late spring, visitors flock to admire the expansive bluebell beds, along with wood anemones and rare wild daffodils that bloom slightly earlier.

Historically, Everdon served as grazing land for wild boars, and Saxon burial sites are believed to exist along the northern edge of the woods.

11. Lamport Hall

This exquisite country house, associated with the Isham Family from 1560 to 1976, initially began as a Tudor manor constructed by wool merchant John Isham. It underwent significant alterations in the mid-17th century, followed by extensions and redesigns in the 1730s and again from 1842 to 1861, resulting in the striking main entrance and tower seen today.

Access to the house is available through guided tours only, conducted on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from April to October.

The High Room (1655) and the 18th-century library are particularly memorable, featuring decorative arts collected by the third Baronet during his Grand Tour in the 1670s.

The early 19th-century Cabinet Room is also notable for its Neapolitan cabinets, adorned with paintings depicting classical mythology.

12. St John’s Church Tower

Taking a brief detour from Daventry towards Althorp leads to the distinctive Victorian church tower, which has historical connections to the Spencers of Althorp and can be seen from a considerable distance.

Constructed from local brown ironstone in 1856 by Frederick Spencer, the 4th Earl Spencer, this tower was erected in memory of his wife, Georgiana Poyntz, who passed away in 1851. By the 1940s, the building had fallen into disrepair and was demolished in 1947, with the exception of the octagonal tower, which was retained as a navigation landmark by the Air Ministry.

13. Holdenby House

Holdenby House was a favorite among Elizabeth I, commissioned by Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-1591) as a luxurious residence capable of hosting the queen.

Hatton famously insisted he would not spend a night there until Elizabeth had first stayed.

The grand Tudor structure was dismantled in the 17th century, with the current Jacobean mansion built in the 19th century being only one-eighth the size of the original.

Remaining elements of Hatton’s estate can still be detected in the archways and the kitchen wing of the new building.

Entry to the house is permitted only on Bank Holiday Mondays; however, the Grade I gardens and the enchanting Connie’s Tea Parlour are accessible on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Bank Holidays throughout spring and summer.

These gardens are a remarkable replica of the original Elizabethan garden, featuring a kitchen garden, formal pond garden, extensive borders, and the King Charles Walk, where Charles I would exercise during his confinement at the house from February to June 1647.

14. Weedon Royal Ordnance Depot

Adjacent to the Grand Union Canal in the village of Weedon lies a military ordnance depot established during the Napoleonic Wars.

Completed around 1806, this depot was strategically placed to facilitate water traffic via the canal through its gatehouse.

Surrounding this area are rows of storehouses that once had accompanying barracks and an Army School of Equitation, which have since been demolished.

This facility emerged during a period of heightened military construction in preparation for a potential French invasion.

After being decommissioned by the Ministry of Defence, this historical site has been repurposed for storage and light industrial use, while also being open for public exploration.

A free exhibition in the East Lodge, managed by volunteers and available from Wednesday to Saturday, occupies four rooms and chronicles the depot’s history.

15. Drayton Reservoir

Constructed to supply water to the Grand Union Canal, Drayton Reservoir continues to serve this purpose, with water levels being known to fluctuate by as much as 30 centimeters in a single day.

The eastern bank, accessible via Ashby Road, features a surfaced area that offers pleasant views over the wooded shores.

However, Drayton Reservoir is primarily recognized as a prominent fishing destination, regarded as one of the premier match fishing venues in the country.

Carp were introduced here in the 1990s and have since increased significantly in size, with many reaching over 20lbs.

Permits for fishing are issued by the bailiff who oversees the reservoir, and anglers are advised to bring equipment capable of handling the large fish found within.