Hunsbury
| West Hunsbury (old name: Shelfleys) |
|
|---|---|
 West Hunsbury
(old name: Shelfleys) |
|
| West Hunsbury (old name: Shelfleys) shown within Northamptonshire |
|
| Population | 4,751 (United Kingdom ONS 2013) Data for West Hunsbury ward, Northampton Borough Council"/> |
| OS grid reference | SP725585 |
| • London | 67 miles (108 km) |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORTHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | NN4 |
| Dialling code | 01604 |
| Police | Northamptonshire |
| Fire | Northamptonshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
West Hunsbury Parish is a large housing estate in the south of the town of Northampton, 2 miles (3 km) from the town centre, 0 miles (0 km) from the M1 motorway, junction 15A and 2 miles (3 km) from junction 15. The motorway can be seen and heard as most of the area is elevated and the wind's prevailing direction is westerly. It is part of the Hunsbury residential area, which also constitutes East Hunsbury east of Towcester Road. Shelfleys is an earlier name for the area and still appears on signs, maps and bus destination indicators. However Hunsbury is an old name. Iron ore was formerley quarried in the area.Thishad begun by 1873 and an ironworks called Hunsbury Ironworks was in the course of being built in that year. The quarries were worked by several companies and individual owners, two of which companies used the name "Hunsbury" in their titles. The area is part of the Borough of Northampton. The area was developed in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s as part of the expansion of Northampton.
The industry operated in the area from the early 1870s until 1921. The Hunsbury Ironworks was being built in 1873. The works were by the canal and the Northampton to Blisworth railway, south of Duston Mill and west of Briar Hill Farm. The works smelted local ore as well as ore from elsewhere in southern Northamptonshire. At first the quarries were next to the works but later quarries were in the area of Hunsbury Hill Camp and further east ceasing in 1920. The quarries were connected to the works by a 3 foot eight inch gauge tramway. At first this was worked by a combination of gravity and horses,according to whether the gradient was in favour of the trains of wagons. In 1912 three steam locomotives were obtained to work these trains. The actual quarrying was done by hand with a pick and shovel. The quarrying took place in fIve areas. The first was next to the works before 1877. The second was to the north west of Hunsbury Hill Camp (Danes Camp), between 1877 and 1882. The third area was to the east of this ,to the north of the Camp and south of Rothersthorpe Road between 1882 and 1889 extending over the top of the main railway tunnel. The eastern part of this quarry was served by another tramway running to the Blisworth line east of Briar Hill Farm,where a tipping dock would have been necessary. The fourth area was to the south of the Camp from 1882 to 1920 extending into what is now East Hunsbury,over top of the railway tunnel and on both sides of the railway south of the tunnel portal This quarry went as far as what was then Towcester Road (now Hill Farm Rise.) The last area quarried was to the east of this road between 1912 and 1920.
The works ceased production on 28 January 1921. The owner Pickering Phipps proposed to reopen it and the last quarry but died before he could do this. The works and quarrying lease were bought by Richard Thomas & Co Ltd in 1935 but their proposal to reopen the works and quarries was not carried out either.
...
Wikipedia