Stowe Nine Churches

Stowe Nine Churches is a civil parish incorporating the settlements of Church Stowe and Upper Stowe in the English county of Northamptonshire. The population (including Upper Stowe) of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 259.

'Stowe' is a common English place-name, hence this was distinguished from others of the same name by the addition of the descriptor 'Nine Churches'. In former times the lord of the manor had within his gift the appointment of the rectors of nine different churches.

According to legend, the name derives from an incident involving St Michael's Church in Church Stowe. The site of the church was reputedly chosen by a supernatural spirit, who moved the building materials to a different location overnight for nine consecutive nights, so the builders eventually built the church in that location.

Forming part of Daventry district it is often referred to as Stowe IX Churches.

Population from 2001 census is 248.

By 1853 a limestone quarry had been established to the south of the road from Church Stowe to what is now the A5. It was linked by a horse worked tramway which led under the main railway to the canal between Nether Heyford and Weedon. The stone was taken away from there by canal boat. By 1855 the tramway had been extended south westward up the hill to a new iron ore quarry at a place now called Lodge Plantation. This is on the south side of the road from Upper Stowe to Farthingstone just to the west of where the road from Church Stowe joins it. That area is now wooded. The ore was taken to the Heyford ironworks by canal. However iron ore quarrying ceased from 1857 to 1863.

After the resumption of the iron ore quarry, part of the incline above the limestone quarry was worked by cable. Above that it was probably horse worked, below by steam locomotive, but in 1869 the tramway was converted from a narrow gauge to standard gauge and the line was diverted from west of the railway bridge south eastward to sidings on the west side of the railway just to the north of the Nether Heyford to Litchborough road. Thus the canal wharf was no longer used. Steam locomotives were now used on both upper and lower sections.

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