Welford, Northamptonshire

Welford is a village and civil parish in England.

Welford is located on the River Avon border between the counties of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. It is on the main A5199 road connecting Northampton and Leicester and, being halfway between the two, was formerly an important stagecoach stop. The A5199 is known as the 'Welford Road' for much of its length. It is close to the junction of the two major motor routes in England - the M1 motorway and the M6 motorway - and is 1½ miles north of Junction 1 of the A14, which connects that junction with the east of England. It is served by a short arm from the Grand Union Canal and has two marinas. The Jurassic Way long distance footpath passes through the village on a SW/NE axis; although it officially makes its way through the fields to the east of the village, many walkers prefer to walk along the High Street to make use of the village's facilities.

Welford still has a village shop and post office, a hairdresser, a garage and two public houses. There is a Church of England parish church and a URC (Congregational) chapel. Other amenities include a village hall, a sports field which is home to Welford Victoria F.C., a youth centre and a pocket park.

It is now administered as part of Daventry District having earlier been part of Oxendon Rural District (1894–1935) followed by Brixworth Rural District (1935–74).

In medieval times its Premonstratensian Abbey moved to Sulby some two miles to the east and Welford lost its market charter which was sold to Guilsborough. There is clear evidence that Welford shrank considerably during the medieval period and it is notable that three of its neighbouring civil parishes — Elkington, Stanford-on-Avon and Sulby — are almost entirely depopulated.

External links

* [http://www.welford.org Village of Welford]
* [http://www.welfordfc.co.uk/ The Official Welford Victoria Football Club Website]