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A NORTHAMPTON WALK
ECHOES OF ST THOMAS BECKET
Across Northampton you will find constant references to Thomas Becket. There is a Becket Ward at the hospital, a park, street name, rotary club, schools are named after him and the writer was in Becket House at his school. We will start our walk in Regents Square. To the north west of which are Grafton Street, St Georges Street and St Andrews Road, forming a triangle. This was St Andrews priory land, containing the main priory and was where Thomas stayed on his 1163 and 1164 visits. Here too, to the north of the square, stood the Norman north gate and a short distance away at 1 Primrose Hill, stands the Victorian Roman Catholic Cathedral, dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury and St Mary, containing a relic of the Martyr.
We will, however, stay close to the Norman town
for our walk by leaving the square,
south along Sheep
Street, where we immediately come to the church of the Holy Sepulchre on the left. This is the largest and best preserved round church in England, built 1100 – 1108. A short time after Becket was canonised, a north aisle was added,
stated to be dedicated to him but when the church fell on hard times this was demolished. The aisle was restored by the Victorians and now contains a chapel dedicated to St Thomas.
Elsewhere in the chancel is a window of stained glass rescued from St Thomas Hospital Bridge Street in the 1870s. This church was one of the 9 churches built or rebuilt in Northampton prior to 1130, all of which were dedicated to the nearby St Andrews Priory. It is almost certain that Becket would have visited this church either as archdeacon, with Theobald of Bec, in 1154, as chancellor or archbishop later and he would have known the surrounding area well.
We leave the church and walk south down Sheep Street, in medieval times, the great north road of its day, turning left across the top of the Drapery into the great market square, one of the largest in England. Crossing the market square to exit by the south east corner, we pass by All Saints Church on our right, walking along wood hill, left into St Giles Square. Cross over to the south pavement and look back at the town hall, a line of statues fronts the façade.
