Date | Event Related to Towcester |
1901 | Fire destroys Phipps and Co brewery at Towcester. |
1907 | Flood 3'0" deep in lower part of town. First for 30 years. |
1910 | Charlotte Phipps started the Towcester Studio Band. |
1910 | May 1910. Town flooded after rainstorm. Motors had to be dragged through the waters by horses. Lower part 3-4' deep in water. One boy removed his boots to get the family dinner from the bakehouse. (Newspaper 15/5/1910) |
1919 | Percival's bank (Wren House) purchased by Midland Bank. |
1921 | The Hesketh Boot and Shoe Factory in Vernon Road was destroyed by fire. |
1923 | 12th December. Towcester Grammar School destroyed by fire. |
1925 | Mains electricity laid in Towcester in about 1925. |
1926 | Mr P.G.F.Clark, head master of Towcester Grammar School, founded the "Old Towcesterian's Association" which still flourishes today, with Rugby football, Cricket, Hockey and Tennis. |
1931 | The Workhouse, built in 1836, was closed and taken into the ownership of Northamptonshire County Council. It is now divided into flats (apartments). |
1937 | The Police Station was rebuilt (date stone 1937). |
1939 | Towcester Cinema First Night on the 5th December 1939. Special permission was obtained for the completion of the building because it would provide entertainment for the soldiers and evacuees in Towcester at the time. |
1939 | Four burials, possible from the Civil War, were found on enlarging the old brewery. (Kelly's directory 1940) |
1948 | A5 Rangers Cycling Club formed at Mr Findull's hairdressing Salon in High Street. (A5 Rangers 40th Anniversary Newsheet, 1988). |
1948 | Silverstone Aerodrome opened for motor racing. |
1952-3 | Mr Law was making sports shoes for Roger Bannister, Cheshire, All Blacks and Springboks. |
1958 | Passenger services from Towcester Railway Station ceased. |
1959 | The M1 Motorway opened, reducing the amount of traffic passing through central Towcester. |
1960 | The Plessey Company Ltd. opens a new factory on Burcote Road. |
1961 | The 1961 census records the population of Towcester as 2,743. |
1965 | Freight services from Towcester Railway Station ceased. |
1971 | St. Lawrence's Primary School moves to new premises in Islington Road. |
1971 | Towcester Women's Institute Market first opened in September 1971. |
1972 | Towcester Health Centre in Swinneyford Road opens. |
1974 | Towcester Lions club founded. |
1976 | Road works near the probable site of the Southern Roman Gateway (junction of Richmond Road and Watling Street) discovered layers of heavy stone set in 28cm thick clay, with compacted orange gravel over. (Ref 1). |
1977 | Roman Catholic Church premises sold to A5 Rangers. (Club's 40th anniversary newsheet 1988). |
1982 | The inaugural meeting of the Towcester Local History Society was held on 15th March at the vicarage. |
1982 | Planning application received by South Northamptonshire District Council for the redevelopment of Allen's Yard, now the Co-op Supermarket. |
1982 | October 1982. The South Northamptonshire District Council relocate their offices from the White Horse Inn site (now Museum Court) and the Richmond Road School (now the library) to the new council offices at Springfields. |
1983 | June 1983. A well is discovered under the Town Hall during renovations. |
1983 | Roman remains were discovered during the installation of a new boiler and pipework at St. Lawrence Church, Towcester. The Vicar, Rev James Atwell, aided by archaeologist Charmian Woodfield and a team of volunteers carried out a dig. As a consequence, a section of Roman herringbone floor./text was put on permanent display. The display became inaccessible in 2007 when a steel cage was erected around it because of problems with the behaviour of some young people. |
1984 | 6th March 1984. The Towcestrians celebrated their Golden Jubilee with a dinner at the Town Hall. |
1984 | Towcester Cinema was demolished during October and November, after standing empty since 1974. |
1987 | The Towcester bypass (A43) opens. |
1992 | Lord Hesketh Attempts to sell the water meadows for development as a Supermarket. (Independent on Sunday 18/10/1992) |
1992 | Towcester Centre for Leisure completed. |
1993 | 1993-1995 Major building work at Sponne School physically joined the former Secondary School with the former Grammar School and provided a new staff room and office area. |
1999 | All the pavements, road surfaces and street furniture in Towcester modernised by the Highways Agency. |