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Oundle
Oundle
	Oundle Location within Northamptonshire
Population	Expression error: "5,345 (2001 Census)" must be numeric
OS grid reference	TL038880
District	East Northamptonshire;
Shire county	Northamptonshire;
Region	East Midlands;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PETERBOROUGH
Postcode district	PE8
Dialling code	01832
Police	Northamptonshire
Fire	Northamptonshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Corby;
	List of places UK England Northamptonshire 52°28′48″N 0°28′19″W / 52.480°N 0.472°W

Oundle is an ancient market town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 5,345 (2001 census). It is 80 miles north of London and 12 miles (20 km) southwest of Peterborough.

It is first mentioned in Eddius Stephanus' Life of Bishop Wilfrid, as the location of a church founded by him before 709 AD.^[1] The name "Oundle" is ancient. It appears to derive from the name of a local Anglo-Saxon tribe, meaning "the undivided", or similar.^[2]

History

Oundle's history begins with the foundation of a church there around the beginning of the 8th century. Dedicated to St Andrew, this church was the creation of St. Wilfrid.

Through the Middle Ages, Oundle, like many other villages and towns in England, developed into a trading place and market for local farmers and craftsmen. As the area became more prosperous, wealthy traders set up shops and houses, and guilds were formed.^{[citation needed]}

Buildings

Among the oldest buildings in Oundle is the Talbot Inn. This inn was initially constructed out of timber; it was later rebuilt with stone from the ruins of nearby Fotheringhay Castle. Other public houses in the town include The Rose & Crown, The Ship Inn (a 14th century coaching inn), The Angel, and The George.

There are a number of churches in Oundle. By far the largest and most prominent – with the largest steeple in the area – is St Peter's parish church, which occupies the main churchyard. There are also Methodist, Baptist and Roman Catholic churches in Oundle. However, the Baptist church does not have its own building and holds services on Sunday mornings in Prince William School.

Other major buildings include the Stahl Theatre, a primary school, and many very large Oundle School buildings which are sometimes open to the public. These include a full-length swimming pool and the school's Great Hall.

A farmers' market is held in the Market Place on the second Saturday of every month.

There is also a park where play equipment such as swings and climbing frames can be found, as well as a skatepark, built in 2005 to accommodate the skateboarders and rollerbladers in the town. A fair also arrives annually, attracting many locals each year.

Oundle is home to two of the three factories producing the world-renowned luxury boats from Fairline Boats, the third factory being situated in Weldon, near Corby. The original factory is based at Barnwell Road in Oundle and the newer factory in Oundle is at the Nene Valley site. The company has a multi-million-pound turnover.

Schools

The town has a primary school and an award-winning middle school which joined with Kings Cliffe in 1992.^{[citation needed]}. It is also home to the comprehensive school, Prince William School as well as Oundle School, each of which have over a thousand students.

Festivals

The Oundle International Festival (OIF) is a music festival and pipe organ school. OIF was founded in 1985, with the training of young organists as its core component. The summer schools are centred upon an organ, built by Frobenius of Denmark and installed in Oundle School Chapel. A concurrent festival programme for the general public was also planned as a recurrent feature of the enterprise.

External links

References

^ Colgrave, B. (ed. & trans.), The Life of Bishop Wilfrid by Eddius Stephanus, Cambridge University Press, 1927 (reprinted 1985), p. 141.
^ Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th edition), Oxford University Press, 1960, "Oundle".

[1] Colgrave, B. (ed. & trans.), The Life of Bishop Wilfrid by Eddius Stephanus, Cambridge University Press, 1927 (reprinted 1985), p. 141.

[2] Ekwall, E., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th edition), Oxford University Press, 1960, "Oundle".

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