1. The Church of Holy Trinity
Lord Penrhyn, who lived at Wicken Park (now Akeley Wood Junior School in Wicken), built the Holy Trinity Church in 1853 to meet the needs of the increased population that accompanied the Victorian growth of the village. The church was consecrated in 1854 as a 'Chapel of Ease' to the Parish Church of St Guthlac in Passenham. Until then people had walked from Deanshanger to St Guthlac's to worship. The church was built at a cost of £2,300 and in The Illustrated London News in 1854, Holy Trinity Church was described as "an excellent though inexpensive example of the small village church"The church was designed by the architect Benjamin Ferry in the Early English Style. It had seating for 400 people and consisted of a nave, north aisle, south porch, chancel and bell turret with 3 bells. Oil lamps provided the initial source of lighting and the church heating was driven by a boiler that required stoking, even during services and often in the middle of a sermon! The Stoker was also responsible for tending the churchyard and graves and the stoke hole, known as the 'Glory Hole', was sited under the vestry. In 1897 the organ was removed from the Chancel to the Vestry as part of alterations along with a new pulpit designed by E Swinfen Harris junior. In 1906 a stained-glass east window was installed commemorating the church's 50th anniversary.The Church has been a Grade II listed building since 1988.
2. Deanshanger War Memorial
The memorial was built in 1921 to commemorate the 15 men of Passenham and Deanshanger who fell in the First World War. It was unveiled by the Rt Hon Lord Penrhyn on 20 March 1921, costing £110.Following the Second World War, additional inscriptions were added to commemorate the fallen in that conflict.The memorial is recorded by the Imperial War Museum. It is not the only War Memorial in the village. In the Conservative Club, there is also a memorial to those who died in the Boer War and there are 2 Rolls of Honour in the Community Centre.
3. Fever Hospital
In the 1843 map of Deanshanger, it shows that Church Lane was formally known as Hospital Lane and reference to the deeds of properties in this area indicates that a workhouse or “Aspital” (hospital) stood on the site. This was replaced by the three-storied red brick Victorian cottages that now stand on the site. These were built in 1868 and each cottage had a strip of productive garden which extended to the banks of the brook and accommodated a very large greenhouse. The courses of yellow brick were made in Deanshanger.
4. Waterloo Bridge
The bridge commemorates the famous Battle of Waterloo on 18th June 1815. It was constructed soon after the battle and replaced a ford over Kings Brook. It was subsequently widened in more recent times as the volume of traffic in the village grew.
5. The Mount
The deeds of 1826 refer to one house. However, in 1877 the building consisted of a messuage (a dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use) and six cottages adjoining, three of which had previously been occupied by William Bird and run as a public house. It was probably these three cottages that were converted and renamed "The Mount" by Albert Roberts in 1892.Local tradition has it that a Mormon Mission visited Deanshanger in the latter part of the century and held meetings in one of the cottages, which now form part of The Mount. Several local persons are reputed to have emigrated to America to join the sect in Salt Lake City and Deanshanger names live on in this city.
6. The Old Post Office
Communication by post became affordable for the masses with the advent, in 1840, of the first national adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black. The setting up of the Penny Post meant letters could be sent for one penny and as a consequence, Post Offices were established in towns and villages throughout the country. Deanshanger had a village Post Office by 1851 which was located here.John Rogers was officially listed as the Postmaster, but also operated his boot business out of the same premises. Therefore it was Mrs Jane Rogers who operated the Post Office and later became the first official Post Mistress of the village and reputedly the first in the whole country. John, a Master Boot-maker, and Jane were recorded in the 1881 census as having seven children (5 boys and 2 girls) aged between 1-15, and John's boot business at this time employed 1 man and 1 boy.According to the 1911 census, Jane was still running the Post Office and grocery shop as a widow, aged 64, assisted by her daughters Edith Isabel aged 23 and Jessie Ethel aged 21. The tradition of female Post Mistresses continued in Deanshanger with Jessie who later became Mrs Cattel on her marriage and took over from Jane and then Isabel Clarke (nee Rogers). Later, Jane's Granddaughter took over from Jessie.In 1969, the 'General Post Office' was dissolved and eventually led to the establishment of Franchise Post Offices in addition to Main and Sub Post Offices. Deanshanger became a Franchise Post Office, but unusually had its own Sorting Office and a team of village postmen and women.The Post Office was operated at this site until 2015, after which it relocated to the 'Top Shop' on Puxley Road.
7. Boswell House - 25 High Street
Boswell House - 25 High StreetThe current building, which now comprises of two attached dwellings, stands on the site of buildings shown on the 1608 and the 1773 maps of the village. In 1900, a mortgage was taken out by Thomas Eales, the then owner, to carry out work to the building, probably the erection of the shop. The 1911 Census records Thomas, then aged 65, and his family living in the property, with Thomas's occupation listed as "Grocer and Draper" and his son, Laurie as an "Assistant in the Business".The end wall is of brick and had at low level, a 'ketch' hole, which supplied the immediate area of the village with water from the Boswell Brook.The shop was sold in 1926.
8. Home Farm - 6 High Street
The west end of Home Farm is the oldest part of the farm and is late 17th century. This is substantiated by the discovery, under a window board, of a Charles ll farthing dating 1675. The carved fireplace and stone mullions of this part of the house indicate that it was a wealthier residence than the other surrounding farms. The house was extended to the eastern side in the early 18th Century. It had a number of owners which included Captain William Mackdowell, Richard Brown and the Clarke family. In 1879, it was bought by the Roberts family who owned the E & H Roberts Foundry.The house was eventually separated from its land, much of which is now covered by the Ridgmont and Highview estates.
9. Hyde Bakehouse
In 1772, the house was owned by John Clarke, baker and son of a Wicken baker also called John Clarke. The brick extension was the new bakehouse erected by Thomas Hyde in the latter part of 19th Century with originally, E & H Robert ovens which were manufactured at the Britannia Works in Deanshanger.
10. The Woodman Arm's Pub
The deeds for the original Woodman Arms commenced in 1834, but it was not named as a "public house" until the 1869 indenture. It was a limestone building, double fronted and had 3 dormer windows in the tiled roof. It was demolished in the 1930s and replaced in 1934 with another pub bearing the same name. In the early 1990s, this too was demolished. The homes that now occupy the site are known as Woodman's Close.
11 -41 High Street - A Bake House
41 High Street and the cottage attached (no 39 High Street) are built from limestone and would originally have been thatched. Records indicate that in 1701 they were bought by John Swannell who had founded a charity for teaching poor children in Deanshanger to read and write. Over the years, the house passed through various family members including the Clarke family of Manor Farm. The cottage was eventually acquired in 1871 by Thomas Haseldine, a baker, who used it as a bake house. Spencer Masters was the last baker to operate from the site and the cottage is now a private home.
12 Chapel House - 47 High Street
The Union Baptist Chapel in the High Street was opened in 1898, replacing the chapel on the Green. An extract from the Northampton Mercury, published Friday 6th November 1891, stated. "It is contemplated to erect a new Union Church at Deanshanger. The effort has already gained considerable ground, and handsome subscriptions have been received. Mr. E. Roberts contributed £100 for the site, and Mr. H. Roberts £100. No doubt the effort is highly appreciated by the inhabitants of the constantly increasing village of Deanshanger".The chapel ceased to be a place of religious worship in 1980, although it may not have been in use for some time prior to this. The building has since had a variety of uses, including commercial premises as a book depository. It is now a private residence.
13. 53 High Street
53 High Street was originally a farmhouse and records exist from 1673. In 1772, the farm belonged to Paul Dayrell, whose family held the manor in Lillingstone Dayrell from the 12c until 1885. In 1797, it was occupied by Thomas Richardson who accompanied Dr Hey on his perambulations of the parish boundary in 1795.
14. The Old Foundry
The old foundry building, which has parts dating back to the early 1800s, was part of the factory which closed in 1999 and was the centre of village life and prosperity for nearly 200 years. In 1820, Richard Roberts, a blacksmith from nearby Wicken, established his business in Deanshanger on the site of two cottages and a smithy, near Willow Green, the area now in front of the Parish Council Offices. Over the years this was developed into an iron foundry by his son John and later into the thriving Britannia Iron Works of E & H Roberts, by his grandsons; Edwin and Henry. The factory manufactured a range of world-renowned agricultural implements and was particularly well known for their medal-winning Mephisto ploughs and the famous Hercules, a wind-powered water pump. The factory grew and prospered, exporting many of its products throughout the world to regions such as South Africa, Australia and South America. In its peak, it employed between 120-150 people.The business provided jobs and security during the early years of the Industrial Revolution, but between 1912 and 1927, it suffered several setbacks: firstly a disastrous fire. Although this was an opportunity to replace some of its aging machinery, the business was under-insured. Over the next few years, the economic situation in the country (the Great Recession) as a whole took its toll on Deanshanger. During this time, there was a series of strikes and in 1927, despite attempts by the family to rescue the business, it went into liquidation.The factory finally closed and stood idle for several years. In the 1930's, it was eventually purchased by Abraham Wreschner who reopened it as the Deanshanger Oxide Works which manufactured oxide for the colouring of glass, cosmetics, tarmac, bricks and more. In 1979 the company joined forces with Billitons, a division of Shell, and in 1979, this was renamed 'Deanox'. In 1981, the company was taken over by Harrison and Crosfield and in 1982 was branded as 'Harcross', which was later rebranded in 1998 as 'Elementis'.The last shipment from the factory was made on the 30th March 1999 and 95 jobs were lost with the closure. Demolition of the site began and in 2000 re-development plans were submitted for changes to vast tracts of land within the heart of the village for residential and light commercial properties.The old foundry building has now been converted into private housing.
15 Patrick's Lane
Patrick's Lane runs from the High Street to The Green. At this end of the Lane, across the Brook, are some stone cottages which are the remains of an earlier row of thatched dwellings. In 1877, three of these caught fire and were burnt to the ground. They were replaced by seven new brick and slate dwellings by the landlord, a baker called Richard Patrick, and Patrick's Lane was named after him.
16. The Fox and Hounds
The present late 19th-century building, now the Co-operative store, replaced the original Fox and Hounds. This original building was a farmhouse with its own malthouse and the first deeds are from 1824. However, there is a reference to previous ownership by Richard Windmill who purchased it from Richard Rand, who sold the adjoining cottages in 1706. In 1828, the building was converted to a public house known as the 'Fox and Hounds' and was first licensed in 1830. In 1861, Edwin Roberts, of E and H Roberts, purchased 1 acre of land, including the original Fox & Hounds and the building was incorporated into the foundry site and lost amongst the expanding Iron Works buildings. In 1937, the factory site was bought by the Wreschner family and the old Fox and Hounds was used as an Office for the Oxide Works. It was replaced by a new Fox and Hounds on the High Street, only a few yards away. The original Fox and Hounds was demolished in 2003.In 2015, the new Fox and Hounds was sold and although planned to be a Morrison's store, it was eventually converted into the local Co-operative Food store which trades today.
17. The Bee Hive
The first license for the Beehive was granted in 1836 to William Foddy. By 1911 it was occupied by Archibald Thomas Webb. During the Coronation of King George V that year, the Beehive was decorated with banners and flags and the brewery 'Newport Pagnell Fine Ales & Stout' sign was affixed to the front of the building (as seen in the 1911 photo). In 1926, the pub was bought by Charles Wells Ltd.
18. Manor Farm House
The original building is 17th century, re-fronted and remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries. By 1878 the estate residence was called `Deanshanger House' and some years later, it became known as 'Manor House'.
19. Carpenter's Row
In 1642, Anthony Carpenter, the owner of the Deanshanger Manor (now Dove House), founded a charity to distribute a sum of money every mid-Lent Sunday to 20 poor families in Deanshanger. The money was the income derived from the rents of seven cottages and two acres of land. By the early 19th century the cottages, had in effect become alms-houses and became known as Carpenter's Row. In 1823 the cottages were badly damaged by fire and four of the six had to be rebuilt for the sum of £428. Four of these, forming the block facing the village green remain, and bear the inscription:CARPENTER'SCHARITY HOUSESBURNT AND REBUILTA.D.MDCCCXXIII
20. Robinson House
Robinson House is a former bakehouse and butchers. Richard Patrick, who gave his name to Patrick's Lane, erected the detached house and outbuildings and this was used as the Bakehouse. Alan Robinson was the last recorded baker to use the property and is listed in the 1911 census. Alan was one of three bakers in Deanshanger before the war. The others were Alf Hyde, at the bakehouse adjacent to Boswell Lane (point of interest - 9), and Spence Masters, further along the High Street (point of interest - 11). Soon after the war, Alan was the only baker remaining. He shared the premises with his brother who ran a butcher's shop from the other half of the building.Robinson House is now a private residence.
21. The Standpipe
In the late 19th century, piped water was provided in the village of Deanshanger and several standpipes were installed around the village. These were supplied with gravity-fed water via underground pipes. Villagers could then collect water in buckets, from the standpipes for use within their homes. A standpipe stood on this site providing the residents with running water until the mid-20th century. It was cast iron and manufactured by the E&H Roberts foundry in the village.The standpipe you see today was erected by the Deanshanger Village Heritage Society in 2016.
22. The Dukes Head
Between 1682 and 1772, the premises were recorded as a farm, but in 1800 it was three cottages which were bought by Joseph Shimmell of Wicken who was a victualler (person who is licensed to sell alcohol). Joseph Shimmel built a new house on the site of two of the cottages and called it "The Duke of Cumberland".Prior to 1834, it was occupied for some time by the Church Wardens and overseers of the poor of Passenham as a workhouse. However, it ceased to be a workhouse when Union House (a new workhouse) opened in Yardley Gobion in 1834.Between 1889 and 1959, the name of the pub changed several times between "The Duke of Cumberland and "The Duke's Head", but in 1959, it was known again as "The Duke's Head" and was sold to Phipps Northampton Brewery Company Ltd.The pub closed in the late 20th century and is now a private dwelling.
23. Lodore
Lodore' was built in 1904 for Bertram Roberts and his new bride Florence Amy (nee Spoor). Bertram was the eldest son of Henry Roberts who ran the Ironworks in partnership with his brother Edwin. The building epitomised the new Edwardian style of architecture. At the time of the 1911 Census, Bertram and Florence had three children and employed a Cook. Housemaid and a Nursery Governess. The entrance drive led to large front and rear gardens that included a tennis court.Lodore later became the home of the Wreschner family who purchased the foundry in the 1930s. In 1982, it became the headquarters for the Oxide Works. In the early 21st century it was developed into residential homes.
24. Wharf House
The old Stratford to Buckingham Canal was opened on the 1st of May 1801 as part of the Grand Union Network and ran through the middle of Deanshanger. The transport benefits of the canal, such as brick and coal yards, encouraged the growth of industries, the most influential in Deanshanger being the foundry.Features of the canal included hump-back bridges, brick arch culverts, three wharves and a wooden draw bridge. Wharf House, originally known as Bridge House, was located on Church Lane, next to the hump-back bridge over the canal.It was occupied by William Hoare, who had a limekiln, in the 1830s and early 1840s and taken over by Richard Canvin in 1844. By 1949, the business consisted of a coal yard and remained in the Canvin family until the Second World War and the premises were often referred to as "Canvin's Yard". The canal was officially closed in 1964 and the hump-back bridge was demolished in the early 1970s.
25. Conservative Club
In 1889, it was proposed that Deanshanger, was provided with a Conservative Club. The building was estimated to cost £380 and Lord Penrhyn, who lived at Wicken Park (now Akeley Wood Junior School in Wicken), promised to contribute £200 towards the costs. The building was completed in 1889 and the official opening took place on 17th April 1890.
26. The Methodist Chapel
Methodism was active in the village from the early 1840s, but there was no place of worship until the original chapel on the existing site was built and opened on 2nd December 1849. Its founders mortgaged their own properties to enable the Chapel to be built at a cost of £120 from stone with a slate roof. The building measured 24ft x 18ft and seated 150 of which 90 were free sittings and could also accommodate another 50 standing.The chapel was later enlarged in 1869, then demolished and replaced with the present brick building in 1892. The new building incorporated a schoolroom. The Primitive Methodist Chapel became registered to solemnize marriage on 3rd October 1902.The Methodist Chapel became registered to solemnize marriage on 3rd October 1902.The modern-day chapel car park was the original site of three stone and thatch cottages running alongside the Chapel building. The Methodist Chapel purchased the three cottages in 1908 for £240, the sale documents identify three tenants in the cottages with a rental income of £15 12s 0d per annum. In 1981 planning permission was granted for a car park to be built on the site of the former cottages that had long since been demolished.There is a record of another Primitive Methodist Chapel that once existed in the village which was registered in 1861, but later removed from the register in 1876.
27. Dove House
A manor at Deanshanger is mentioned in the Forest Perambulation of 1299. Although this does not necessarily establish the existence of a manorial building, it is deduced that a house existed in the 14th century on the site of Dove House (Farm). Reportedly once called 'Duffus' meaning Food Hall, the house was thought to have been a monastery that was visited by Thomas á Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1162-1170), who also stayed at Dagnall Farm (located about half a mile out of the village on the left-hand side of the Wicken Road), then called Dragon's Hold. Legend has it that an underground tunnel connected both buildings providing an escape route. During his stay, the Archbishop was asked to bless the water at Bears Watering, which was thought to be poisoned. The site which was "Bears Watering" is on the A5 and is now occupied by Hobby Fish.In the 17th century, Sir Ralph Winwood, Privy Counsellor and principal secretary to King James I, bought the Manor and it may have been he who replaced the earlier manor house with the present cruciform building known today as Dove House. However, over the years, its 'Manor' status was forgotten and the will of Winwood's successor, William Carpenter describes it as a 'farmhouse' whose lands were worked by his family for the next 200 years.In a recent survey by Paul Woodfield in 2004, Paul states: "The building survey strongly suggests that Dovehouse is a new building erected in the early decades of the 17th century as a 'standinge' or hunting box. The evidence lies in the large upper floor windows, the processional stair to get there, and the lack of partitioning on the ground floor". A 'standinge' or hunting box was used for witnesses, including the ladies of the manor, to view the deer being corralled and slaughtered for their meat.
