Helmdon has over 900 people now, including those in Astwell
and Falcutt. The school is a strong one, and the community life full and
varied. Helmdon’s reputation as a caring village is proudly sustained by
natives and newcomers alike.

Helmdon has been a quarrying as well as a farming village,
and had two railway stations and many railway workers, but now most of its
working residents use cars and work elsewhere. But the land is still farmed. The arable is chiefly in grain and rape and there are nowadays many more sheep
than cattle, with a lot of managed grass, and small woodlands. The paths
amongst these fields are much valued, land and careful walkers are welcome.

There is one pub, in Church Street, and a well stocked small
shop at the top of Station Road.

As For the Photos/Drawings –

We have chosen five locations which we would think would
best illustrate Helmdon’s village life:

Astwell Castle Farm

Astwell Castle Farm includes a late 15^th-century
gatehouse and part of a Jacobean rebuilding. Astwell village disappeared by
emparkment in 1547.

(Picture could either be of
Astwell Castle Farm or the photo of signpost to Astwell)

The Viaduct

The viaduct was built in 1897 to carry the Great Central
Railway across the valley. It passed above the much older single line (“the
nibble and clink”) which followed the valley and connected Helmdon to Banbury
and Northampton cattle markets. Both lines have long been closed.

(Could be photo from website
or sketch from Aspects of Helmdon 1 page 16 – Viaduct.jpg 722kb –tiff -12443KB

Quarries

(Adjust first words
according to where photo of quarries is)

In the field just north of here you can see where quarries
cut through medieval ridge and furrow. Excellent stone was quarried for
churches from the 13th century. Later there were good farmhouses and barns of
it, and many cottages. The best stone was exhausted in the 17^th and
18^th centuries, when Helmdon stone was used for fine work art
Blenheim, Easton Neston, Stowe and Woburn. Worked stone perhaps surplus for
such work was used in the Old Cross and other houses.

(Here could be put the
sketch of The Old Cross door from Aspects of Helmdon 4 page 174) Quarries.jpg – 960kb –tiff – 7259KB

Church of St Mary Magdalene

(photo of Church or sketch
from front of Aspects booklets) Church.jpg 1.78mb – tiff 10218KB

The present church of St Mary Magdalene was begun in the
13th century. 1295-c.1313 was perhaps the time of greatest achievement. The
chancel has very fine work, including a lovely sedilia: the little window
showing mason at work and dedicated to William Campiun 1313 (very early indeed
for such a subject) is surely a tribute to the mason responsible: and a
scientific case can be made for dating the big yew just east of the chancel to
about this date.

(Sketch of sedilia and photo of Campiun window in Church section on web site)

The Reading Room

Photo from website Reading Room.gif 1065KB –

The Reading Room, including accommodation for a caretaker,
was a gift to the village in 1887 from one of the Fairbrothers who had been
farmers in Helmdon. It serves now as the village hall.