Discoveries, Memories and Smiles

February 26, 2023

The town centre of Northampton is small when you compare it to the likes of Birmingham and London, but it’s surprisingly full of things to see.

I live close to the centre, so I always walk there and, with camera in hand, I find some things that I have never noticed, others that bring back memories and some things that just make me smile.

I walk passed the Garibaldi Hotel all the time. I have never been inside, but something compels me to take a photo – I think it’s the green-painted wall with the sign on one side – but then I notice the date at the top of the other side. It was erected in 1897 – making it one of Northampton’s oldest pubs and it’s still open!

On the corner of Sheep Street and Church Lane, I manage to get a photo without any people and then I notice further up the street a club called Passion (the small white building on the right hand side) where I partied with friends on a mad Saturday night out many moons ago.

I’ve walked through the graveyard of St Giles Church before, but never stopped to just be in the present moment before.

I stand for a while watching this squirrel scamper about – it brings a smile to my face.

I also notice the trees full of beautiful pink cherry blossom.

I’ve spent many nights / afternoons with friends and family at the Mail Coach in the past. It’s one of the places I still go to. I remember meeting everyone there before I jetted off back to Thailand in 2014, they all came to say farewell, it was such a great night. This photo is again devoid of people which surprises me as I took this photo at 4.00pm on a Friday afternoon – I’m not complaining though!

I was on a mission to see things I’ve never seen before and I spot the ‘Rosa Concordia Signum’ which means ‘the Rose, Emblem of Harmony’ After a little research, I realise this is Northamptonshire’s motto.

There are two little alleyways in the town centre. One is Frances Jetty, leading from Bridge Street to St Peter’s Way. All the times my friends and I used this alley to get our taxis home after a night out on Bridge Street, I never knew its name. It really is amazing how much we miss sometimes!

The second alley is called Jeyes Jetty and this one used to run between the Drapery and College Street. Again, I was interested to find out that this alley is linked to the invention of Jeyes Fluid and used to be called ‘Screaming Alley’ due to painful dental extractions that happened there.

I’ll let you read the notice on the gate.

The New Testament Church of God is housed in this Greek-style building, complete with columns and arched windows and these carved stone faces and decorative capitals on another building up the road. Both things I hadn’t taken much notice of before.