Conservation Area: Grafton Underwood conservation area (DNN12300)

Grafton Underwood is one of a small group of former estate villages (along with Warkton and Weekley) associated with the Duke of Buccleugh’s Estate at Boughton. Because the village has remained in estate ownership until relatively recent times, it retains a coherent character that is strongly identified with agriculture and the management of the Estate. The morphology of Grafton is defined by the course of the Alledge Brook. The main village street runs along the eastern bank of the brook. The village is organised on a typical linear mediaeval plan, with long narrow plots associated with individual holdings stretching between the main street and (former) back lanes running parallel to the street. The village possesses a good selection of Estate buildings dating from the 17th century to the present. These include farmhouses, cottages in the post medieval tradition, model 19th century cottages, barns and other farm buildings. Grafton Underwood is a parish of 730 hectares situated approximately 3½ miles to the east of Kettering, located for the most part at 90m above OD and set within the area of the former Rockingham Forest. The landscape of the parish is characteristic of the glacial clay geology of north Northamptonshire. In early medieval times the landscape was heavily wooded. There are extensive areas of managed ancient woodland (Old Head Wood, Grafton Park Wood) within the parish. The village is located in the centre of the parish on Blisworth limestone; this is exposed beneath the glacial clay by the small south- flowing brook that runs from north to south through the centre of the village. Grafton Underwood has good communications via local roads to Kettering and Corby, and via the A14 at Cranford to the Midlands and East Anglia. Grafton Underwood is 25 minutes by car from Kettering station on the Midland railway main line (London 55 minutes). There is a population of 135 living in 58 households in the parish (2001 Census).

Record last edited

Feb 15 2011 9:57AM