North Northamptonshire

North Northamptonshire is a unitary authority in the East Midlands created in 2021 from the former districts of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough. The district includes the towns of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, Rushden and Oundle and extends across river valleys and former royal hunting ground known as Rockingham Forest. The River Nene runs through the area, passing Oundle and Rushden, and Rockingham Castle stands on an escarpment near Corby. Leisure and retail facilities include Wicksteed Park in Kettering and the Rushden Lakes complex beside a reclaimed gravel and lake area on the Nene corridor.

Transport links connect North Northamptonshire to the wider region: stations at Kettering, Wellingborough and Corby provide rail services toward London and the Midlands, while junctions give access to the national road network. Local history reflects ironstone working and a steel industry that helped shape Corby’s growth, alongside market towns with regular markets and independent traders. The district combines working towns, agricultural land and pockets of managed woodland and parkland.