Preface

The village of Denton nestles in a dip of land formed by the brook that flows through its centre and which, historically, divided the village. The land on one side was owned by the church, and the other by Lord Northampton's family, the Compton Estate.

The village retains a degree of peaceful charm, as the main A428 trunk road from Bedford to Northampton, which used to wind hazardously through the village itself, had a bypass built in the early 1930s – one of the earliest villages to benefit from this now common improvement.

The heart of the village centres around the village green, overlooked by the church sitting impressively on higher ground to the south. The old school building with the next-door schoolhouse (used as the village primary school until 1982) remains, as do the original boys' and girls' separate playgrounds, still much used and enjoyed by the young of the community. The village pump survives as a legacy to the ladies of the village who fought (almost literally) in the 1950s when the Water Authority, in its wisdom, decided the well water drunk by generations of villagers before the mains supply was not suitable to leave in use, and the pump needed to go!

The water trough, constantly filled by the spring and never having been known to run dry, was used in the past for replenishing steam vehicles and for animals to drink from. It is still well used for car washing and as a place for children to play and get suitably wet. Indeed, it is said that to be a proper Denton resident, you have to have been in the trough at least once – and many have! The trough has always been a much-loved icon of the village green. It was repaired many times as the structure started crumbling away. These actions only bought a bit of time, and the need for repairs became more frequent. It was a difficult decision whether to try and make a more comprehensive repair or rebuild from the same footprint. Demolition without replacement was not considered an option.

The pictures following show the different stages of the work, and Rod Jones, one of the main organizers of the build, will soon be writing his account of the project. An oak tree was planted on the green to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Victoria on 28th June 1838. It is the one that now has a seat beneath it, and many years ago it had a circular fence around it. There are thought to be few Victoria coronation trees, now over 170 years old, that remain.

Other commemorative trees also exist on the green. Further oaks commemorate the coronations of King Edward VII on 26th June 1902 and George V on 22nd June 1911. Much later, a further tree was planted to commemorate when Charles was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969. The most recent addition is a Copper Beech tree planted around a decade ago, which was a prize won by Denton in a Tidy Village competition. It was planted by Edwin Cawley and Mrs. Plaxton on behalf of the Parish Council. A further tree used to adorn the green but was felled a few years ago as it was said to be diseased. It was a horse chestnut planted to acknowledge the retirement of schoolmaster Mr. George Battison around 1953.

Mooche Wala, formerly the Red Lion pub, is now the village’s only remaining spot for food, which stands overlooking the green, facing the attractive local stone houses and cottages crowned by the thatched Upper and Lower Gatehouses with the arch in between. Through this arch, many a pair of coach horses would have passed in ancient times, and it still sees a constant stream of passing feet from dog walkers and those who ascend the steep hill to the doctor's surgery, school, or village hall.