Kettering is a town in Northamptonshire, England, about 81 miles (130 km) north of London and 15 miles (24 km) from Northampton. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough. Originally named Cytringan, Kyteringas and Keteiringan in the 10th century, the name Kettering is now taken to mean 'the place (or territory) of Ketter's people (or kinsfolk)'.[1]
At the 2001 census, the borough had a population of 81,844[2] whilst the town proper had a population of 51,063.[3] The town is twinned with Lahnstein, in Germany and Kettering, Ohio, in the United States. Being part of the Milton Keynes South Midlands (MKSM) study area along with other towns in Northamptonshire, the town is due to get around 6,000 additional homes mainly to the east of the town.[4] The town, like other towns in the area, has a growing commuter population as it is located on the Midland Main Line railway, which has fast InterCity trains directly into London St Pancras International taking around 1 hour. This gives an interchange Eurostar services to Continental Europe.[5]