Weedon Bec
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Weedon Bec is a large village and parish in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. It lies upon the infant River Nene, and in 2001 had a population of 2,485.
Weedon is located around six miles south-east of Daventry, and is at the crossroads of the A5 and A45 main roads. The Grand Union Canal passes through the village, as does the West Coast Main Line, but the village station closed in the 1960s. Between 1888 and 1963 the station was the starting point of a branch line to Leamington Spa by way of Daventry.
Due to the crossroads there are a fair number of pubs, cafés and shops in the village and it is developing as a centre for the antique trade.
Next to the canal are some former Napoleonic War era barracks. The barracks were opened in 1803 and were originally served by the canal. Because the barracks were situated in the heart of England, they were considered a safe-haven. In the event of a Napoleonic invasion of Britain, King George III and other members of the Royal family would have been sent there from London on the canal. The barracks became redundant in 1965.
It is usually called just Weedon when including Lower Weedon and Upper Weedon; these were once distinct villages but all three have effectively merged into one. The settlement patterns of all three villages have been distorted by the presence of the major road, the canal, the military establishments and the railway station and present an unusual example of urban sprawl in an otherwise rural part of England. The area on the A5 (then Watling Street or the London-Holyhead stagecoach route) was once known as Road Weedon – other parts could equally have been called Canal Weedon, Weedon Barracks or Weedon Junction. The Bec part of the name is derived from links to the Abbey of Bec Hellonin, dating from the 12th century, in France.
Weedon Lois – otherwise Lois Weedon – is, however, in a different part of the county.
Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Wēo-dūn = "Temple Hill": before Christianity came there may have been a heathen temple there.
Reference
- Northamptonshire Villages, (2002) Countryside Books, ISBN 1853067644
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