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Weedon Bec, usually just Weedon, is a large village and civil parish in the Daventry District of Northamptonshire, England. It lies close to the source of the River Nene. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 UK census is 2,706. Weedon is located around 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of the town of Daventry, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Northampton and is at the crossroads of the A5 and A45 main roads. The Grand Union Canal (1796) and West Coast Main Line both pass through the village. Lower Weedon and Upper Weedon are to the south of the village. The village is usually called just "Weedon" when including "Lower Weedon" and "Upper Weedon" which were once distinct villages now 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. The area forms an unusual example of urban sprawl in an otherwise rural part of England. The area on the A5, the Roman road of Watling Street from London to Holyhead was known as "Road Weedon" and earlier "Weedon on the Street". The "Bec" part of the name is derived from the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin, in Normandy, France, which owned most of the village until the dissolution of the monasteries (circa 1536), when King Henry VIII gave it to Eton College. [edit] Experiments with radar in 1935Arnold Frederic Wilkins demonstrated radar, from radio waves from the Borough Hill transmitter on 26 February 1935. It is often stated as taking place near Weedon Bec, but actually took place in a field just off the A5, towards Litchborough, now in the parish of Stowe Nine Churches. [edit] Research TipsTemplate:Northamptonshire research tips
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