Place:Braunston, Northamptonshire, England

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NameBraunston
Alt namesBrandestonesource: Family History Library Catalog
TypeParish (ancient), Civil parish
Coordinates52.283°N 1.2°W
Located inNorthamptonshire, England
See alsoFawsley Hundred, Northamptonshire, Englandhundred in which it was located
Daventry Rural, Northamptonshire, Englandrural district in which it was located 1894-1974
Daventry District, Northamptonshire, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area since 1974
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog
NOTE: There is also a parish named Braunston in Rutland to the northeast of Northamptonshire.


the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Braunston is a village and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England. It has a population of 1,759 (2011 UK census). Braunston is situated just off the A45 main road and lies between the towns of Rugby and Daventry.

The main village of Braunston is situated on a hill above the road and the canals, and formerly had a windmill, the building of which still stands but without any sails.

The canal alongside Braunston is a junction between the Oxford Canal and the Grand Union Canal, which was once an important part of the national transport system. Many former boating families have links to Braunston, the churchyard in the village having many graves of boatmen and women.

The village thrived for over 150 years on the canal trade - carrying goods from the Midlands to London. Now it is a centre for leisure activities and boasts, by far and away, the busiest stretch of canal anywhere in the country.

The unique triangular junction between the two canals has two bridges made at Horseley Ironworks (from Tipton, Staffordshire carrying the towpath over the canal. This was not the original meeting point of the Grand Junction and Oxford Canals: the junction was moved in the course of improvements to the Oxford Canal in the 1830s, prior to which the junction was near where the marina is today, and where a third Horseley Ironworks bridge can be seen.

The canals are no longer used for carrying freight, but are now used mostly by pleasure boats. Braunston has a marina filled with these pleasure boats and is usually quite busy.

From the marina, six locks carry the Grand Union Canal up to Braunston Tunnel, some 2,049 yards (1,874 m) long.

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Braunston.

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