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Wollaston is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, about south of the market town of Wellingborough. The 2011 census recorded the population of the parish, including Strixton, as 3,491. Wollaston is from above sea level on hills east of the Nene valley. The soil is clay over subsoil and is on the old Wellingborough to London road. Summer Leys Local Nature reserve is nearby. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the toponym as Wilavestone. In a document written in 1190 it is spelt Wullaueston. The name comes from Old English and is believed to mean the farmstead or village of a man named Wulfaf. [edit] History
In common with the rest of Northamptonshire, Wollaston is noted for its shoe industry. The Solovair brand of British-made boots and footwear is produced by NPS Shoes Ltd. NPS has been in operation in the village since 1881 and now has a factory shop. Until 2003, Dr. Martens boots were made in Wollaston. In 2007, manufacture of the "Made in England" line of Dr. Martens footwear was resumed in the Cobbs Lane Factory in Wollaston. Wollaston also has the head office of an international chemical company, founded by the Quaker Ernest Bader (1890–1982), which is now a common ownership factory, the Scott Bader Commonwealth, making advanced resins and composite materials.
Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries the benefice of St Mary's parish church was held by Delapré Abbey in Northampton. The oldest parts of the building are 13th-century. It is a Grade II* listed building. At the north end of the High Street there is a village museum. [edit] Research Tips
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