Northampton is home to important British history, including the Northampton Eleanor Cross. The cross, built in the 13th century, is one of twelve lavishly decorated stone monuments built by King Edward I in memory of his wife Queen Eleanor of Castile, marking the nightly resting-places along the route when her body was transported to London. Only three of the original twelve structures remain intact with the one in Hardingstone, Northampton being one of them.
Unfortunately, the Eleanor Cross in Northampton has fallen into disrepair and is in need of some work to preserve the monument. It is so old that there had been a question mark over which local authority owned it. As a Northampton MP I wanted to help ensure that this important Grade I listed structure remains a firm fixture in the town.
I was aware that Northampton Borough Council were in talks with Historic England about the possibility of getting grant funding to start repairs on the Cross so to that end I wrote personally to the Chief Executive of Historic England to express my concern about the state of the Cross and to add my weight behind the Borough Council’s efforts to obtain grant funding.
I am pleased to report that Historic England have made the decision to approve the Borough Council’s application for a grant and they will be providing half of the funding needed to repair the Cross. I am very pleased with this news and I understand work can be started on repairing the Cross this summer. You can read more about this by clicking on the following link: https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/breaking-news-grant-secured-to-repair-northampton-s-crumbling-eleanor-cross-1-8500383.