
Northampton's Great Fire to be discussed at special event
Talks from local historians will be held throughout the day and the conference will be free to enter but will require booking prior to the event.The symposium is part of a five-month programme of events and activities to showcase the story of the fire and the rebuild that followed.
Earl Spencer, who has written several historical books and co-hosts a history podcast, previously said that the Great Fire of Northampton "was more devastating than the Great Fire of London for its scale".The 1666 fire in London destroyed 80% of the town.Earl Spencer said the fire in Northampton burned down almost "the entirety" of the county town."It's important for us to remember it – this was something that was an existential threat to a town," he said.
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
£13m scheme boosts rare wildlife but experts warn ‘time running out' for nature
The Government's nature boss has warned 'time is running out fast' to halt declines in wildlife, as results from a £13 million scheme show it is possible to help threatened species. The Species Recovery Programme's capital grants scheme, which ran from August 2023 to March 2025, saw Government nature agency Natural England invest in targeted conservation efforts to help rare wildlife such as water voles, oystercatchers and lady's slipper orchids. Natural England said the scheme supported the recovery of more than 150 species, many of which were on the brink of national extinction, through creating habitat, captive breeding and translocating wildlife to help it expand into new areas, and research. The scheme has scored successes including the first wild-hatched red-billed chough chick fledging in Kent for more than 200 years, the reintroduction of black grouse to the North Yorkshire Moors and the return of the large marsh grasshopper to the Norfolk Broads after 85 years, Natural England said. Tunnels have been installed under a road in Berkshire to allow adders to cross, disused buildings have been made ideal for bat breeding in Sussex and the first example of lady's slipper orchids naturally propagating in the wild has been recorded in Yorkshire. The scheme invested in 63 different projects from the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall to Cumbria and Northumberland, working with 78 organisations to create or enhance 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres) of wildlife-rich habitat. That includes 143 'leaky dams' to support Atlantic salmon, white-clawed crayfish and freshwater pearl mussels, at the same time as reducing flood risk and improving water quality. And more than 15,000 individual animals and plants were translocated to expand species' territories, as well as captive breeding more than 12,000 individuals including invertebrates, mammals and birds. Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said the success of the programme showed nature could be restored, but warned there was a need for more projects, more volunteers and more money, particularly from the private sector. And there needed to be action to improve the environment, such as reducing pollution. He will tell an event on Wednesday to mark the success of the grant scheme held at Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire, where rare bitterns are staging a comeback: 'A rising number of nature recovery projects, both large and small, are making a huge difference up and down the country. 'The success of this programme is an example of how much we can do when we take a joined up, collaborative approach to restoring the natural world. 'We know we can turn round species decline and improve ecosystems with the right targeted actions, the drive and the funding. 'But time is running out fast – turning round nature's decline needs to be a collective endeavour, so this is not just the preserve of dedicated specialists. 'Nature recovery work needs more projects, more volunteers and more money to flow from all sources, particularly the private sector. 'It will also need to go hand in hand with improved environmental quality, including through reduced pollution.' The Government is set to publish a revised environmental improvement plan in the autumn to deliver legally binding green targets, after the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog said the previous government was largely off-track to meet the goals. Mr Juniper said the publication would be a 'key moment', warning there needed to be increased ambition on species recovery, in particular what could be done on some of the wildlife England has lost. 'In the coming years, habitat management and creation alongside species reintroductions could be a real game changer for the health of ecosystems and help us achieve the country's legally binding targets,' he said. Natural England is also publishing a threatened species recovery actions guide detailing how to support more than 1,000 of England's most threatened species, from the small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly, corncrake and natterjack toad to tiny lichens. Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition of conservation groups, said: 'Today's results prove species conservation works – but it's still run on a shoestring, with short-term pots of money far from enough to halt nature's decline. 'Government must boost public funding and mandate private investment to multiply this impact tenfold. 'The new environmental improvement plan should also lock in a long-term pipeline of funding for species and the habitats they rely on, combining public and private finance to turn one-off wins into lasting recovery.'


The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Friday's EuroMillions jackpot estimated to hit £201m
Friday's EuroMillions lottery jackpot will reach an estimated £201 million after Tuesday's top prize went unclaimed. While no one matched the jackpot, one UK player came close – winning £680,767 for matching five numbers and one Lucky Star. The National Lottery EuroMillions winning numbers are 18, 28, 42, 46 and 48. The lucky stars are 03 and 09. No tickets matched all five numbers to take home £1,000,000 in EuroMillions Hotpicks, which uses the same numbers as the EuroMillions draw. Three players matched four numbers, winning £30,000 each. Tuesday's National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are 21, 29, 34, 36 and 38. The Thunderball is 08. No one took home the £500,000 top prize, but one player matched five numbers to win £5,000.


The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Kids share their top 10 wonders of the world… and they might not be where you think
A STUDY of 381 six-and-seven-year-olds, revealed their favourites out of the millions of everyday wonders. Caterpillars (40 per cent), puddles (27 per cent), and diggers (17 per cent) were among the things to children in their tracks. 3 3 3 With 81 per cent picking up and keeping ' treasures ', such as stones from the beach, or a particularly wondrous stick discovered in the woods. It also emerged this wonder is having an impact on their parents, with 62 per cent, of the 600 mums and dads also polled, crediting their youngster for making them appreciate the magic of the everyday things in their environment. In fact, 55 per cent of parents are more likely to notice and be amazed by these daily wonders because their child is. As part of Specsavers' 'Wonder' campaign, alongside commissioning this research, museum-style exhibitions have launched across the UK showcasing children's 'wonders of the world' to get parents thinking about the importance of children's eye health and its impact on their joy and curiosity. Each installation in London, Manchester, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff features a different 'wonder' selected by five local children, alongside their very own plaque. This includes Yusuf's Digger, Aoife's Caterpillar, Ava's Sunflower, Ffion's Rock, and Mila's Seashell. Professor Sam Wass, child psychologist and neuroscientist, said: "Children see the world in a way adults often forget - full of magic, mystery and wonder. "Good vision is essential to this journey of discovery. "It helps children explore, ask questions and learn through play, all of which are essential to their development." And kids said they're most likely spot everyday amazing things at the beach (68 per cent), in the garden (63 per cent), or at their local park (50 per cent). But 35 per cent will even find something interesting to inspect on the way to school, according to the figures. Nearly seven in 10 (68 per cent) parents said their children often stop to look at things most would consider everyday - on average, five times-a-day. Common phenomena they observe their children stopping to watch and wonder at included birds on a wire (26 per cent), reflections in water (20 per cent), and slug and snail trails (16 per cent). More than a quarter (26 per cent) even report often being late every few days because their child is too busy being fascinated by an object. Perhaps as a result, over half (56 per cent) have been encouraged to slow down and look more closely at the world around them. Which may help the 39 per cent who admitted they very much take their ability to see clearly for granted. A further 66 per cent would be concerned if their little one stopped pointing out these everyday wonders. As 19 per cent also said this would be among the reasons they'd book an eye test for their child, as well as if they were struggling to read or write (45 per cent) or rubbing their eyes frequently (44 per cent). Sarah Joyce, director of optometry at Specsavers, added: "Being able to see clearly is vital to children as they learn about the world - as around 80 per cent of learning in school is visual. "But around one in five children under the age of 10 have sight conditions that can get in the way of all that wonder. "Conditions such as long- or short-sightedness, astigmatism, or a squint can often be treated more effectively if they are picked up early - meaning regular eye tests from the age of four, or sooner if they are having any problems, are essential.