18-02-2025
Northampton Market's treasures star in new QR code trail
Visitors to a market square can now follow a trail to discover where artefacts dating back to medieval times were codes have been installed at Northampton's newly-refurbished market which link to a map and detailed information about the treasure trove of objects include a decorated leather flask, part of a boot, and an archer's wrist is also evidence of a market hall which historians previously knew nothing about.
Northampton Market reopened in October 2024 after a £12m refurbishment Italian-made market stalls were put in place, along with a water feature and a dedicated events space.
Work by the Museum of London Archaeology team took place before and during the refurbishment and unearthed a range of objects including: A decorated medieval leather flaskA medieval wrist guard for an archerThe upper part of a medieval bootPart of a medieval decorative leather strapMedieval leather offcuts of udders
There was evidence of several structures which had long disappeared including a fine stone building in the centre of the market square which may have been a previous market was also another stone building dating from the first half of the 12th Century and some evidence of the Great Conduit, a stone structure, which may have been built by Edward VI to bring water to Northampton were signs of some of the structures on the west side of the market, which were visible on a map of the town by renowned cartographer John Speed and stood before the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675.
Dan Lister, West Northamptonshire Council's cabinet member for local economy, said: "We have quite a collection of fascinating artefacts which are still being studied by experts in a bid to shed even more light on the heritage of our Market Square. "We are intrigued to see if they manage to uncover anything else during the excavations, which are being carried out to bring a new and energised public space to Northampton town centre."
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
