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Raunds is a small town in the English county of
Northamptonshire. It is in the Eastern region of the county, very
close to the Cambridgeshire border. A number of other small towns
are within a few miles, including Thrapston, Irthlingborough and
Rushden. The bigger centres of population are all about thirty
minutes drive away. These are Northampton, Bedford and
Peterborough. London is 70 miles South of Raunds with access by
car down the A1 or M1. Raunds is equidistant between these two
major traffic routes.
The population of Raunds is about 10,000. Going back about fifteen years it was a fairly insular town, with no major routes
travelling near it. This changed with the construction of the
busy A14 which is the new link road between the M1 and A1 and
passes within 2 miles of Raunds. The structure of the population
has been changed because of easier access and relatively
inexpensive housing for the South of England. There is a large
population of commuters and people who have moved away from the
more expensive areas.
The local history of Raunds is that it grew up around the boot
and shoe industry. At the turn of the century, this was mainly a
cottage industry, with families making footwear in their own
homes. During the First World War, Raunds became known for its
production of army boots.
As with a lot of Northamptonshire towns and villages in this
area, Raunds is known for its church, St Peters. This has the
second highest spire in the county. It dates back to medieval
times and can be seen when approaching from most directions
around the town.
Raunds has one of the smallest zebra crossings in the country,
right in the town centre. It also used to have a mention in the
Guinness Book of Records for having the highest recorded
temperature in the U.K. along with another town. This dated back
to 1912, the temperature being 92' F, which was only surpassed in
this decade.
Raunds has 4 pubs, 2 Chinese take aways, 1 Indian restaurant, 2
fish and chip shops, a Co-op food and general store, 1 other
supermarket, 2 branch banks, 1 secondary school, 1 junior school,
1 infant school, 1 primary school and the RAUNDS RAINBOW NURSERY
SCHOOL.