Could Oundle in Northamptonshire be the quintessential English market town? With its Cotswoldsesque honey-coloured stone, antique shops, churches and public school, it’s got to be in with a shout and is worth a couple of hours of anyone’s time.
The ancient market town of Oundle has two main landmarks – St. Peter’s church, with the highest spire in Northamptonshire, and Oundle School – one of the biggest boarding schools in the country with over 1,000 boys and girls. In a town with a population of around 5,000, the school dominates with its buildings spread around the town-centre and throngs of uniformed pupils walking between classes, even on a Saturday.
Fancy sending your kids there? It’s currently £33,300 per year for boarders, so you’d better get saving.
The most famous Oundle alumnus (or “Old Oundelian”) is heavy metal band Iron Maiden’s frontman Bruce Dickinson. I bet he had fun taking the mickey out of the girls’ uniform – he probably even wrote a song about it.
While the boys wear standard public school blazers, trousers and ties, the girls wear comedy baggy pinstriped half-mast trousers last seen worn by clowns at the circus. I managed to slyly take the photo below, although I did feel a bit like Adam Johnson for staring at schoolgirls’ behinds.
Brilliantly, and in true rock and roll fashion, Bruce was expelled from Oundle when he urinated in the head master’s dinner. When you’ve got to go, you’ve just got to go!
There didn’t seem to be too many pubs around – maybe to discourage underaged drinking. I did however discover a new entry in my top five cafes in England at the independent Brew Babu (6 West Street). It calls itself a “boutique brew bar” and although it’s licensed to sell beer and wine, it is tea, coffee and cake that you should come here for. A typical English tearoom, with cosy chairs and board games for customers to use, if you’re lucky enough to get a seat you might not want to leave.
My pot of loose-leaf tea hit the spot perfectly after being out in the cold, while Kat said her Colombian coffee was one of the best she’d ever had. We enjoyed a breakfast each, and shared the delicious homemade chocolate mint cake above.
Oundle is twinned with the French town of Andresy, and there is a signpost outside the public toilets by the Co-op car-park telling you where it is.
The Co-op car park is free for two hours (just follow the signs to short stay car-park) – that is just about all you’ll need for a leisurely pootle around Oundle.
abitofculture 
Well that cake certainly looks good enough to eat!
Yep, it was a beauty!
Nice photographs as usual, keeping the standard high!
Thanks, I’ll try my best!
Judging by that first picture it must have been half day closing!
The dreaded siesta!
I believe life in Oundle is a continuous siesta?
Probably -‘sleepy’ might be a good way to describe it.
Sleepy is good. Can Villa do Leicester a big favour later today? I would appreciate it!
I’d like to say ‘we’ll do our best’, but I doubt we’ll try at all. I’d say 0-4…
oh dear! I was hoping for a draw at least!
Crikey, never seen a uniform like that before. Looks like something I might have worn in the 70s. I did have a pair of pin-stripes. Don’t judge.
I bet you wore them to a Slade gig!
Cheek! Never been to a Slade gig. Though I have seen Showaddywaddy…….
Poor man’s Slade? I’ve seen Showaddywaddy too. 🙂 Perhaps something to keep quiet about.
I think I would visit just for the cake. 🙂 I actually love those pin stripes..
You wouldn’t have wanted to wear them to school, though surely!
I live very close to oundle. I guess I have always taken it for granted but it is s very nice place to visit for afternoon tea 🙂
Lucky you – I’d go to Brew Babu every week if I lived nearby!
That’s a lot to pay for a school. ugh, the girls’uniform is ugly, poor girls. The place though looks nice.
Just think what else you could do with that amount of cash!
yeah, travel all over:)
Looks quaint! And I love quaint places 🙂
Quaint is Oundle’s middle name!
We need a lot more instihgs like this!
Not back in the day, Rich, but I wouldn’t mind a pair of the pin stripes now. 🙂 Thank you for the early morning smiles. I enjoyed Bruce’s antics. I feel quite ashamed of myself not to have even heard of Oundle (apart from Northampton I’d struggle to name anywhere in Northamptonshire- ignorance is bliss?) But the chocolate mint cake looks worth a detour.
It’s not the sexiest county in the country – other towns are Kettering, Corby and Daventry. I only knew Oundle as my Dad used to work nearby.
Well, I’ve heard of them all but don’t ask me to write a 4 page essay 🙂 Anything nice lined up for you two?
We’re pondering whether to go somewhere in Britain over Easter. Taunton and Aberystwyth are current favourites. Are you heading back to your place in the sun soon?
Daughter’s coming up for Easter so we’re home based. First trip up here in years so I can’t complain. Algarve mid April and Poland with Dad at the end of. I like the look of Aberystwyth but never been. Daren’t look at the Easter weather forecast. Have fun! 🙂
Love that first photo. Looks a really pretty place. I like small places like this where you can go for a wander and look in the wee shops. The cake looks superb. Interesting to read about the school. I learn a lot from your blog.
Cheers, I’ve been thinking about that cafe a lot lately and would easily be prepared for another 110-mile round trip to taste some more of that cake!
Wow! It must be good. That is cake devotion!