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Brackley is a town in south Northamptonshire, England. In the 2001 census Brackley had a population of 13,331. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the intersecting trade routes from London to Birmingham (and the general north of England) and Cambridge to Oxford.
Notable villages nearby include Syresham, Billesden, and Hinton-in-the-Hedges.
Brackley, originally also known as Brachelai or Brackele, was owned in 1086 by Earl Alberie. After this it was passed to the Earl of Leicester and on to the families of De Quinci and Roland.[1]
The market day previously on a Sunday, was changed in 1218 to Wednesday.
In 1597 the town was incorporated by King James II. It had a mayor, 6 alderdmen and 26 burgesses.
Over time it has been known as a wool and lace-making area.
In 1901 the population of the town was 2,467.
Prior to 1834, the poor house in use by the area was in nearby Culworth, but in that year, the Brackley Poor Law Union came into effect.[2] A workhouse was built in 1836 to the south-west of the town, on the Banbury Road. It was built to accommodate 250. This workhouse was demolished in the 1930s.
Brackley is governed by the Brackley Town Council.
Brackley is close to the A43 road, which now bypasses the town, linking it to Towcester and Northampton to the east and the M40 motorway to the west. The A422 links it to Banbury.
Brackley once had two railway stations. The first, known in its latter years as Brackley Town, opened in May 1850 on a LNWR branch line from Verney Junction on the Oxford-Bletchley-Bedford-Cambridge line, to Banbury via Buckingham. The second was Brackley Central on the Great Central line, the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London, opened in March 1899. The line through Brackley Town closed in January 1961, while the Great Central was axed by Beeching in September 1966. A very prominent feature of the latter was Brackley Viaduct, which spanned the Ouse valley just south east of the town. 255 yards in length, 62 feet high and containing 20 brick arches and two girder spans, it was demolished in sections in the spring and early summer of 1978. It is possible the viaduct may be rebuilt as passenger expansion increases in the near future and the tracks laid once again in the old cuttings of the Great Central Railway. The present A43 road runs across its site. Recent proposals were made to reconstruct one of these lines, but these were voted against by a vocal minority of the town's residents. A new vote is expected soon in late 2007 on this issue.[3]
Notable buildings in the town include Magdalen College School, founded by Magdalen College for its pupils to escape the great plague affecting Oxford in the 15th century. St John's chapel stands next to the original college buildings and is still in use today, making it the oldest building in Great Britain in continual use by a school.
There was once a castle at the western end of town, but no visible evidence of it remains. Brackley Castle was to be where King John and the barons signed Magna Carta, but this eventually occurred at Runnymede.
St Peter's church at the eastern end of the town boasts an impressive 11th century Norman doorway.
In the centre of town the market is held every Friday morning in the market square. Further up the high street is a large town park owned by the National Trust. The town centre underwent a number of improvements in 2006. The piazza was rebuilt in York stone.
Brackley is close to the Silverstone racing track, and has some industry related to Formula One racing, notably Honda (formely British American Racing) which is based in the town. On the east outskirts of the town is Bronnley, suppliers of hand-made soaps to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Their products are bestowed with Royal Honours for Excellence.
The local rugby club is the Brackley Rugby Union Football Club.
The Brackley Athletic Football Club is a junior football club affiliated with the Northamptonshire Football Association. They play in three leagues - the under 7s - 10s are in the Milton Keynes & District Junior Sevens League, the Under 11s - 16s are in the Milton Keynes & Border Counties League and the girls team is in the Oxford Girls Football League.
Brackley Sports FC plays in the North Bucks League Premier Division.
Tennis facilities are available at the Brackley Tennis Club and Martial Arts training at the Brackley Freestyle Martial Arts Academy. The Brackley Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool and the Brackley Health Centre provide other local health-oriented facilities.