January 1966

Construction began on a new shopping precinct in High Street South which replaced a row of old cottages.

Headlines in the Echo & Argus stated that Rushden was becoming a suburb of Bedford.  A house which cost £1,800 in Rushden was selling for £2,000 in Bedford.

February 1966

Rushden primary schools were overcrowded; the class numbers were only just being kept under 40.

Headmasters, Mr R.R.Lawrence of Alfred Street, Mr F.Dymant of Newton Road and Mr F.C.Astle of South End welcomed plans to build a new school in Victoria Road (Denfield Park).

The Windmill Club opened its £20,000 ground floor modernisation. The MP for Wellingborough, Mr Harry Howarth, and the chairman of Rushden UDC and Mrs Doris Shrive were amongst the guests.

March 1966

Rushden Post Office, at the height of a flu epidemic, had 16 out of 20 postmen off duty.

John White Footwear doubled its annual profits to £80,453.

Allebones, another local boot and shoe manufacturer, added 3 more shops to its chain of 61.  Profits of the group were £173,251.

April 1966

Mr Reginald Skinner, a local established confectioner and newsagent in the town, was forced to close his business as his rent had trebled.

Members of the congregation of Highfield Baptist Church were shown the plans and a model of their new church, which was to be built at a cost of £11,000.

May 1966

A comprehensive survey of Rushden’s central area was published.  The main points were: The provision of a by-pass; Development of shopping premises; The encouragement of industry to relocate outside the central area; Widening of the High Street to provide a through lane for traffic and short term parking; Construction of 5 additional car parks to provide 540 parking spaces.

It was rumoured that by the end of August, Chelveston USAF base would have a new significance as an operational base.

Mr A.E.Hill, a Rushden fruitier, blamed panic buying in London as the reason for prices locally of fruit and potatoes

England’s dismal International record came in for criticism at the Annual Dinner of Rushden & Higham Rugby Club by its president, Mr L.J.Wilce, who said it was time an England manager was appointed.

June 1966

Rushden Youth Centre’s Amateur Boxing Club’s busiest season consisted of twenty tournaments, 34 contests and 1,533 miles travelled.  Roger Horsfield became the Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire Middleweight Champion.

Local people hoping for relief from the hot weather in the town’s pool were disappointed.  Hooligans had broken in and filled it with anything they could lay their hands on.

A big future was predicted for the Santa Pod Drag Racing circuit at Podington.  When Americans turned up, motorbikes reached speeds of 150mph in 10.62 seconds.

July 1966

Rain interrupted the Rushden Carnival and the profits were £200 down on the previous year’s £700.

The funeral took place of Mr Wilfred Robert Hewitt, the managing director of the Palace Company, who were owners of the Ritz cinema.  At one time Mr Hewitt’s company owned four local cinemas – the Regal and the Palace at Wellingborough and the Palace and the Ritz at Rushden.

The condition of Rushden Hall was raised by Rushden UDC.  The most popular solution was put by Mr R.R.Griffiths, chairman of the council, who suggested part restoration and part demolition.

The new Matron of Rushden Hospital in Wymington Road, is Mr R.Flack.  He took up his new position at the end of July.

For the first time in 28 years Rushden Boys’ School won the Fineshade Cup, the county schools’ swimming relay trophy.  The team consisted of Terry Tyson, John Perkins and 11 year old Barry Prime who later went on to represent his country in the Olympic Games.

August 1966

Some of the 130 John White factory workers who were laid off last week due to the economic squeeze signed on at the Rushden employment exchange.

September 1966

Members of Rushden & Higham Rugby Club were on their hands and knees as they collected stones from their new pitches.  The site was formerly Rushden’s rubbish tip on Bedford Road.

October 1966

Rushden parents were eagerly waiting for the County Council to bring out their new proposals in relation to the introduction of Comprehensive Education.

Mrs Annie Ainge, formerly of 188 Newton Road, died at the Park Hospital, Wellingborough, aged 103 years.  She was born on December 27th 1863.

Rushden was unique with more shops per head than any other provincial town in the country.  That was the conclusion of a national survey carried out in counties all over the country and published in a trade magazine.

Sharnbrook Amateur Theatre Trust’s production of “West Side Story” was performed at the Ritz.

November 1966

A plaque commemorating 50 years of National Savings was presented to Mrs A.Perkins, chairman of Rushden U D C, by Mr G.Marriott, chairman of the Rushden Savings Committee.

Cash sales of Rushden CWS during the previous 26 weeks together with Rushden Co‑op Services amounted to £561,151, an increase of £21,243 over sales in the corresponding period last year.

Kilburn Place, a model housing estate off Higham Road, which caters especially for old people, was included in an international “Building for Old People” exhibition at the Building Centre in London.

The Rushden Swimming Pool improvement fund reached £2,100 – enough to either heat the pool or put a roof on it.

December 1966

Rushden Boot & Shoe College underwent a major programme of machinery renewal and was equipped with most of the techniques of the shoe industry.

An exhibition showing plans for a new town centre was opened at Rushden Health Clinic.

Full rehearsals were underway for RATS Christmas Pantomime production of “Old King Cole” which was to run for a week in January at the Ritz Cinema.

Mr Tony Irons, a former Rushden Secondary Modern School pupil, appeared in the BBC television serial “United”.

Rushden sprouted a new landmark – a 60ft high miniature mountain with an artificial snow ski slope.  It was 200ft long and could be used all the year round and was the brain child of Mr John Wills, proprietor of the Rushden Skew Bridge Ski Club.