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Project News

The former Cunnington's factory - Park road
This factory at the corner of Crabb Street/Park Road originally
belonged to Cunnington Bros. From about 1940 it was one
of the factories used by Bignells and later by John White.


  • The News pages have an overview of the project since it began in 2007.
    May 2009 - an IT Kiosk, installed at Rushden Museum, completed the Heritage Lottery Funded project.
    We issued a DVD "A History of Rushden"
    in 2009. [sold out]
    A DVD "A Bird's Eye View" by Friends of St Mary's Church, with collaboration from Rushden Research. [sold out]
    2021 - We will continue to add to the website as long as we find material to process. There are around 18,600 pages, with 21,500+ images!
    If you have a memory, or picture to add, please contact:
    project@rushdenheritage.co.uk

Latest News
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  • 14.11.2020 - New - One obituary, one golden wedding, 5 council meetings, R W Birtles, Hunter's Walk gallery, a RATS production, a shoe catalogue, and a few notes added to exisiting pages.
  • 24.10.2020 - New - Memories of Allen Road, Miss Scott, Home Hospital, redevelopment, Greenacre Drive, Ditchford Lane, a plaque (see 29), CWPH Wright, an extra note on wounded men (see The RDC), plus several new pictures added to exisiting pages.
  • 27.09.2020 - New - A plaque and 65 years and memories, Sherwood's, Garfirth's, 1923 Shield, 1863 celebrations, working at the Ritz, a poem. Several pictures have been added to exisiting pages.
  • 19.08.2020 - Two obituaries, pictures of a choir, a school class 1954, a demolition and a fire, is all that we have added this time. There will be more next time as I have some work in hand .....
  • 13.07.2020 - New this time: Rushden Centre, Wicksteed Park, 1906 Kelly's Directories for all our parishes, Robinsons Garage & Athletic Club have additions.
  • 03.06.2020 - New this time: added an index of PCC wills at the National Archives for 'our' parishes, 2 council meeting reports, Recycling Centre and Covid 19, Kellys Directory 1894, an index of Naturalisation certificates at N/A, plus a few minor additions to exisiting pages.
  • 02.05.2020 - New this time: a c1965 Town Guide and adverts, Ainsworth Family, White Horse at Wymington, a golden wedding, an obituary, an inventory, a 1960 shoetrade directory, a note about Jack Askham, Kingsmith & Son Ltd, W A Ainsworth, plus a few notes added to other existing pages.
  • 01.04.2020 - With the uncertain times ahead, I hope you will find something of interest to browse our website. Perhaps this will encourage you to to sort out some photographs? Add names and dates? And if anything comes to light that you think could be put on the website, please forward them to me. I have little more to work on. Could you write an article? Work, school, home or play?
    New this time: Early Registrations, Ditchford Bridge Strengthened, Jazz in the area, Two more Operatic programmes 1947 & 1953, Inquests has 179 added. History has several more council meeting reports, War section has the completed index of enlistments in WWII from 1939-1945, more soldiers notes, and prisoners returning, Higham has some added photographs on several pages, plus several additions to existing pages from newsclips. Enjoy, and keep well until we can meet again.
  • 04.02.2020 - New this time: Two more Operatic programmes 1950 & 1951, notes on bandsmen, 20 obituaries, 4 weddings, a 91st birthday, wartime notes 1944, and 12 village obituaries, and Higham Library closure + poem.
  • 30.12.2019 - Happy New Year. New this time - a deed from 1789, five council meetings, a 1980 cricket match and adverts, six obituaries, a golden wedding, a wedding, Tony Goodfellow, Park Avenue 1931, reopening of the A45, census Court Estate 1911, more newsclips to existing pages in war, and the villages, including the war memorials and obituaries.
  • 23.11.2019 - New this time: 3 RATS productions, 1934 inquiry, an accident, 5 fires, farming, an obituary, several council meetings, the New Inn, Irchester Methodist 150 years, plus additions to several exisiting pages.
  • 08.10.2019 - A picture of The Fireflies, Podington Garden Centre, R W Bass, some Ritz Posters, Old King Cole and Sleeping Beauty are new this time, plus more on 1945 WWII and more Council Meetings.
  • 29.08.2019 - Updates this time: One new will, several council meetings, two health reports, two deeds, a new development and voting 1945 in history, a production by the RATS, a new commemoration, and more WWII newsclips.
  • 15.07.2019 - New this time are:- more Council Meeting Reports, Health & Sanitary reports, the Independent Church at Wollaston, Street Re-numbering at Rushden and Higham, another 2 productions by the RATS, 8 obituaries, more emigration articles, and notes added to several pages under villages.
  • 10.06.2019 - New this time a fire in 1899, an article about a soldier in Russia in WWI, additions to some street surveys, two obituaries, and two golden weddings, two more productions by the RATS, an article about new lighting at Wymington, plus some 1965 newsclips added to several exisiting pages.
  • 01.05.2019 - An update on Rushden's only thatched building, some captions added to Temps Gallery, additions to Scouts, and 3 more RATS productions, 2 obituaries, Charlie Fathers and PC Lewis new in people, 4 obituaries for villages, plus the usual notes added to various pages of the website.
  • 24.03.2019 - New this time the Jokers in Music in the 1960s, Freeman's Court, Robinson Crusoe, council meetings, some posters from 1960s-1970s, 2 bankruptcies, 2 obituaries, some WWII notes, and a fire and water drainage for Court Estate, plus a few minor additions to existing pages.
  • 26.02.2019 - Our website is now 12 years old! Two more RATS productions, newsclips from 1947, 1963, 2000-2006 and some 2019 pictures are in this update. Pages on Hayway, Washbrook Road, Winslow, Scouts Band, 8 obituaries, 2 golden weddings, a fire, and Court Estate Players are new or have additions.
  • 21.01.2019 - New this time school log book 1945-9, a will transcript 1848, more notes added to several street surveys, a 1937 trophy mug found in Wales, 1960 Shoetrade Directory, Davies Odell Ltd, a plaque at the War Memorial garden, notes about the church clock, arrival of a farm by train in 1939, and the completed index to WWII enlistments is all this update.


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