My NN: Northampton's mayor talks about his favourite places
My NN: Northampton's mayor talks about his favourite places
My NN is a new series in which a Northamptonshire local reveals their favourite places in the county. We hope it will give you some ideas of new places to see and explore.
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The Mayor of Northampton, Cllr Dennis Meredith, 81, has lived in Southfields, Northampton for 42 years. He moved to the town from London and was born in Islington. He has been a councillor with West Northamptonshire Council and formerly Northamptonshire County Council, for 17 years. He was appointed Mayor of Northampton in May 2022.
Sarah Becker had a chat with Dennis to discover his favourite places to visit.
My favourite cultural building is the University of Northampton. I love walking around the university at Waterside and often eat in the university café which offers wonderful food. The buildings themselves are so beautifully constructed and there are many facilities for people to enjoy and browse. There is so much going on at the university - you can simply enjoy walking around there or take up some education. It simply is the best thing that has happened to Northampton – it really is a wonderful place.
My favourite place to unwind and where I find a lot of solace is my allotment off the Billing Lane in Southfields. It’s the place I like to go to relax and enjoy the environment and the wildlife – different birds animals, foxes and badgers can be found there. I grow a range of different vegetables; potatoes cabbages and sweetcorn. I like to contribute a proportion of produce to food banks to help people less fortunate.
My favourite hidden gem is the county’s Judge’s Lodgings in Northampton. I recommend people pay a visit and to the old law courts in George Row. A former judicial building, it really is an amazingly historic “hidden gem” dating back to the 17th century - housing the former gaol of Northampton and courtrooms. To go on a tour you need to book up with Roger Coleman, Council Sargent. He gives an amazing insight into what used to happen in a law court. You can take part sitting in a court house and experience what it was like to be thrown into gaol there.
My other favourite cultural building is The Guildhall in St. Giles Street, which is also steeped in history. You can also now book a tour of this wonderful building which is well worth it.
The Northampton Museum and Art Gallery is also a wonderful place to see. In fact there are lots of places in Northampton people should put on their bucket list to go and see.
My favourite street in Northampton is Abington Street. I love standing at the side of the street and looking up at the architecture. You see a different aspect of Northampton - the different shapes and sizes of buildings. You never think about simply standing still and looking up at the architecture but it’s well worth it.
My favourite pub has to be The Gallery pub on Farmhill Road, Southfields. The pub has been taken over by a new manager and every 2 weeks hosts a drop-in game of bingo. It also hosts great TV coverage of sporting events. Being a Londoner, I love watching football there on the large screens and I particularly enjoy watching Arsenal play football. It’s wonderful place inside and one of cleanest pubs you can go into.
My favourite place to eat is Jenny’s Restaurant either in the Weston Favell Centre or in Gold Street, for their wonderful variety of food and friendly service. I particularly like having an English breakfast there as it’s always freshly cooked and very affordable. For people who are older and on limited pensions it’s very reasonable and the service is always fantastic.
Another place I like to go to on a Sunday is to The County Tavern – for a traditional Sunday lunch. I love their roast dinners which are very reasonably priced. The service is also second to none which is lovely particularly as you get older. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff there but I recommend people book as lunches get booked up very quickly.
My favourite takeaway is fish and chips from Nick’s Plaice on Kingsley Park Terrace – the fish is cooked to perfection - not too fatty, just right and the chips are wonderful. If you haven’t tried Nick’s fish and chips, they are wonderful.