Corby Totally Explained

Corby is an industrial town and a local government district located 13km north of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. The district as a whole had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure. Corby is in a triangle formed by Leicester, Peterborough and Northampton. The Borough of Corby borders onto the Borough of Kettering, the District of East Northamptonshire and the District of Harborough.

History

Early history

Mesolithic and Neolithic artefacts have been found in the area surrounding Corby and human remains dating to the Bronze age were found in 1970 at Cowthick. The first evidence of permanent settlement comes from the 8th century when Danish invaders arrived and the settlement became known as "Kori's by" – Kori's settlement. The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Corbei". Corby's emblem, the raven, derives from an alternative meaning of this word.
Corby was granted the right to hold two annual fairs and a market by Henry III in 1226. In 1568 Corby was granted a charter by Elizabeth I that exempted local landowners from certain taxes and gave all men the right to refuse to serve in the local militia. A popular legend is that the Queen was hunting in Rockingham Forest when she fell from her horse. Upon being rescued by villagers from Corby she granted the charter in gratitude for her rescue. Another popular explanation is that it was granted as a favour to her alleged lover Sir Christopher Hatton.
The Corby Pole Fair is an event that has taken place every 20 years since 1862 in celebration of the charter.

From rural village to industrial town

The local area has been worked for iron ore since Roman times. An ironstone industry developed in the 19th century with the coming of the railways and the discovery of extensive ironstone beds. By 1910 an ironstone works had been established. In 1931 Corby was a small village with a population of around 1,500. It grew rapidly into a reasonably-sized industrial town, when the owners of the ironstone works, the Scottish steel firm Stewarts and Lloyds, decided to build a large integrated ironstone and steel works on the site. The start of construction in 1934 drew workers from all over the country including many workers from the depressed West of Scotland and Irish labourers. The first steel was produced in October 1935 and for decades afterwards the steel works dominated the town. By 1939 the population had grown to around 12,000, at which time Corby was thought to be the largest "village" in the country, but it was at that point that Corby was re-designated an urban district (see the Local Government section below).

The 1940s and 1950s

During World War II the Corby steel works were expected to be a target for German bombers but in the event there were only a few bombs dropped by solitary planes and there were no casualties. This may be because the whole area was blanketed in huge dense black, low lying clouds created artificially by the intentional burning of oil and latex to hide the glowing Bessamer converter furnaces at the steel works from German bomber crews. The only known remaining scars from German attacks can be found in the form of bullet holes visible on the front fascia of the old post office in Corby Village (now known as Maddisons Bar and Storm nightclub). Nobody really knows the exact circumstances under which the attack occurred, but a local apocryphal tale tells of a lone pilot making his way back to Germany after a successful raid on Coventry who spotted some lights so decided to finish off his already depleted stock of bullets. Sadly, the authenticity of this romanticised tale can neither be verified or denied, but it's certainly the most popular theory among locals. The Corby steel works made a notable contribution to the war effort by manufacturing the steel tubes used in Operation Pluto to supply fuel to Allied forces on the European continent.
By 1950 the population of the town stood at 18,000. In that year Corby was designated a new town and the town underwent its second wave of expansion, mainly from Scotland, which resulted in a car-friendly layout with many areas of open space and woodland.

The decline of the steel industry

In 1967 the British steel industry was nationalised and the Corby steel works came under the control of British Steel. From the mid-1970s the loss-making British Steel pursued a strategy of concentrating steel making in five areas: South Wales, South Yorkshire, Scunthorpe, Teesside and Scotland. This policy continued following the Conservative victory in the 1979 General Election and the early 1980s saw the loss of 11,000 jobs leading to an unemployment rate of over 30%. Hope was brought to the depressed town by a plan to build a US-style theme park and resort called Wonder World. Wonder World promised a massive development over a decade or more starting in early 1983. It gradually became apparent that the project was never going to start, leading to it being dubbed "Wonder World, Wonder When?" by locals. The Wonder World site has since been sold and the Priors Hall housing development is due to commence on the site in 2006. The employment situation has improved but unemployment is still above the national average, and the depression of the 1980s is still remembered with bitterness by many locals. In 2003, plans were announced for a much-needed regeneration of Corby. Many large companies such as Argos are creating jobs through their new distribution centres.

Local government

As mentioned above, prior to the 1930s Corby wasn't an especially large village. A Corby urban district was created in 1939 from the parish of Corby. This expanded various times, most recently in 1974 when the existing Corby urban district was abolished and replaced with a new local government district which covered both the area of the old urban district along with the parishes of Cottingham, East Carlton, Gretton, Middleton, Rockingham, Stanion and Weldon, Northamptonshire. The district obtained borough status in 1993.

Politics

The current Member of Parliament for Corby is Phil Hope MP (Labour). The Corby constituency contains parts of traditionally Conservative East Northamptonshire that balance the traditionally Labour town of Corby leading to a marginal constituency that has gone to the party forming the national government in every general election since the creation of the constituency in 1979. In the 2005 General Election, Labour won Corby by a majority of just over 1,000. Corby Borough Council has been controlled by the Labour party since 1979 and local politics is often concerned with competing factions and personalities within the Labour Party. In 2007 the council had 16 Labour representatives, 8 Conservatives and 5 Liberal Democrats.

Elections

Society and culture

Scottish migration, and the migration to Corby has created a unique population in the borough, evidenced most clearly in the 'Corby accent', referred to as 'Corbyite', which is often described as sounding Glaswegian. The link with Scotland is a strong feature of the area: according to the 2001 Census, there were 10,064 Scottish-born in the Corby Urban Area – 18.9 per cent of the population. A further 1.3 per cent was born in Northern Ireland. It has been estimated that a further third of the population are Scottish or of Scottish descent.
The Scottish heritage is cherished by many inhabitants – there are Scottish social and sporting clubs and there are many fervent supporters of the Celtic and Rangers football clubs (indeed, Corby is home to the largest Glasgow Rangers Supporters' Club outside of Glasgow and Northern Ireland). Many shops sell Scottish foods and a supermarket even introduced Gaelic signs to their Corby store (but they've since removed them). An annual Highland Gathering featuring traditional Scottish music and dancing is held in the town.
According to the 2001 Census only 1.7% of the population is non-white and the average age of the population (37.2) is slightly lower than the average for England and Wales (38.6). In the UK Government's 'indices of multiple deprivation' Corby ranks within the 25% most deprived areas in England and some areas of the town are within the 5% most deprived areas. Rates of violent crime, thefts of motor vehicles and ASBOs are significantly higher than the average for England and Wales. Rates of other offences are close to the average.

Transport

The town is located along the A43, A427, A6003 and is six miles from the A14 at Kettering. Corby lies within two hours’ drive of four international airports: Birmingham, Luton, Stansted and Nottingham East Midlands.
Corby is served by the Corby Star bus service and there are direct bus and coach services to Northampton, Milton Keynes, Peterborough operated by |stagecoach

and Glasgow by national express. Plans to build a new bus station in Corby are being considered by the council following the closure of the old bus station in August 2002.
   The nearest railway station is at Kettering, seven miles south of Corby. It is on the Midland Main Line between London and Nottingham but is soon to be replaced by East Midlands Trains. Corby once had a station of its own, on the Midland Railway's "alternative route" between London and Nottingham, bypassing the present main line via Market Harborough, Leicester and Loughborough and passing through Corby, Oakham and Melton Mowbray instead. However, Corby station closed in April 1966 and much of the line lost its remaining passenger services in May 1967 (the Oakham to Melton Mowbray section remains open to passengers as part of the Peterborough to Leicester line). Nevertheless, the section through Corby is still open for freight (it passes through the 1,920-yard Corby Tunnel just north of the town, and further north still it crosses the colossal 82-arch Welland Viaduct). Although as part of a huge re-development, work is due to begin on a new train station in Corby, which is due to open in late 2008.
   In April 1987 a passenger service was reintroduced but it was only a shuttle train between Corby and Kettering, usually operated using a single dmu carriage. This became irregular and unreliable; the then Corby District Council, who were funding the service, decided enough was enough and withdrew the service in June 1990. Some time later a plan was put forward to include the Kettering-Corby section in an ambitious-sounding cross-country service from Swindon to Peterborough, but this came to nothing.
   However, in June 2007, after more than 10 years of campaigning and a petition of more than 10,000 names calling for Corby to be included in new rail franchise bids for train operators in the East Midlands, the Department of Transport finally approved a new hourly service to run between Corby and London St Pancras International. Stagecoach Midland Rail Ltd (East Midlands Trains) won the franchise.
   The new service will begin running from Kettering in November 2007, and will extend to Corby when the new £1.5m station is built there. The new train station, which is to be built in Station Road adjacent to the site of the old station and completed by December 2008, will be the focus of a new integrated transport network for Corby. It is expected to unlock an estimated £200m of further commercial investment in the area, creating more than 1,200 retail and office jobs. A new, business zone incorporating town centre living is earmarked for the land surrounding the station itself. It has been claimed that Corby is the largest town in England without a passenger rail service, now that Cannock and Mansfield have reopened. However, the towns of Gosport in Hampshire (population 78,000), Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire (population 74,000), and Washington, Tyne and Wear (population 55,000), also claim this dubious honour. However, these towns form part of larger conurbations, so Corby vies with Rossendale for the title of largest separate urban area without a station.

Employment and education

Since the 1980s the unemployment rate has returned to a level closer to the national average (2.7% in October 2005). Employment is biased towards manufacturing (36.8% compared to a regional average of 18.5%) and against public administration, health and education (10.0% compared to the regional average of 25.9%). Much of industry is concentrated in purpose-built industrial estates on the outskirts of the town.
According to the 2001 Census the proportion of the working age population with degree-level qualifications (8.5%) is the lowest of all areas in England and Wales. 39.3% have no GCSE-equivalent qualifications at all.
The Corby campus of Tresham Institute of Further and Higher Education provides a range of vocational courses for post-16 students and adult learners. The nearest universities are the University of Northampton, 37km (23 miles) to the south and both the University of Leicester and De Montfort University in Leicester, 40km (25 miles) to the west. Brooke Weston City Technology College ("the CTC"), one of only 15 CTCs in England, opened in 1990. Brooke Weston CTC has consistently achieved examination results in the top 5% of English state schools. Since 1990 several of Corby's other secondary schools have fared less well with a series of poor examination results and critical inspection reports leading to mergers and closures, the most recent being the closure of Our Lady and Pope John School in 2005. Currently there are four secondary schools in Corby: Brooke Weston CTC, Lodge Park Technology College, Corby Community College and The Kingswood School. Corby Community College has a special unit for children with severe special educational needs. All four schools have Sixth Forms for post-16 students. As part of the regeneration programme it's planned to close Corby Community College and open an academy situated on one of the new developments. It is also planned to change Brooke Weston to an Academy. Corby has 17 primary schools of which two are Church of England schools, three are Roman Catholic and one for children with severe behavioural and emotional difficulties.

Regeneration and redevelopment

Corby Borough Council is currently working with Urban Regeneration Company North Northants Development Company (NNDC) (formerly Catalyst Corby), the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA), the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM), English Partnerships and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to regenerate the whole town. The population of the town is expected to double in the next 30 years, to around 100,000, through large new residential developments such as Priors Hall, Little Stanion and Oakley Vale.
A new extension to the main shopping centre, to be called Willow Place, is currently under construction and is expected to be complete by October 2007. Town centre owners Land Securities are also looking to redevelop the rest of the town centre once the first phase is completed, replacing much of the 1950s-1970s built environment which could be argued to be aesthetically unappealing. In addition, a new Olympic-sized swimming pool and Civic Hub will be built in the town centre within the next three years following their approval in January 2007. Work is due to begin on both projects in February 2007. Stephen Fry is currently doing the voice-over work for a campaign running in London to entice people to move to Corby. The campaign is centred around advertisements in newspapers, on the London Underground and on local radio. An example of one of the posters in the 'More for your Money' campaign (photographed on the London Underground) can be found here (willj.net)

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Corby doesn't have a passenger rail service. Midland Mainline, the train operating company (TOC), currently runs bus services from Kettering, providing a half-hourly shuttle to Corby Town Centre. This has proved to be successful and Midland Mainline are conducting a feasibility study to see if a passenger rail service to Corby would be viable.
Their rail franchise is up for renewal in 2007 and as of June 22nd 2007 it was announced that Corby is to have a railway station, which will be located at the old bus depot adjacent to The White Hart public house. A petition with some 10,000 signatures was handed in to Whitehall as part of a public campaign to show support for the creation of a new train station. As of December 2008 Corby will have an hourly service which will run to nearby Kettering and then on to London. However, the service won't go north of Corby: residents wishing to travel north will still have to travel to Kettering station. Although successful in securing a southbound service, residents are nevertheless calling for northbound services, preferably to Glasgow or Edinburgh (reflecting the town's strong Scottish links).

Trivia

The actor Brendan Coyle (Thief Takers, Rockface, Tomorrow Never Dies) was born and raised in Corby.

Corby was mentioned at length on the BBC Comedy Panel Quiz, QI (Series 'C', Episode 8 - Broadcast 18th November 2005) where numerous facts about the town were mentioned including the crater on Mars, the non-existent railway station and the Porridge Eating Championships. Points were deducted from Phill Jupitus' score when he used the 'obvious' answer of 'the sainted trouser press' to the question 'Name something beginning with C that was invented in Corby'. The Corby Trouser press was in fact created by John Corby in Windsor, England and later manufactured in Andover.

Corby crater on Mars is named after the town of Corby.

Corby was also mentioned by the Astronauts during the Apollo 11 Space Mission after resident John Coyle gained the world porridge eating record and the Astronauts said they were so hungry they'd give him a run for his money.

Corby annually hosts the UK's most southerly Highland Gathering. To promote the event in the 1970s the town hosted the World Porridge Eating Championships.

Corby has strong ties to Sir Matt Busby whose sisters lived in the town for many years. A lounge was named in his honour in Lodge Park sport centre, which he opened in 1974.

Ex-footballer Eddie McGoldrick comes from Corby and managed Corby Town F.C. for a short period.

Heavy metal band, Raging Speedhorn, were formed in Corby.

TV Presenter Johnny Vaughan was a life-guard at the local swimming baths whilst attending the nearby Uppingham Public School.

Author of the Inspector Morse books, Colin Dexter taught at Corby Grammar School (now Queen Elizabeth School).

Award-winning Crime Novelist Jill McGown is a famous resident and based her first novel "A Perfect Match" around a murder located at the town's boating lake.

The novel 'The Pig' by Andrew Cowan is set in the town, although not named.

Novelist John Burnside set 'Living Nowhere' in Corby, where he lived in the 60s and 70s. It features in his memoir 'A Lie About My Father' as well.

Mark Lawrenson and John Robertson both ended their footballing careers with brief spells with Corby Town F.C.

Margaret Thatcher christened Corby as : "The Gateway to The North"

The actor David McBride was from Corby and studied at Beanfield school.

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, has family based in Corby.

The song 'Steeltown' by Big Country was written about Corby.

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