Brackley Through Time

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Brackley has changed and developed over the last century.

Brackley is a market town with a long history and strong set of traditions expressed through culture, sport and festivals. Set within the beautiful rolling countryside of south Northamptonshire, it consists of a market place with an attractive Georgian town hall built in 1706 and a broad, tree-lined uphill high street to the north. Up until 1987, this carried volumes of traffic on what was the A43 - the main link between the north and south - essentially dividing the town into two sides. An unintended consequence of the construction of the town bypass was to lessen passing trade and put pressure on town traders, but with excellent road communications easy access is gained to all points of the compass. Today, Brackley''s identity is in part shaped by its association with Silverstone and the motor sport industry, and the current masterplan for the town is intended to herald a new era of prosperity for the town.