Page 11 - Oundle Life February 2023

shops – many of Oundle’s businesses owe their existence to the success of the school.
The school’s grand stone houses and halls also make Oundle the attractive and idyllic town it
is today. Tradition has kept Oundle safe from modern developers and ugly warehouses and continues to ensure the classical look of the town.
The student population has also led to many festivals and events being staged locally, like the Oundle International Festival, the Oundle Festival of Literature, the Oundle Fringe Festival, and the Oundle Carnival.
In 1980, the disused Congregational Church was converted into the Stahl Theatre (named after US citizen Ronald Stahl, who lived in Oundle at the turn of the 20th century). The 264-seat theatre is also owned by Oundle School and still plays host to a variety of local groups, including the town’s Gilbert and Sullivan Players.
Oundle has been permanently settled
for more than 5,000 years and has seen its
fair share of struggle and strife in that time. From warring Iron Age tribes to Roman and Norman conquerors, and through the age of enlightenment, the industrial revolution, and two world wars, Oundle has survived and thrived. To walk its streets is to walk through every age of recorded English history. Spare a moment to appreciate that, next time you pop out for a loaf of bread.
Stuart Barker is a professional writer and author. He has a keen interest in local history and likes nothing better than riding round Northants visiting historical sites on his motorcycle.
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