Corby

This fascinating collection of over 200 old photographs shows how the modern town of Corby, once a small farming and weaving community in Rockingham Forest, has become the thriving industrial centre that it is today.

The book includes many early images of the original village, now a shadow of its former self and with few of its original buildings still standing. The modern development of Corby was heralded by the arrival of the railway in 1875. Althought the improvement in communications that the railway brought enabled a greater movement of people and, therefore, an inevitable rise in population, it was the discovery of extensive ironstone deposits during its construction that led to the most impressive expansion of Corby, as, first, quarrying, and later, steel production resulted in the development here of one of the largest steelworks in the world.

In 1946 the town acquired official 'New Town' status and although the closure of steel production in 1979 was a catastrophic event for the community, huge new investment in local industry in the following decades has ensured that the town has continued to grow and thrive.

This book will give modern residents of Corby some insight into the community that existed before the industry, both in Corby itself and in some of the villages that are now within the borough.