Welton seems to have always been a village that looks both backwards and forwards, as evidenced by our recent discovery of the Welton 2000 Project.
Mentioned throughout Welton News and Views in 1989, it was clearly a major community effort designed to celebrate the approaching Millennium.
Yet more than twenty‑six years later, the project appears to have slipped from sight — unless, of course, you know differently!
In December 1989, the Welton Local History Society reported that the WI, the Brownies, schoolchildren and society members had spent the year gathering material for an appraisal of the parish’s past and present, with an eye on what future changes might help — or hinder — village life.
An exhibition had been held in the village hall on Saturday 4 November 1989, showcasing everything collected so far:
- WI questionnaire findings — a display built from responses to a summer survey.
- Brownies’ gravestone survey — names, dates and a full plan of standing stones in the churchyard.
- Parish footpaths — detailed descriptions and photographs charting routes across the village.
- Then‑and‑now photographs — historic images paired with modern views of the same locations.
- Hedge‑dating research — including hedges along Kiln Lane and the B4036*, estimated at around 700 years old using Hooper’s Rule.
- Schoolchildren’s nature study — drawings and notes on local wildlife, from badgers and deer to the discovery of a snake’s nest.
• What exactly did the WI questionnaire ask, and what insights did villagers share?
• Where did all the collected materials go after the exhibition?
• Which hedges along Kiln Lane were identified as medieval, and can they still be located?
Were these hedges along Kiln Lane catalogued as medieval?
If any long‑time residents, former WI members, Brownies, or History Society volunteers still have memories — or boxes in the loft — the Welton 2000 Project may yet be rediscovered. Do get in touch if you can help.
Note: B4036 Road Reclassification
The B4036 near Welton refers to a historic road classification that was formally changed in the 1990s. The original route connected Daventry to Market Harborough and ran directly past the village.
Under the reclassification, the Welton–Watford section ceased to be the B4036 and became part of the B5385. It now carries traffic over the West Coast Mainline near the former Welton Station and passes under the M1. The Welton–Daventry stretch was downgraded to an unclassified country road.
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