London Road, Northampton Eleanor Cross

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 18 Aug 2018

When Eleanor of Castile, the first wife of Edward I, died in 1290 at Harby near Lincoln, the king ordered the building of a series of twelve lavishly decorated and elegant memorial crosses to mark each of the resting places of his wife’s funeral procession as it travelled from Lincoln to her burial place at Westminster Abbey, London. Only three of the twelve crosses which were erected remain standing today; they are at Geddington, Waltham and here at Hardingstone, Northampton. The cross at Northampton is the only surviving one which included statuary by the royal sculptor William of Ireland, who worked on four other Eleanor crosses which have since been destroyed. In its architectural and sculptural detail, the octagonal cross is a rare and well-documented example of mediæval stone carving of the highest quality. It features carved figures that stand beneath a canopy at the top. The cross at the very top of the monument is missing and was recorded as missing as early as the middle of the 15th century. It has the unique feature of an open book carved on four alternating sides of the lower tier. The cross is a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Historic England List entry Number: 1015536 https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1015536 ) and a Grade I listed building (Historic England List entry Number: 1039797 https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1039797 ). It stands on a grassy knoll beside the busy A508 (London Road).

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