Naseby Visitor Centre - Planning Permission granted

The Daventry District Council Planning Committee met on Wednesday, 20 July 2011, to consider the application for outline permission to build a ‘Living History’ Visitor Centre just to the south of the registered battlefield. The recommendation of the planning officer was that it should be turned down on the grounds that the setting of the battlefield would be adversely affected and that greenfield development was contrary to planning policy.

Lord Naseby advocated the Battlefield Project’s view that the structure would be concealed from sight from the battlefield itself and that the value of this heritage asset would be enhanced. The question of sustainability was had been answered by the submission of a business plan based upon the Feasibility Study completed in 2009 which concluded the centre will be economically viable. Lord Naseby was supported by Cllr Chris Millar, who is both Leader of the District Council and represents a constituency including Naseby on the County Council. The importance of the battle was recognised by all speakers and the contribution to the economic and heritage well-being of the county and the country was cited as a basis for setting aside the view of the planning officer. The application was approved by eleven votes to one.

Work will now start on the detailed planning of the building, its content and the thirty-six acre site pledged to the charity by a small group of supporters. The raising of funds to discharge their loans and transfer control of the land to the Project is an immediate priority.

Guild Day at the National Army Museum 9th July 2011

John Greenacre answering questions







Answering general questions from the audience at the close of the event




Mike Sheil showing the Loos football

The Guild has received the following e-mail from a member of the audience:

"I would like to say thank you for a very enjoyable and informative day, an excellent program, and as they say everything tells a story. I again would like to say thank you to Major and Mrs Holt for all the assistance they have given me through their books, which I advised them at the time, also to all your members during the day I spoke too.

I especially enjoyed Dr John Greenacre and Major Mike Peters Airborne Battlefields, which I felt was very apt after just coming back from taking a group of 12 people around Arnham covering Market Garden. It was a shame I did not have some of the facts that they stated between them, but I have for my next group when I do Normandy later in the year.

Michael St Maur Sheil, the battlefield through a lens was very poignant, to think what had occured in those actual fields, I felt the pictures was still showing the electricity of those, that was there. My next group is around the Somme area, which again, I was covering the tale of the football, but I can now say I have touched the football."

MB Canterbury

Who is this Man?

Can anyone tell me who this gentleman might be? His uniform is that of the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars and the picture was painted sometime after 1902 and probably before 1914.

If you know who he might be please let the Guild Secretary know.