High Street Culture
Find out what’s coming up in our four-year programme of cultural activity across England's High Streets Heritage Action Zones, continuing until 2024.
Enhancement of the historic environment will have a positive impact on the visual appearance of key areas while keeping their unique character.
This medieval market town expanded rapidly in the later-19th century due to the growth of the boot and shoe industry. The high street is a rich combination of the medieval church of St Peter and St Paul, pre-industrial buildings and the Victorian infrastructure developed to serve this prosperous community.
Many of the town centre's late-19th and early-20th century buildings are historically and architecturally important as they were designed in an English Renaissance style by John Alfred Gotch, the first president of the RIBA to come from outside London. One of these is the Old White Horse Pub of 1901, converted to a Burtons store in the 20th century, and now being repaired and converted to apartments as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) scheme.
Along with refurbishment of shop fronts and conversion of redundant buildings to new uses, another key element of the Kettering HSHAZ scheme is major improvement of the public realm along the southern end of the High Street through to Meadow Road and general street scene improvements within the town centre. The main aim is to revitalise key areas of the town centre by providing a cohesive and attractive high street.
Find out what’s coming up in our four-year programme of cultural activity across England's High Streets Heritage Action Zones, continuing until 2024.
Below you can find just some of the progress being made in the Kettering High Street Heritage Action Zone. For more, follow us on Twitter @HistoricEngland and check This is Kettering.
The scheme is celebrating and breathing new life into cherished heritage and public spaces. Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.
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