About Northampton Station
Following the discovery of a large quantity of ironstone in Northamptonshire in 1851, a proposal was made by the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR) for an 18 mile line from Market Harborough to Northampton which received Parliamentary approval in 1853.
Castle station as it was then known, would be the most basic structure on the line with no goods facilities, limited passenger waiting accommodation and an awning over the single platform. The station opened with the line on 16 February 1859. It was described in the L&NWR's minutes as a "very unassuming edifice", giving the impression that it was "merely temporary in nature" until traffic developed to a sufficient level to allow a "more imposing" structure to be built.
1880-81 rebuilding
In 1875, the L&NWR obtained powers to quadruple the main line north from Bletchley to Roade, with the two new tracks (the "slow lines") diverging at Roade so as to form a new line (the "Northampton Loop"). The result of these works would be to put Northampton on an important coal artery from Nottingham and the North to the L&NWR's Camden goods depot.
Additional land was required to allow for expanded passenger facilities and goods facilities. Due to the proximity of the River Nene, the only way this could be done was to expand onto the site of Northampton Castle. On 18 December 1876, the L&NWR purchased the site from William Walker and subsequently demolished the remains of the castle except for the postern gate which, following a local petition, was moved to a new site in the boundary wall of the new station where it remains to this day. The rebuilt station opened with the Loop Line north to Rugby on 1 December 1881 followed by the line south to Roade on 3 April 1882.
1965-66 remodelling
The station was chosen by British Rail for complete rebuilding in 1965-66 to designs by the architect Ray Moorcroft, as part of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line between Euston and Liverpool. The Victorian station was demolished to be replaced by new structures which were described as "three cowsheds bolted together" and as being of "questionable architectural merit".
2013-14 rebuilding
By the late 2000s, the station had become inadequate for the size of the town which it served and the 2.5 million passengers which used it each year. Following the designation of Northampton Waterside as an enterprise zone in August 2011, plans to replace the existing station with a new two-storey glass and steel structure were approved.
The redevelopment included a new station building nearly twice the size of the existing one, a new multi-storey car park, footbridge and platform canopies. Construction work began in August 2013 with the new station opening on 12 January 2015.
The Cache
The cache is not at the posted cords, however if you visit them you will find the Key to the Final cords
The cache is a bit more of an eye test now as the original number discs seem to have been removed.