Rushden is a town in Northamptonshire. It forms a single urban area with the neighbouring town of Higham Ferrers. Neighbouring villages include Irchester, Wymington, Podington and Stanwick. Rushden is the fifth largest town in Northamptonshire and the largest town in the district of East Northamptonshire.

Get in

By car

• The A6 by-passes the town and gives access to Bedford to the south and Kettering to the north
• The M1 lies 10 miles (16 km) to the west, near Northampton, along the A45

Parking is free in most town centre car parks.

By train

The nearest railway station is Wellingborough. Fast trains run to and from London St Pancras, Luton, Bedford, Leicester and Kettering. Rushden is around 15 minutes by car or taxi from the station. The X46 bus runs to Rushden from Wellingborough town centre, which is about 15 minutes walk from the station.

By plane

The nearest airports are:

• London Luton (LTN ^IATA) – 45 miles (1 hour)
• Birmingham (BHX ^IATA) – 60 miles (1 hr 15 min)
• East Midlands (EMA ^IATA) – 65 miles (1 hr 15 min)
• London Stansted (STN ^IATA) – 70 miles (1 hr 30 min)
• London Heathrow (LHR ^IATA) – 75 miles (1 hr 30 min)
• London Gatwick (LGW ^IATA) – 110 miles (2 hours)

By bus

There are two main bus services:

• The M50 connects from Bedford, Sharnbrook and Kettering.
• The X46 connects with Wellingborough, Northampton, Raunds and Higham Ferrers.

See

Museums and heritage

• 1 Chichele College, College Street, Higham Ferrers NN10 8DZ, ☏ +44 1933 655401. The gardens are open any reasonable time during daylight hours. To view the chapel, see the Key Keeper's phone number on the website. A rare surviving example of a chantry college, founded in 1422 by the locally born Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury. Such colleges, common in England in the 14th and 15th centuries, were groups of priests who shared a communal life which was less strictly controlled than that of a monastery. The gatehouse, chapel and other remains of the college buildings survive, and the chapel is now regularly used for art exhibitions. Free. (updated Sep 2018)
• 2 Rushden Historic Transport Museum, Station Approach, NN10 0AW, ☏ +44 1933 353111, museum@rhts.co.uk. The railway operates during special events like the Music and Real Ale Festival, and at Christmas. In the preserved Rushden railway station, there are transport displays. Also has a real ale bar. It uses both steam and diesel locomotives operating passenger trains along 1/2 mile (800 m) of track (as of 2016). There are plans to extend the line to a halt at Higham Ferrers. (updated May 2019)
• 3 Rushden Museum, The Old Stable Block, Hall Avenue, NN10 9EP (Vehicle access is to the rear of Rushden Hall in the grounds of Hall Park. Drivers should leave Hall Avenue following the Museum signs into the free car park. Pedestrians can enter Hall Park from High Street South, Wymington Road or Hall Avenue. The museum is to the left of Rushden Hall, through the arch, past the toilets, and into the car park at the rear of the Hall.), ☏ +44 1933 317261. (updated Sep 2018)

The cars get a lot faster and louder than this

• 4 Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Road, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7XA, ☏ +44 1234 782828. A racetrack in the village of Podington to the south. Hosts drag race meetings, modified car shows, VW Beetle & Camper festivals, Japanese performance car events, retro & classic car events, Drift What Ya Brung (DWYB), top fuel dragsters, jet cars, rocket bikes, monster trucks and stunt displays. (updated Sep 2018)
• 5 Rushden Hall. Historic house, HQ of town council and sometimes open for exhibitions. Rooms available for hire for weddings and other events. (updated Dec 2020)
• 6 St Mary's Church. A medieval church with a 200-foot-tall (60-m) spire located in the centre of Rushden.  

Parks and nature

Stanwick Lakes country park

• 7 Stanwick Lakes, Stanwick, Northants NN9 6GY, ☏ +44 1933 625522, info@rftrust.org.uk. March to October, visitor centre 10AM-5PM, site 7AM-9PM; November to February, visitor centre 10AM–4PM weekdays and 10AM-5PM weekends and school holidays, site 7AM-5PM. 750-acre country park and nature reserve in the Nene Valley. Play areas, open spaces and paths for families, walkers, cyclists and nature lovers to explore. Visitor centre with café, shop and function space, hosting events, family celebrations, business meetings and craft workshops. (updated Sep 2018)
• Rushden Hall Park near the town centre. Besides the hall and Rushden Museum, it has a children's playground, a small stream with woods and tree-lined paths. In the summer, it hosts free concerts.
• Irchester Country Park. A large country park in the nearby village of Irchester. 
• 8 Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows. A Wildlife Trust nature reserve centred on an old train line. Connects to Rushden Lakes on the south side and Stanwick Lakes to the north. (updated Dec 2020)
• Rushden-Higham Pocket Park A wildlife haven along the site of a disused railway.
• Jubilee Park In the south of Rushden, it includes a skateboarding ramp.
• Spencer Park Just north of Rushden town centre, it includes a small stream and children's playground.

Do

• 1 Rushden Lakes, NN10 6FH (Stagecoach Midlands buses routes 45, 49, 50 and X46/X47, just off the A45, 25 minutes walk from Rushden town centre), ☏ +44 1933 427925, customerservices@rushdenlakes.com. Core shopping hours 9AM-8PM. Restaurants and cinema open later. Integrated leisure complex comprising out of town shopping complex with usual high-street stores, with a smattering of restaurants and a multi-screen cinema. Built on an old gravel mining site, the facilities give easy access to the wildlife reserve of Nene Wetlands, for which there is a visitor centre. (updated Jul 2018)
• Splash Leisure Pool. Facilities include a 25-metre pool, beach pool with water features including jacuzzi, flume, teaching pool, and a cafe. (updated Sep 2018)
• Wacky Warehouse Indoor play area for children, located in the Needle & Awl pub in Northampton Road.
• The Pemberton Centre - a leisure and conference centre which has a wide range of sports facilities for all the family within its multi-purpose sports hall and squash court plus the dance studio and Aspirations gym.

Sport

• AFC Rushden and Diamonds Football Club - formed in 2011 following the demise of Rushden and Diamonds. They play in the Southern Premier league division 1 East. They share their ground with Rushden and Higham Football club, Hayden Road, Rushden NN10 OHX.
• 9 Rushden and Higham Football Club, Hayden Road, NN10 0HX, ☏ +44 1933 410036. They play in Division One of the United Counties League. (updated Dec 2020)
• Rushden and Higham Rugby Club, ☏ +44 1933 312071. They play at Manor Park, Bedford Road, Rushden, NN10 0AS. (updated Dec 2020)
• Rushden Town Bowling Club, 144 Northampton Road, NN10 6AN, ☏ +44 1933 312680. 
• Rushden Town Cricket Club Club Short Stocks, Rushden, NN10 0AB. (☏ +44 1933 353522)

Buy

Rushden has a long high street with a mixture of independent retailers and chain stores.

• Osborne's Traditional toy shop said to be the oldest in the county.
• Sherwood Antiques Old fashioned antique shop in Little Street about 5–10 minutes walk from the town centre.
• Several chain stores including Boots, WHSmith, Asda, Iceland and Wilkinson.

Higham Ferrers has its own small selection of mainly independent retailers.

• 1 Higham Ferrers Farmers' Market, The Market Square, Higham Ferrers (car parking possible on Midland Road), danielle@highamferrers-tc.gov.uk. Last Saturday of each month 9AM–1PM except for December when it is on the last available Saturday before Christmas. A modest selection of stalls: butchers, bakers, cheesemakers, grocers, from farms and producers in the surrounding area. (updated Sep 2018)
• Out of town stores located just off the Northampton Road include Wickes, Lidl, Waitrose which also has a large non-food section, i.e. John Lewis items.

Eat

• Thainn, 26 High Street South, NN10 0QX, ☏ +44 1933 313248. Thai 
• The Curry Garden, 24 Church Street, NN10 9YT, ☏ +44 1933 314121. 
• Cafe Bangla, 86 High Street, NN10 0PQ, ☏ +44 1933 411994. Indian. 
• Pizzeria Venezia, 28 Church Street, NN10 9YT, ☏ +44 1933 317443. Italian 

Drink

Rushden Town Centre

• Wheatsheaf Inn, 1 High Street South, NN10 0QU, ☏ +44 1933 312214. 
• Rose and Crown, 73 High Street

North Rushden

• Needle & Awl Northampton Road

South Rushden

• The Compasses High Street South

Higham Ferrers

• The Carriage House 158 Queen Street
• King Edward VII Inn Market Square

Sleep

• Travelodge, Located on the A45 eastbound, NN10 6AP. 
• Green Dragon, 4 College Street. Higham Ferrers 
• Sharnbrook Hotel - on the A6 about 5 miles south of Rushden

Go next

Attractions

• Wicksteed Park large theme park in Kettering (8 miles north) aimed for young children
• Rockingham Castle medieval castle in the village of Rockingham near Corby - hosts several events throughout the year
• Kirby HallEnglish Heritage property near Corby, vast mansion with gardens, famous for its peacocks

Towns and cities

• Cambridge, 40 miles to the east of Rushden is one of England's most famous academic cities, many historic colleges, punting on the River Cam is a popular pastime. About an hour by car.
• Northampton about 13 miles west, county town, modern cathedral
• Milton Keynes about 18 miles south west, famous for a huge shopping centre and concrete cows
• Peterborough about 28 miles away, famous medieval cathedral, large shopping centre, Nene Valley railway, Flag fen Bronze Age excavation site
• Bedford about 13 miles south, famous for its association with the writer John Bunyan
• London about an hour away by train from Bedford or Wellingborough stations.

Routes through Rushden

Leicester ← Kettering ←

NW  S

→ Bedford → Luton