History Resources, Projects and Publications

This page includes links to external websites. Helmdon Parish Council cannot accept any responsibility for the information or web links provided by external websites.

Sections on this page include:

• History Resources on www.helmdonhistory.com
• Other Local and County History Resources and Societies
• Parish Church History, Memorials and Related Projects
• Publications
• Website History

See also Helmdon Local History Group.

History Resources on www.helmdonhistory.com

For research into the history of Helmdon, reminiscences from past and present residents, or to take a trip around the village, please select from:

• History Article of the Week
• History Articles
• History Projects
• Family Research
• Genealogical & Historical Documents
• Reminiscences – Full Listing
• Reminiscences – Lockdown Lowdown
• Old Village Photos and Postcards (Click ‘Photographs’ on home page)
• Helmdon Archives Parish activities between 2000 and 2018. Topics include Helmdon Parish Council, St Mary Magdalene Parish Church, Village Groups and Organisations, Helmdon Primary School, Helmdon WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) and Parish Notices.
• The HELMDON TRAIL Enjoy a walk round Helmdon, a small village set in open country in the south of Northamptonshire, England. The Helmdon Trail has old pictures and documents relating to many village buildings and locations of interest.
• (Or, click here for home page of www.helmdonhistory.com)

Other Local and County History Resources and Societies (on various websites)

• Brackley & District Local History Society (on www.northamptonshireheritageforum.co.uk)
• Northamptonshire Archaeological Society
• Northamptonshire Black History Association
• Northamptonshire Family History Society
• Northamptonshire Archives Service
• Northamptonshire Record Society
• Syresham Local History Society
• Towcester & District Local History Society

Parish Church History, Memorials and Related Projects

For information about history of the church or memorials around the village, please select from:

• Advent Windows (on this website)
• Helmdon Yew Trees (on www.helmdonhistory.com)
• Helmdon War Memorial Project – “The Men Behind The Names” background information plus a 103 page document (on this website)
• Memorial Inscriptions around the Village (on www.helmdonhistory.com)
• Parish Church History (on www.helmdonhistory.com)
• Kneeler Project (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

Publications

Snapshop Project

A photographic project, recording life in Helmdon during one week in 2011, repeating it again in 2021. More information is available here (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

Film: Helmdon 1999 – A Year In The Life Of A Village

The film “Helmdon 1999 – A Year in the Life of Helmdon”, produced by Helmdon WEA (Worker’s Educational Association) Local Studies Group, was completed in April 2000. Copies were given to the Record Office for posterity (with explanatory typescript) and to Helmdon Parish Council. Copies for loan are available to village organisations, please contact helmdonpcweb@gmail.com.

Aspects of Helmdon – WEA Local Studies Group publication

In 1995 John Raybould tutored a WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) course entitled “The Changing Village”. It covered the last hundred years, and focused on Helmdon. His enthusiasm lingered after the course was over, whetting the appetite for further historical research, and several members of the original class formed themselves into a Local Studies Group. At the beginning, Val and Stewart Moir, Judy Cairns, Audrey Forgham (fomerly Harwood), Jean Spendlove and the late Will Watson were the main members. In Spring 2000 two new members, Danny and Kate Moody, joined the group, both very interested in the difficult-to-unravel early history of Helmdon.

From the outset, the group felt that what was researched should be recorded so, steered by Ross Vicars in the early years, and then by Audrey Forgham, a series of booklets entitled ‘Aspects of Helmdon’ were published between 1997 and 2008. A summary of the topics covered in each edition can be viewed here (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

All articles contained in the six editions of ‘Aspects of Helmdon’ have been copied to Helmdon Historical Articles (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

Helmdon Voice – Parish Council Newsletter

Helmdon Voice was published quarterly from 2011 to 2015.
Copies are available to view/download here (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

Helmdon Talkabout – Printed Village News Booklets

Helmdon Talkabout was printed quarterly up to issue 47, October 2010.
Publication information can be found here (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

Website History

Helmdon’s Original Website

The creation of a Helmdon web site was first mooted in 1999. This was www.helmdon.com, which evolved into a comprehensive village website with Danny Moody as webmaster and Audrey Forgham as website editor. It soon became a valuable resource for the whole village.  More information in history article 115 (on www.helmdonhistory.com)

The website received much praise. In March 2002 it received the Amdow Web Design Community Website Award. It was reviewed by BBC’s Radio Five team as part of Simon Mayo’s regular “Top Web Sites of the Week” feature, and in April 2002 they placed it fourth. Later the website was acclaimed the UK Villages Online Web Site for 2003.

Further success came in the Calor Village of the Year 2005, when the web site was instrumental in Helmdon winning the ICT Village of the Year for Central England (see press cutting on www.helmdonhistory.com).

In 2013 the website won a prize for being the most informative website in Northamptonshire in a competition run by Northamptonshire ACRE.

The Parish Council Website

In 2018 Helmdon Parish Council took over the transmitting information about the council and village activities using a new website, namely www.helmdonparishcouncil.gov.uk. The original website became www.helmdonhistory.com and continues to record the history of the village and it’s environment (see the first section of this page).

Helmdon’s Latest Website

In 2024, the Parish Council switched to a new service provider, giving us a new address https://helmdonparishcouncil.gov.uk. This new site is designed to be easy to use. Anything yet to be incorporated is listed on Site Updates.