Blue plaque trail unveiled in historic market town

Cathy Kennedy said the almshouses were built for widows or spinsters of the parish

A blue plaque trail around a town where a former Archbishop of Canterbury lived aims to highlight the "interesting history of an already interesting place".

Cathy Kennedy has helped to establish the hour-long trail in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, where Henry Chichele was born.

Visitors to the market town can see 16 places around the town.

Highlights included Chichele College, founded in 1422; the home of Darling Buds of May author HE Bates, a former mortuary and almshouses.

A blue plaque explains the history of The Old House, which used to be a bakery, private residence and guest house

Chichele was born in the town in about 1362.

He was the country's most senior bishop from 1414 and 1443.

As well as Chichele College, he was also the founder of All Souls College, Oxford, in 1438.

Brenda Lofthouse, from the town's tourism group, said Higham Ferrers was the centre of the Lancastrain Dynasty.

"Although it was a small town, it was an important one - you had a number of people who came through who became part of the town's history."

She said one plaque is on Chichele's former home, owned by All Souls College, which was saved from demolition in 1950.

The remains of Chicele College is on the blue plaque route

Ms Kennedy said: "I just felt there was lots of interesting history in Higham and all these blue plaques around the place which didn't tell us very much about what went on behind the blue plaques."

She hopes people walking the trail will find "a bit more interesting history to an already interesting place".

"One of my favourite buildings in the town is the cemetery chapel, where one half still has the mortuary slab in it."

Almshouses on the trail in Highham Ferrers

The town's almshouses - still in use- traditionally provided six homes for widows of the parish to live at "relatively cheap rent".

She said the parameters had slightly changed through the years as one property was now "lived in by a gentleman".

Visitors can also go to the Green Dragon Hotel on College Street