Village History
Historic Maps & Then-and-Now Views
Explore how Wollaston has changed through historic maps, photographs and modern views.
"Every map tells a story. Compare Wollaston's past and present to discover how the village has changed through the generations."
Historic maps help us understand how Wollaston grew from a compact Northamptonshire village into the community we know today. They show old road layouts, field boundaries, farms, shoe industry buildings, pubs, churches, schools, railway links and later housing development.
Comparing maps from different eras reveals which buildings have survived, which streets have changed, and how the village expanded beyond its historic core over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The interactive map below uses historic Ordnance Survey tile layers served by the National Library of Scotland for non-commercial community heritage use. Switch between eras using the buttons above the map. The Then & Now gallery below will be expanded as more historic photographs and map extracts are sourced.
Then and Now
Historic and Modern Side by Side
Both maps stay in sync — pan or zoom one and the other follows. Switch the historic layer between the 1888–1913, 1937, and 1955 Ordnance Survey editions.
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Interactive Map
Explore Each Era
Switch between the 1888–1913 OS six-inch map, the 1937 provisional survey, the 1955 Seventh Series, and the modern view. Historic tiles served by the National Library of Scotland via MapTiler.
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MAPTILER_API_KEY in your secrets.Through the Decades
Wollaston Through the Maps
The Victorian Village
The village at the height of the boot and shoe era. Compact streets, the church at its centre, and the first workers' co-operative on Thrift Street. The railway had arrived, connecting Wollaston to the wider world.
Edwardian Expansion
Kelly's Directory of 1910 records 13 named boot and shoe manufacturers. The Coffee Tavern on Newton Road, the Working Men's Club, and the Excelsior Band Club all appear on maps of this period.
Between the Wars
The village begins to grow beyond its historic core. New housing appears on the edges. The shoe trade continues to dominate, though the first signs of change are visible in the street pattern.
Post-War Wollaston
Significant housing development changes the shape of the village. The old field boundaries begin to disappear. Scott Bader arrives as a major employer, diversifying the local economy.
Modern Growth
Further residential expansion. The shoe industry contracts sharply. The village retains its historic core but the surrounding landscape is transformed by new development.
Wollaston Now
The village as it stands today — a community of around 5,000 people. NPS Shoes still manufactures Solovair on Thrift Street. R. Griggs & Co produces selected Dr. Martens at Cobbs Lane. The historic core survives.
Explore the Village
Places to Explore on the Maps
Beacon Hill
The high ground above the village, visible on maps for centuries. A landmark that has oriented travellers and defined the village's position in the landscape.
Explore this placeSt Mary's Church
The parish church has stood at the heart of Wollaston since the 13th century. Its position on historic maps anchors every era of the village's development.
Explore this placeLondon Road
The main artery through the village, connecting Wollaston to Wellingborough and beyond. Its line has remained largely unchanged across two centuries of maps.
Explore this placeThrift Street
Home to the Northamptonshire Productive Society since 1881. The factory on Thrift Street is one of the few industrial buildings that appears on maps across every era.
Explore this placeThe Railway
The Wellingborough to Northampton branch line brought the village into the modern age. Its route, station and goods yard are clearly visible on late Victorian and Edwardian maps.
Explore this placeThe Shoe Industry
At its peak, the boot and shoe trade defined the shape of Wollaston. Factory buildings, workers' housing and co-operative premises all leave their mark on historic maps.
Explore this placeThe Nag's Head
One of Wollaston's most storied pubs, its position on the High Street is a constant across maps from the Victorian era to the present day.
Explore this placeWollaston Motors
The garage on the High Street run by Ted Trembecki — Polish airman turned local businessman — for decades. A familiar landmark to generations of villagers.
Explore this placeThe Gables
The datestone reads 1678. One of the oldest surviving buildings in Wollaston, its position at the High Street junction is visible on maps stretching back centuries.
Explore this placeOld Shops & Businesses
The changing face of the High Street and its side streets — from Victorian boot manufacturers to modern independents. Maps reveal which buildings have survived and which have gone.
Explore this placeComparison Gallery
Then and Now Gallery
Then
The High Street in the early 1900s was lined with boot and shoe workshops, a co-operative store, and several public houses. Kelly's 1910 Directory records drapers, grocers and ironmongers trading alongside the shoe trade.
Now
Today the High Street retains much of its Victorian building stock. The Thrift Shop occupies the old co-operative premises on Saturdays. Several original shopfronts survive behind modern fascias.
The High Street
Then
St Mary the Virgin has stood at the heart of Wollaston since the 13th century. The spire was rebuilt in 1893. The parish register dates from 1663 — one of the oldest continuous records of village life.
Now
The church remains the focal point of the village. Its position on the 1888 OS map is identical to today — the one constant across every era of Wollaston's development.
St Mary's Church
Then
The Northamptonshire Productive Society established its factory on Thrift Street in 1881, making it one of the earliest workers' co-operatives in the county. The building appears on every OS map from 1888 onwards.
Now
NPS Shoes still manufactures Solovair boots on Thrift Street — one of the last surviving boot and shoe factories in Northamptonshire. The factory building is largely unchanged from its Victorian footprint.
Thrift Street
Then
London Road was the main artery connecting Wollaston to Wellingborough and the wider county. The 1888 map shows it lined with terraced housing and small workshops, with the railway goods yard visible to the east.
Now
The road alignment is unchanged from the Victorian era. The railway closed in the 1960s but the route of the old branch line can still be traced on modern maps as a green corridor east of the village.
London Road
Then
The 1888 OS six-inch map shows Wollaston as a compact nucleated village — church, pub, school and co-operative all within a few minutes' walk of each other. The historic core is clearly defined by the field boundaries that surrounded it.
Now
The historic core survives largely intact. Post-war housing development expanded the village significantly to the north and west, but the original street pattern around the church and High Street is still legible.
The Village Centre
Then
At its peak in the Edwardian period, Wollaston had 13 named boot and shoe manufacturers recorded in Kelly's Directory. Their factories and workshops were scattered across the village, many in converted domestic buildings.
Now
Most of the smaller workshops have been converted to housing or demolished. R. Griggs & Co produces selected Dr. Martens at Cobbs Lane. NPS Shoes continues at Thrift Street. The industry that shaped the village endures.
The Shoe Factories
Map Sources and Permissions
Historic map extracts used on this page are included for local history, educational and community heritage purposes. Where maps are sourced from external archive collections, including the National Library of Scotland, they will be credited and used in accordance with the relevant copyright and reuse guidance.
Map source: National Library of Scotland Map Collection — attribution to be confirmed before publication.
Ordnance Survey historic maps: © Crown Copyright and database right. Historic maps out of copyright where applicable.
Share Your Knowledge
Do you have an old map or photograph of Wollaston?
We would love to hear from residents who have old maps, photographs, postcards or memories that help tell the story of Wollaston. Family collections, local archive material and personal photographs are all welcome.