On October 5, 1783, William Carey walked five miles from Piddington to Northampton, for John Ryland Jr. (1753-1825) to immerse him in the River Nene at 6:00 AM. he was baptized on the spot where the modern railway station is now located. The construction of the station necessitated the rerouting of the River Nene. Carey’s baptism took place where the station’s “platform one” ends. In 2011, for the 250th anniversary of Carey’s birth, a William Carey plaque was unveiled here at the railway station.
At Doddridge Street (NN1 2RN) is Castle Hill United Reformed Church, once known as Castle Hill Church, where the independent Congregationalist, Phillip Doddridge (1702-51), served as pastor. While Doddridge’s compromising endorsements led many young men toward erroneous doctrines, his songs, such as “O Happy Day,” and his classic book, The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul (1745), are still in use. Read more...
John Collett Ryland Sr. (1723-92) and John Ryland Jr. served the pastorate of Northampton’s College Lane Baptist Church (built in 1697). The church became College Street Baptist Church, in 1863, when the congregation erected a new building on the same site. The church would later close, but, on College Street, one can admire this magnificent building’s classical facade of Corinthian pillars. Read more...
