[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]Northampton is not the northern bit of Southampton. It's a [ITAL][PARA]pleasant [EITAL]market town, slap bang between Brum and London, a [PARA]bit too far east to be properly in the Midlands, and too far north to [PARA]be in the Home Counties. Its nearest neighbour is the [ITAL]dreaded [EITAL][PARA]Milton Keynes, but there's some [ITAL]lovely[EITAL] countryside nearby to get [PARA]lost in. Historically, it's the centre of the British shoe industry, [ITAL][PARA]which is very nice if you like shoes[EITAL], and, more recently, [PARA]Carlsberg UK has set up shop here. [ITAL]Northampton; probably the [PARA]most Northampton-ish town in the world. [EITAL]Now we've got the [PARA]town placed, Nene College is about 21/2 miles away[ITAL], [EITAL]on two [PARA]landscaped campuses, with modern building developments, [ITAL][PARA]tastefully arranged. [EITAL]There's a ú25m building programme [PARA]currently underway[ITAL]. [EITAL]It's just been allowed to award its own [PARA]degrees, making it a university in all but name. Talking of which; [PARA]it's pronounced 'Nenn', not 'Neen', or 'Ne-Ne', which is a Hawaiian[PARA]goose, or 'Nena', who had a hit with '99 Red Balloons' in 1983, [PARA]and didn't shave her armpits.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]The main campus is buzzing and friendly, benefiting from the [PARA]mixture of management trainees (suits and hair-gel), a good few [PARA]mature students, as well as the expected post A-level [PARA]starry-eyed lager kids. The Avenue Campus, a couple of miles [PARA]away, throws this social miscegenation into even sharper relief, [PARA]by letting the drama, art and fashion luvvies run wild alongside the[PARA]less luvvy engineers. But everyone seems to get on, a level of [PARA]friendliness which is extended to relations with the locals, [PARA]possibly because the college is small enough not to get on their [PARA]nerves too much.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]NORTHAMPTON:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 200,000 [BULL] Distance 1: miles [BULL] Distance 2: [PARA]miles [BULL] Distance 3: miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]Northampton has managed to maintain its ancient market square[PARA](the largest in Britain) in [ITAL]something approaching good nick[EITAL], and [PARA]there are some [ITAL]lovely[EITAL] examples of Victorian and Georgian [PARA]architecture around the city centre. [ITAL]Some of the outer reaches [PARA]are closer to prefab hell, however[EITAL]. In amongst the urban planning[PARA]practical, you can find the usual array of banks, malls, [PARA]supermarkets, book shops (new and 2nd hand), art galleries and [PARA]museums, [ITAL]although the leather museum isn't as much fun as it [PARA]sounds[EITAL]. Other attractions include regular hot-air balloon festivals [PARA]([ITAL]why don't they get together with the museum people, and make [PARA]a leather balloon?[EITAL]) and one of the best-preserved Norman round [PARA]churches in the country.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Northampton station is about 4 miles from the main [PARA]campus, offering mainline services to London, Birmingham and [PARA]Milton Keynes.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Midland Fox and National Express services to, among [PARA]others, London (ú7, 1:55hrs, 5/day) and Birmingham (ú3.25, [PARA]1:35hrs, 4/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] The M1 goes right past Northampton, although there's about [PARA]3 miles of wiggling before you get to Nene. There's also the A45,[PARA]A50, and A43.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Hitching is reasonably easy near the M1 junctions.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Buses are reliable, [EITAL]running every 15mins to the Park [PARA]campus (70p one way). There's also a free bus between the 2 [PARA]Nene campuses.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] Westbridge and Favell companies offer student discounts.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]There are some bike lanes, but not throughout town, [PARA]and the roads are pretty busy. Park campus has locked sheds.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Books: 160,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 1,000 [BULL] Study places: 515 [PARA]Computer workstations: 2,000[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]Libraries on each campus, and 24-hour access to computer [PARA]facilities.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 2full/2part [BULL] Unemployed [PARA]after 6mths (1992): 18%[ESTAT][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Daniel Ash, David J (Bauhaus/Love and Rockets); Lord Hesketh [PARA](Tory peer, Formula 1 team manager); Jonn (Ned's Atomic [PARA]Dustbin); Des O'Connor (entertainer).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and part-timers. Student handbook[PARA]from SU.
