Growing up in Northampton as a kid and going to Bective Lower and Bective Middle I heard the Northampton accent or ‘twang’ everyday. In shops down the front in Kingsthorpe, on the market, or around family and friends. Saturday mornings spent in Lawrence’s eating their legendary, and much missed by me, Towcester Cheesecake. Or in the fish market buying a pint of winkles. Or down the cattle market with my old man.

It’s an accent that is slowly disappearing, the last time I heard it was in Brian Harradine’s Fruit, Veg and Flowers shop on the corner of Lutterworth Road and Wellingborough Road. I think it was Brian’s mother. He Northampton accent was great, when I worked around the corner and used to pop in for fresh fruit I always wanted to record her speaking but never got around to asking. I regret this. The shop is gone, it’s a European Cafe now.

But on this page I will try and add the Northamptonshire words I remember growing up and some that I still use to this day.