60 Miles by Road or Rail

The catchy if somewhat cheesy 60 Miles by Road or Rail vinyl 7 inch single was released in 1980. It was inspired by a national radio jingle advertising Northampton’s convenient proximity to London that was hoping to lure people and businesses to the town from the late 1960s onwards.

Historically Northampton was a market town, but on the 14 February 1968, it was designated a new town and an area ripe for expansion under the New Towns Act of 1965. The Northampton Development Corporation was set up to develop the town in partnership with the local council, spending £205 million building new housing, industrial estates and the infra structure to provide homes and jobs for Londoners and those from the south-east. It saw the creation of the Eastern District, the Southern district and later on the Hunsbury developments.

The record voiced how easy it was to commute between London and Northampton using the convenient transport links of both road - the M1 opened to the south-west of the town in 1959 - and rail. With a population of 130,000 in 1971, by 1984 it had increased to 163,000. The population today is close to 240,000, but it was estimated it would reach 260,000 by now.

The B side Energy in Northampton, also sung by Linda Jardim, describes the arrival of aliens to the town in searching for vital energy to survive and a new place to live. The lyrics were sung to the same tune as 60 Miles by Road or Rail!

Number 95 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.