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How Corby was reborn as a new town 75 years ago

Louise Parry & Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire
Dennis Taylor A black and white photo of Corby town centre in the 1970s, looking down a main road with two lanes on each side of the carriageway. The buildings are all post-war and boxy. There is an open-topped car park on the right with many retro cars parked. More cars are parked on the main street and pedestrians walk on both pavements. In the distance are industrial looking buildings.Dennis Taylor
Corby was designated a new town in 1950

The first day of April 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the village of Corby in Northamptonshire officially becoming a new town.

The Glasgow-based steel making firm of Stewarts and Lloyds relocated to Corby in 1932, and thousands of Scottish workers headed south to what became known as "Little Scotland".

By 1950, the population had grown from 1,500 to 18,000, and it was designated as a new town the same year.

Corby Town Council is planning to hold a public exhibition to mark the anniversary.

Tom Beattie, the previous leader of Corby Borough Council, moved to the town as a teenager in the 1970s.

"I remember the steel works which were completely dominant in the town. At night the town would be lit up from the Corby Candle," he said.

"There was a smell about the place, you could tell it was an industrial town."

Since then, the town's steelworks expanded massively, before being almost wiped out, leaving Corby to re-invent itself at the end of the 20th Century.

Mr Beattie added: "Corby has a strong sense of community.

"It had then and it has now. I'm very proud of what Corby has become."

Corby Development Corporation A black and white aerial photograph of Corby, showing a wide main road to the right, large industrial buildings at the top of the picture, and houses with open space at the bottom.Corby Development Corporation
With the population of Corby increasing dramatically, the government named Corby as one of a series of new towns designed to alleviate the post-war housing shortage
Evening Standard/Getty Images A row of council houses, some with boarded up windows, sitting in the shadow of huge industrial steelworks. It is a very striking black and white image with the cooling towers and tall steelwork towers rising up behind the houses.Evening Standard/Getty Images
Corby was dominated by the steel and iron industry until 1979, when British Steel announced that most of the works would be closed and thousands lost their jobs
Getty Images A line of people on the steps of a stone-built building (in London). The group includes men, women and children generally casually dressed. Getty Images
After a long court battle, Corby Borough Council was found to have been negligent during the clear-up of the steelworks and families of children born with birth defects received compensation
Northants Telegraph Corby centre in 1995. It is colourful with royal blue metal posts and edging around the shopping centre and bandstand. A paved pedestrianised area runs among the buildings which include a Burton shop. Some workmen are on the bandstand roof and finishing the paving. A block of flats above the precinct.Northants Telegraph
Steelworks closures continued into the 1990s, with the Cold Drawn Tubes division shutting in 1995. However, an enterprise zone had been set up in 1981 and, with the help of public and private money, Corby started to recover, as this photo from 1995 shows
Robert Laberge/Getty A racetrack on which grand prix-style cars can be seen racing. They have just come round a 90 degree bend. Spectators are visible in a stand in the foreground which follows the bend round to the right while paddocks can be seen in the centre of the tracks with blue garages.Robert Laberge/Getty
The new millennium saw more regeneration projects - Rockingham Motor Speedway opened in 2001 and once hosted the British Touring Cars Championship before it closed to competitive racing in 2018
North Northamptonshire Council New-looking swimming pool with eight lanes marked out on the bottom of the pool in blue. There is a white board across the lanes about halfway down. There is also blue and yellow bunting above the pool. Metal steps into the water are visible to the right. There is a white-tiled floor around the poolNorth Northamptonshire Council
Corby East Midlands International Pool was opened in 2009 by Olympic swimmer and Strictly Come Dancing star Mark Foster. The £19m facility includes a 50m Olympic length pool, making it a popular choice for hosting competitions
Ian Bateman Aerial shot of Corby cube - a cube-shaped modern building with plant rooms on the roof. The walls are steel and glass, and are black in colour. There are grass-covered steps to the right of the building and a car park in the foreground.Ian Bateman
One of the biggest projects, The Cube, houses council offices as well as a library, theatre and register office. It opened in 2010 and ran £13m over budget
Alamy Highland pipers process down a road playing the pipes. They are six abreast with rows back as far as the eye can see, wearing kilts in blue, red or green tartan and sporrans round their waists. They wear white knee length socks and black shoes, with black hats.Alamy
Despite all the changes, the Scottish influence on Corby is alive and well. The town holds an annual Highland gathering and is said to have the highest sales of Irn Bru outside Scotland
The exterior of the new Corby Cafe, with people sitting on chairs and tables outside. There are lots of photos of food in the window and the sign has a black background with green, red and yellow writing.
In 2014, the New Corby Cafe was selling a lot more Scottish breakfasts - which include a square sausage, tattie scone and black pudding - than English breakfasts
Corby Town Council A Pride parade in Corby town centre. People wearing large floating rainbow coloured butterfly wings seen from behind as they process or dance in the town square. Trees line the square and a large tower block is behind it. It is a blue sky.Corby Town Council
Community events are thriving in Corby - it started hosting a Pride festival in 2023 with a procession running from the Cube to Coronation Park

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