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Northampton city status: People's photos could help bid

West Northamptonshire Council Cultural Quarter, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
Northampton's Cultural Quarter is home to the town's museum and the Royal & Derngate Theatre

A series of photographs sent in by residents could form the basis of a town's bid for city status.

Northampton councillors will decide whether to make a bid on Thursday, ahead of the 8 December entry deadline.

Winning cities will be announced as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

West Northamptonshire Council previously asked people to send in pictures of the town, which would form part of any application.

Northampton, which has three high level professional sports clubs and one of Britain's largest and oldest market squares, unsuccessfully applied for city status in 2000.

In 2012, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year, Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph in Wales were awarded city status.

The Platinum Jubilee winners are due to be revealed on the bank holiday weekend of 2-5 June.

West Northamptonshire Council Northampton town centreWest Northamptonshire Council
The earliest reference to Northampton in writing occurred in AD914 under the name Ham tune, literally meaning "home town"
West Northamptonshire Council Northampton town centreWest Northamptonshire Council
Around 700 of the town's 850 buildings were destroyed in The Great Fire of Northampton in September 1675
West Northamptonshire Council All Saints Church, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
All Saints Church sits in the very heart of Northampton
West Northamptonshire Council All Saints Church, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
The church dates back to 1680 and was built after the original building was destroyed by the Great Fire
West Northamptonshire Council Abington Street, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
The Discovery sculpture in Abington Street was created by Lucy Glendinning in 2005 in tribute to Sir Francis Crick, a native of Northampton, who helped discover the structure of DNA
West Northamptonshire Council Fish Street, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
Northampton's Fish Street got its name because fishmongers were commanded to move their stalls there in 1585 to keep the smell of fish away from the town's market
West Northamptonshire Council Bridge Street, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
Much of Northampton's nightlife can be found in Bridge Street
West Northamptonshire Council Guildhall, NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire Council
The Grade II listed Guildhall was designed in a Gothic Revival style and dates back to 1864
West Northamptonshire Council Northampton railway stationWest Northamptonshire Council
Northampton's railway station cost £20m to build
West Northamptonshire Council Northampton RacecourseWest Northamptonshire Council
The town's Racecourse once held regular horse racing meetings, and these days the runners are humans usually taking part in the 5km Parkrun event

It has already been announced that Southend-on-Sea will become the UK's 52nd city, in honour of MP Sir David Amess who was killed during a meeting with constituents in October.

Other towns in the running include Blackburn, Warrington and Doncaster.

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