Blakesley is a village in South Northamptonshire, UK, close to the middle of England.  The village has just under 500 residents and a long history, being associated with the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, and it is mentioned in the Domesday book (1087).

The village is a thriving community and is well-provided with facilities and public buildings, including a church, village hall, reading room, pub, shop/post office, playing field and primary school.

The village is built on and mainly of marlstone, the warm orange oolitic limestone with iron and sand inclusions that runs in a SW-NE belt through the Banbury region.

Local activity is still strongly agricultural although most residents are now distinguished in other walks of life and there are many small local businesses.

The environment is quiet and birdsong is dominant much of the time.  Try the Dawn Chorus recorded in the centre of the village (29th March, 6.18am , MP3) linked from the sonogram at left below.  The right sonogram is some bat sounds (converted using a Batbox III) also recorded in the village centre.

Website suggestions and comments to w.stewart@ieee.org please!  We really welcome information about local events, with pictures and links if available, for us to advertise on this site - your support is very welcome.  Any history or recollections would also be valuable.

The big village project at present is the proposed New Village Hall - if you are interested in helping in any way please contact me!  (we need more of many things - including money! Fund raising plan Dec 2009.doc).