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Situated on the south facing slopes of the Nene valley, at the time of the Domesday Book Flore was already a well established village, with a manor and two mills. It is thought that it originated nearer to the Nene than the present village, since the church is in the south-west corner, and the field adjoining it has mounds which indicate the existence of houses. In any case the older part of the village lies on the southern side of the main road, once a turnpike.
Once a farming village, the community is now mainly composed of commuters. The proximity of the M1, A5, and A45 make Flore a popular village for those whose work involves travelling, and village facilities are good. There is a post office, a resident doctor with his own pharmacy, a vicar, two grocer/greengrocers, a newsagent, a hairdresser, a filling station and garage, and a regular bus service.
May Day is held on the second Saturday in May, in a festival dating from 1895. The children of the village primary school elect their Queen from amongst the girls in their last year, the rest of the 'leavers' act as Maids and Knights, and the infants' class provides two crown bearers, two page boys and two presenters of the Queen's bouquet.
For the Flower Festival, in the third week in June, the church and 19th century United Reformed chapel are decorated with beautiful displays of flowers, usually depicting a theme. August sees the village Flower Show, organised by the Garden Society, and in November comes the annual Feast Supper run by the church to celebrate All Saints Day.
(The above extract from 'The Northamptonshire Village Book', compiled by the Northamptonshire Federation of Women's Institutes, is reproduced by kind permission of the publishers, Countryside Books, Newbury, Berkshire)
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