We checked 20 Northampton shops, from St Giles Cheese to Heart of the Shires, for opening hours, addresses and what each sells. Updated November 2026.
Northampton and the towns around it have 20 shops worth a Christmas shopping trip in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with opening hours, addresses and what each one sells. St Giles’ Street, Heart of the Shires and The Slow Life in Towcester are good places to start.
The hours are regular hours unless an entry says otherwise. Hardly any of these shops had posted 2026 Christmas hours by early November, so ring before making a special trip.
Dates for the Christmas shopping diary
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Until Sunday 13 December | Golden Ticket draw, four £500 town centre vouchers | Post boxes around the town centre, including 78 Derngate and Lawrence’s Coffeehouse |
| Every weekend from Saturday 14 November | Christmas markets | Bell Plantation, Towcester |
| Saturday 21 November, 12pm to 6pm | Christmas lights switch-on, free, countdown at 5pm | Market Square |
| Saturday 21 November to Sunday 3 January | WinterFest, with Christmas retail huts | Market Square |
| Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November, 10am to 5pm | Delapré Abbey Christmas Fair | Delapré Abbey, NN4 8AW |
| Saturday 21 November, 10am to 3pm | Daventry Christmas Market, free | Daventry town centre |
| Saturday 28 November, from 3pm | Brackley Christmas Market and lantern parade | Market Place, Brackley |
| 5, 6, 12 and 13 December, 10am to 4pm | Lamport Hall Christmas Market, £6 for adults | Lamport Hall |
Golden Ticket entries close at midnight on 13 December, and the BID draws the winners on Tuesday 15 December. Santa’s Grotto is also in the Grosvenor Centre from 21 November, at £2 a family.
Parking changes the sums. Our parking guide has the council’s ordinary Northampton car parks at £3 for any stay on Saturdays and Sundays, between midnight and 6pm. The council has kept free parking in Daventry, Brackley and Towcester, and Heart of the Shires and Bell Plantation both advertise free parking on site.
St Giles’ Street and Northampton town centre
The Northampton Chronicle has called St Giles’ Street a hub for local and independent businesses. Four of the shops below are on it, and Derngate and the Grosvenor Centre are close by.
1. Saint Gyles Jewellers
Saint Gyles calls itself an award-winning independent boutique jeweller, and says members of the same family have run the shop since 1982. It sells branded and pre-owned jewellery and watches.
It also makes pieces to order and can rework old jewellery into something new. Repairs, resizing and valuations are on its list too.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; closed Sun
Call 01604 629787
Address 17 St Giles Street, NN1 1JA
Website stgyles.co.uk
Good for jewellery, watches, pre-owned pieces, made to order
2. Montague Jeffery
Montague Jeffery is a menswear shop on St Giles Street, which calls itself “Monty’s” on its own site. The brands it names include Cavani, Marc Darcy and Meyer trousers.
Its website still shows an earlier year’s Christmas hours, so ring for this year’s.
Open Tue to Sat 9am to 5pm; closed Mon
Call 01604 639605
Address 2 St Giles Street, NN1 1JB
Website montaguejeffery.co.uk
Good for menswear, jackets, trousers
3. St Giles Cheese
Steve and Caroline Ward opened this family-run cheese shop in 2010, after a trip to France left them missing its delis. Speciality Food magazine has named it among the best cheesemongers in the Midlands.
Discover Northamptonshire’s gift guide points to it for anyone building a county hamper. There is no working website and the hours listed online are patchy, so ring before you go and ask about Christmas orders.
Call 01604 622271
Address 77 St Giles Street, NN1 1JF
Good for cheese, deli gifts, hamper fillers
4. Grandbies
Grandbies is a coffee house and clothing boutique under one roof. It says its stock runs “from Parisian fashion to cozy sweaters crafted in the Scottish Highlands”, with a children’s collection as well, and that these are finds “you won’t see anywhere else in Northamptonshire”.
It is also one of the few town centre shops here with Sunday hours.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm; closed Mon
Address 26 St Giles Street, NN1 1JA
Website grandbies.com
Listing Our listing
Good for clothes, children's clothes, coffee, Sunday shopping
5. The shop at 78 Derngate
The house Charles Rennie Mackintosh remodelled has what it calls a “stylish design shop” in its visitor centre, and you can use it without paying for a house ticket. Its online shop on 5 November listed a pack of four Mackintosh-designed Christmas cards at £4.95, along with books on the house and on the Northampton model makers Bassett-Lowke.
The venue closes for the year after 21 December.
Open Tue to Sun 10am to 4.30pm, until 21 December; closed Mon
Price Christmas cards £4.95 a pack; shop entry free
Call 01604 603407
Address 82 Derngate, NN1 1UH
Website 78derngate.org.uk/shop
Good for Mackintosh design gifts, Christmas cards, local history books
6. Waterstones Northampton
This one is a chain, and it is here for the books. The shop is in the Grosvenor Centre.
The hours below are the ones it listed up to 14 November, and its website has a separate Christmas range with gift books, stocking fillers and signed editions.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 01604 634854
Address 5 Wood Street, The Grosvenor Centre, NN1 2ED
Website waterstones.com/bookshops/northampton
Good for books, children's books, signed editions, gift cards
7. Phipps NBC and the Albion Brewery Bar
The Albion Brewery Bar is the Phipps NBC showcase, in the old Phipps Brewery building at the bottom of Bridge Street. The brewery’s website sells its beers and gin and offers a gift card and brewery tours.
Online orders are only taken from Monday to Thursday during office hours, and you can select collection. Its bar keeps weekend hours, which the brewery says are subject to change.
Open bar Fri and Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun 12pm to 6pm
Call 01604 946606
Address 54 Kingswell Street, NN1 1PR
Website phipps-nbc.co.uk/shop
Listing Our listing
Good for local beer, Phipps gin, gift cards, brewery tours
8. Saints Store, Franklin’s Gardens
The Northampton Saints club shop is at the stadium, and its opening hours are short. Its online range has a Christmas section with knitwear, decorations and gifts for rugby fans, along with stocking fillers and the 26/27 kit.
Hours change on match days, so the club asks you to check its Guide to the Gardens before you travel.
Open Thu and Fri 12pm to 5pm; Sat 10am to 3pm; closed Sun to Wed and bank holidays
Address Franklin's Gardens, Weedon Road, Northampton
Website shop.northamptonsaints.co.uk/page/storeopeninghours
Good for rugby fans, replica kit, Christmas jumpers, stocking fillers
Heart of the Shires: just off the A5
Heart of the Shires is a shopping village around a Victorian courtyard dating from 1867, just off the A5 about two miles north of Weedon. It says it is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm and has free parking, but asks you to check with individual shops. The Tea Room is on site for a break, on 01327 366509.
9. Abraxas Cookshop
Sisters Helen Sparrow and Sarah George started Abraxas in 1996 after talking it over a coffee at Heart of the Shires. It stocks KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Emma Bridgewater and Dualit, and its home page on 5 November listed a Dualit hand blender set at £99.99.
There is free UK mainland delivery on orders over £75. The Chronicle listed a St Giles’ Street branch in 2023, but the company’s site gives this address, so ring if you want the town shop.
Price Dualit hand blender set £99.99
Call 01327 341080
Address Top Floor, Barn Arcade, Heart of the Shires, NN7 4LB
Website abraxascookshop.com
Good for cookware, Emma Bridgewater pottery, baking kit
10. Two Barns
Two Barns has its own upcycled furniture and rents space to small local businesses, and says it has 48 traders. Between them they cover vintage and antiques, jewellery, pottery, stained glass, crochet, handmade cards and hats.
This is the place in this guide with the most local makers under one roof. Its own website was showing only a holding page, so ring to check before a special trip.
Call 01327 340010
Address Heart of the Shires, NN7 4LB
Website heartoftheshires.co.uk/portfolio/two-barns-at-heart-of-the-shires
Good for local makers, vintage, handmade cards, jewellery
11. Beehive Gifts
Beehive Gifts stocks greeting cards and gifts, and names Charlie Bears and Jellycat among its suppliers. Its pitch is cards you will not find on the normal high street displays, for birthdays, anniversaries and good luck wishes.
It lists no website or phone number of its own, so the village page is the place to start.
Address Heart of the Shires, NN7 4LB
Website heartoftheshires.co.uk/beehive-gifts
Good for cards, soft toys, Jellycat
12. The Sweet Shop
The Sweet Shop sells sweets and chocolate and makes up custom chocolate boxes by hand, which it pitches as a personal gift for Christmas. It also lists stocking fillers and a range of vegan chocolates, including fair trade, organic and gluten-free bars.
Address Heart of the Shires, NN7 4LB
Website heartoftheshires.co.uk/the-sweet-shop
Good for stocking fillers, chocolate boxes, vegan chocolate
13. Thunderbolt Models
Thunderbolt Models is an independent model railway shop, and the village’s page says little more than that. It is the most specialist stop in this section.
No phone number is listed, so email the village on info@heartoftheshires.co.uk if you need a particular gauge or brand.
Address Heart of the Shires, NN7 4LB
Website heartoftheshires.co.uk/portfolio/thunderbolt-models
Good for model railways
Towcester: gifts, beer and whisky
14. The Slow Life
The Slow Life calls itself an independent gift shop, selling homeware and “local treasures” from small makers. Its range includes Christmas cards and gift tags made for the town, and it runs creative workshops.
It has moved to the Miller & Chalk premises, opposite the cocktail bar The Vault, and the shop points drivers to two-hour parking on Market Square.
Open Wed to Fri 10am to 4pm; Tue and Sat 10am to 2pm; closed Sun and Mon
Address 213 Watling Street, Towcester, NN12 6BX
Website the-slow-life.co.uk
Good for small makers, homeware, Towcester cards, workshops
15. Towcester Mill Brewery
This independent brewery and tap room is in the old mill in the town, with a bottle shop on site and a merchandise and gifts section in its online shop. It also offers brewery tours.
The car park next to the mill costs £1 an hour until 5pm from Monday to Saturday, and the brewery says other Towcester car parks are free.
Open Tue to Sat 12pm to 11pm; Sun 12pm to 7pm; closed Mon
Call 01327 437060
Address Towcester Mill, Chantry Lane, NN12 6YY
Website towcestermillbrewery.co.uk
Good for bottled beer, brewery gifts, tours, Sunday shopping
16. Wharf Distillery
Wharf says it is one of England’s smallest whisky distilleries. It makes single malts, gin, rum, vodka and apple brandy from locally sourced apples.
Its home page was counting down to a single malt English whisky release on 11 November at 6.45pm, and it sells gifts and experiences including distillery tours. It warns that heavy goods vehicles use the site, and says to try the door on a Monday.
Open Tue to Fri 10am to 4pm; Fri bar 6pm to 10.30pm; Sat 10am to 2pm; closed Sun
Call 01327 368866
Address 2 Brackley Road, Towcester, NN12 6DJ
Website wharfdistillery.co.uk
Good for English whisky, gin, apple brandy, tours
17. Bell Plantation
Bell Plantation is a garden centre on Watling Street with a Christmas shop, a food hall and a café. It advertises festive food hampers and fresh Christmas trees.
Its handmade Christmas market runs every weekend from 14 November until Christmas. It has a separate link for Christmas opening hours, so check that before going near the day itself.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 01327 354126
Address Watling Street, Towcester, NN12 6GX
Website bellplantation.co.uk
Good for Christmas decorations, food hampers, weekend markets, free parking
Brackley and Daventry
18. Topsy Turvey, Brackley
Topsy Turvey is an independent gift shop on Brackley High Street, set up in 2008. It sells gifts, cards, wrap and toys for all ages, and says it is the main Brackley stockist of Gisela Graham and East of India.
Its hours on the Brackley town listing are given as approximate, so allow for that.
Open Mon and Tue 11.30am to 4.30pm; Thu 10.30am to 3pm; Fri 10.30am to 4pm; Sat 10.30am to 2.30pm; closed Wed and Sun
Call 01280 706425
Address 89 High Street, Brackley, NN13 7BW
Good for cards, gift wrap, toys, Gisela Graham decorations
19. Gayler Homeware, Brackley
Tod and Angie Booth run this family business in the Courtyard Shops on the Market Place. The town listing describes gifts and homeware for all budgets, including mugs and ornaments, with support for fair trade and ethical businesses.
It is also the local stockist of Frenchic paint, and delivery is available.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; closed Sun
Call 07541 213702
Address Unit 6, The Courtyard Shops, 15-17 Market Place, Brackley, NN13 7AB
Good for homeware, mugs, fair trade gifts
20. Suddenly on Sheaf Street, Daventry
This family-owned bookshop opened in August 2023 and says it now stocks over 10,000 books. It also sells stationery and wool for knitting and crochet, under the line “books and gifts for the relentlessly curious and crafty”.
It can order in titles for next or two-day delivery from publishers. National Book Tokens made it Newcomer of the Year for 2024.
Open Tue to Sat 9am to 5pm; closed Sun and Mon
Call 01327 588400
Address 22 Sheaf Street, Daventry, NN11 4AB
Website suddenlybookshop.com
Good for books, wool, stationery, author events
How we chose
We started from the shops the area’s own listings put forward: the Northampton Chronicle’s roundups of St Giles’ Street, the Heart of the Shires retailer list, Discover Northamptonshire’s gift guide and the Brackley town directory. We kept independents that make or choose their own stock and could be checked, and we added Waterstones for books and the Saints Store for rugby fans.
For where to eat and what else is on, see our Christmas dinner guide, what’s on this month, things to do, the ice rink guide and the business directory.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@northamptonwire.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@northamptonwire.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there late night Christmas shopping in Northampton in 2026?
No date had been announced by 5 November 2026: neither the Northampton BID’s Christmas page nor the WinterFest announcements listed one, so ask individual shops. WinterFest opens on the Market Square on Saturday 21 November with themed Christmas retail huts, but the hut hours had not been published.
Which shops near Northampton open on Sundays before Christmas?
In this guide: Grandbies from 11am to 4pm, the 78 Derngate shop from 10am to 4.30pm, Waterstones from 10.30am to 4.30pm, Bell Plantation from 10.30am to 4.30pm and Towcester Mill Brewery from 12pm to 7pm. Heart of the Shires says it is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm, though it asks shoppers to check with each retailer.
What can I buy that is made in Northamptonshire?
Beer and gin from Phipps NBC in Northampton, beer from Towcester Mill Brewery, and whisky, gin and apple brandy from Wharf Distillery in Towcester. Two Barns at Heart of the Shires also sells work from local makers among its 48 traders.
Have your say