Historic Northampton Oak Apple Day ceremony to be broadcast online

An iconic annual ceremony held to commemorate a momentous day in Northampton’s history will be streamed online for the first time.

Oak Apple Day is usually marked with a public service at All Saints’ Church to remember the generosity of King Charles II, who donated over 1,000 tons of timber to reconstruct All Saints’ Church and halved the town’s taxes for seven years following the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675.

Today, while lockdown restrictions are still in place, Father Oliver Cross will be joined by the Mayor of Northampton, the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire and the Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire.

There will be a live-streamed sermon, followed by a virtual performance from the All Saints’ Church Choir.

Father Coss said: "Oak Apple Day is a moment of coherence for our town, and part of its history that we strive to teach our children.

“Beyond the national story of the recovery of the monarchy, it is also the story of Northampton's recovery after a great disaster, which brought such destruction.

“We mark it with special care as we seek a blessing upon our town for all that the future holds.”

Following the sermon and choir performance, the Mayor will place a crown of oak leaves on the statue of Charles II, which stands on the church’s portico.

Councillor Sargeant said: “Oak Apple Day is a historic tradition we have honoured for many hundreds of years and marks a significant moment in Northampton’s history.

“This year, for the first time, we will mark the service virtually, and it will be broadcast online, giving more people the opportunity to witness it.”

The ceremony, which will observe social distancing, will be broadcast at 12.30pm today (May 29) on YouTube.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper when you do your weekly shop.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you