trial which resulted in the quarry opened at Hardingstone later in 1852. The Hardingstone quarry was a few hundred yards to the east on the other side of Newport Pagnell Road. This is one of the earliest written reports of iron ore extraction in Northamptonshire. Royal Pioneer Corps The Northamptonshire Regiment and later Royal Pioneer Corps were stationed at the former Quebec Barracks, later renamed Simpson Barracks on a large site adjacent to the Newport Pagnell Road which include the old Hardingstone workhouse building which dates from 1839. The Barracks closed on 1 April 1993 and the site is now used for a housing estate, including the old workhouse, many road names reflecting its military origin. During the war the corps had an ammunition dump hidden in woods at Yardley Chase, where signs still remain. 1980s urban expansion The village backs on to several modern housing estates including Wootton Fields and the area previously occupied by the army barracks. The development and loss of village character occurred during the 1980s and 1990s as the town expanded south towards the M1 motorway near junction 15 and is next to the large housing estates of Wootton Fields, Grange Park, Simpson Manor and East Hunsbury. 2008 expansion proposals Further urban expansion of Northampton was being planned in October 2008 with another 13,500 houses and additional infrastructure in the rural areas around Grange Park, Quinton and Preston Deanery. Governance As a former village distinct from the town, it has its own Parish Council, unlike more recent 20th and 21st century suburbs of the town. In the 20th century the parish was merged with East Hunsbury, a rural area before development in the 1980s. However, the combined Wootton and Hunsbury Parish was demerged again in 2015; the Wootton part initially gaining the name "Wootton, Wootton Fields and Simpson Manor", before it was agreed that this was too much of a mouthful, and the parish was reverted to its original name, Wootton. The village is mostly in the Nene Valley ward of West Northamptonshire Council, with small parts of the parish in the Hackleton and Grange Park ward. Demographics The 2001 census showed there were 2,015 people living in the parish, 978 male, 1,037 female in 885 dwellings. The 2011 Census showed that the ward had expanded rapidly to 11,180. Facilities There is a community centre, a recreation ground with multi-use games area, a Working men's