[4][5] Foxton was originally a hill-top settlement,[5] thought to have been founded in Saxon times with a landscape fashioned in the ice-age.

[5] The village gradually moved down the valley side[5] as a farming community, working on the open three field system until it was enclosed in 1770.

[5] Foxton remained virtually unchanged[5] between Norman times until the end of the 18th century when the canal arrived from Leicester, cutting through the village.

[5] Agriculture began to diminish as improved communication and alternative job opportunities meant that people left their village to work[5] and in the bringing of trade and industry[5] via the canal.

[6] Features of the local countryside include spinneys and coverts which provide habitat for a large variety of wildlife.

[9] It was because of these industries that "apple growing and mushroom collection still required agricultural workers",[9] although the work would have been seasonal and possibly part-time occupations".

Between 1750 and 1850, less traditional agricultural workers were needed and the 'primitive hovels' that they lived in were replaced with "more substantial brick cottages".

[5] Foxton Locks is a site of touristic interest situated on the Grand Union Canal, it attracts many visitors to the area.

Manor House is situated south of the Grand Union Canal and north of Swingbridge Street.