Hello there Gentle Readers. My new town requires little introduction if you live in the UK. If you live elsewhere however Milton Keynes may be somewhere you have never heard of. Next year is MKs 60th birthday so here is the first part of my potted history.
Before it was designated as a new town in 1967, the area that is now MK was an idyllic, rural landscape of open farmland, small historic market towns and around 15 small villages. One of these, the original Milton Keynes is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Ancient and Medieval Roots
Early Settlement: Archaeological digs show human activity in the area stretching back to Neolithic, Bronze Age (such as the local Bronze Age gold jewellery hoard), and Roman times (including a Roman villa at Bancroft)
The Domesday Book: The original settlement of Milton Keynes was recorded in 1086 as Middleton. The name later evolved by adding the surname of the de Cahaines feudal family who held the manor in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Local Landmarks: Historic transport routes like Watling Street shaped the area, alongside historic sites like Tickford Bridge in nearby Newport Pagnell (built in 1810) and Secklow Hundred mound, an ancient Saxon meeting place.
Towns Before the 1960s
The designated area later absorbed pre-existing 19th-century industrial and market hubs that grew alongside the canals and railway.
Wolverton: Grew rapidly in the Victorian era as a major railway works town for the London and North Western Railway.
Bletchley & Stony Stratford: Functioned as busy coaching and rail stops on Watling Street and the railway lines. Bletchley notably played a critical secret role during World War II housing the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park.
Post-War Growth: During the 1950s, towns like Bletchley actively agreed to take overspill population and housing overflow from bombed-out areas of London, setting the preliminary stage for the massive 1960s new town designation. - #miltonkeyneshistory
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