History

A new exhibition launching at Milton Keynes Museum this week puts the town's rich musical heritage firmly in the spotlight. The feast of photographs, records and memorabilia spans the artists that live here and frequent our local venues, through to the world-famous performers who have wowed on the National Bowl stage. There is also a look at the musical releases created at Linford Manor, which welcomed guests including Biffy Clyro, PJ Harvey and Jamiroquai during its time as a residential studio. “Milton Keynes has such a rich musical heritage, and this show definitely proves it,” said Sammy Jones, author and owner of the Milton Keynes Music Archive, WFS. “It is a real trip down memory lane, and an opportunity for people to reacquaint themselves with our brilliantly creative past.” Marshall Amplification is one of the biggest names in music,..

There are no winners in war, only stories of lives lost and chaos wreaked that are too numerous to count. But in WWI people were proud to sign up to do their bit. They were fighting for King and Country, and besides, the fighting was expected to be all done by Christmas. In Milton Keynes, one young man's story is a poignant reminder of the tragedies faced, as Sammy Jones explains... On June 22, 1899, Edward and Mary French welcomed a son, Albert Edward Mortlock French. He was born in Stantonbury, and spent his early life in New Bradwell. By the time of the 1911 census Albert was living at 60 Young Street in Wolverton with his father, sister May, and younger brothers William and George. Sadly, Albert's mother, who married Edward when she was 23 years old, had passed away..

There will be no more timed entry slots when Milton Keynes Museum opens to the publictomorrow, and more importantly for the hands-on history hub, visitors can once again get tactile with the exhibits! “Being able to interact with our exhibits is what sets us apart from other museums and we can't wait to be able to give our visitors the full experience again,” said Museum director Bill Griffiths. “During lockdown and the restricted opening times we have been investing our time in new displays, so there is something new for everyone to enjoy.” Among the new attractions is a Servants' Room, which explores the skills that a 13-yearold entering a life of service would have been expected to learn. With no mod cons and much to do, the work was hard and the hours long. The School Room has moved and is much improved, and the Museum is now able to share more details about its own..

The Victorian era was a time of flourishing industry, and the Wolverton to Newport line revolutionised travel for people in the locality. Sammy Jones stepped back to the days of steam... Before the steam train, and with the invention of the motorcar still decades away, getting from A to B was by hoof, foot or on the canal. So when London and North Western Railway were granted permission to build the four mile long branch line in June 1863, the occasion was marked with cheers in the town, and the church bells rang out. The proposed line extension to Olney never materialised, but the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell link opened to goods, cattle and parcel traffic in 1865. Passenger traffic began on September 2, 1867. It was a big deal and celebrated accordingly; Wolverton Brass Band marched through the decorated streets to the Swan Hotel, and celebrations continued until the early..

Annually, thousands of people visit Milton Keynes Museum, soaking in the history on display in the rooms and in the very fabric of the building. Today it is a centre to learn about the local past, and yet ironically it was the building of the new town that signalled its demise as a farm. But what was it like to live there? Jonathan Gurney shares his childhood memories with Sammy Jones... Shortly before the start of WWI, when he was a young man and showing plenty of entrepreneurial spirit, Jonathan’s grandfather Charles Edward made the decision to relocate to Australia. He bought a ticket for the princely sum of one pound, made the journey Down Under and staked a claim on some land. “Unfortunately, not long after he went out there they had a plague of mice which ate everything he planted. He ended..

These days you order via your smartphone or computer, press for home delivery and your goods will be picked, packed and delivered, or be waiting for you to click and collect if you’d rather. But shopping in the past was a much more simple affair; long before the era of the supermarket, the High Street was a place to stock up on all your groceries and enjoy a natter, writes Sammy Jones. At Milton Keynes Museum, you can step back in time as you learn more about how we used to shop; stroll along our cobbled street and enjoy the sights and sounds of a butcher’s, Post Office, cinema, pub, hardware store, grocer and department store. What sets our street apart though, is its authenticity; the store facades, and in many cases the interiors, have come from local shops that once served our community. Those old enough will remember some..

How many people must drive over Newport Pagnell’s Tickford Bridge without giving it so much as a second thought. But small though it may be, the ‘Iron Bridge’ is a quite wonderful piece of engineering – and one that has been serving the community for more than two centuries, writes Sammy Jones. Previously, an ancient and much decayed bridge spanned the river Ouzel where our iron structure now is. The earlier example was possibly wooden and much longer. In June 1800 during the reign of George III an act of parliament gave the go ahead for the replacement you see today. Local bridge trustees appointed Thomas Wilson and Henry Provis to design a bridge, having inspected one of his earlier examples over the River Wear in Sunderland. Wilson was a schoolmaster and engineer active during..

The music industry has been crushed under the weight of the pandemic. It’s down right now, but it’s definitely not out. Sammy Jones looked at the history of the Roadmender, and spoke with those steering the musical ship through the current choppy waters.  And they can’t wait to get back to the business of gigs... If it wasn’t for the pandemic just now, a casual observer looking towards 1 Lady’s Lane on an average evening could expect to see a stream of hot and sweaty bodies leaving the building, buzzing from the sheer delight that only comes from connecting with live music. The Northampton venue has been renowned for delivering the best of live shows for decades. It is a real beacon in the region for gig-goers. But when the Roadmender began life it had nothing to do with music – and it wasn’t even based on the same site. Originally operational..

Sixty years ago the area now known as the hub of the new town was green and spacious; where today there are estates and businesses, there were hedgerows and fields.  Milton Keynes didn’t even exist, and it has been a dramatic transformation, writes Sammy Jones. But while the landscape may be changing, you don’t need to look far for a connection with the past; many of our street names give a nod to our rich history and to the people, places and occasions who left their mark. For this month’s history feature, we give an overview of just a few of them. In the picturesque village of Hanslope, Repton Drive recalls the landscape artist responsible for designing the grounds of Hanslope Park in 1792. His vision was also employed by the Duke of Bedford for Woburn Abbey’s stunning gardens.                Harkness Court is in..

Odell & Co Ltd Ironmongers is bursting with essential items for DIY moments, and all sorts of household essentials. Sammy Jones discovered more about the incredible history of one of our best-loved stores. From nails to seeds, twine to paraffin, dashel bashers and screws of all sizes imaginable, Odells has everything you require among its 15,000 stock lines (and quite possibly a few things you didn’t know you needed, too). The independent family run business situated in Stony Stratford’s High Street is more than ‘just another shop.’ It is an institution for its many loyal customers; a place where good service and quality products are assured. But originally, the Odell name was centred on its premises in Newport Pagnell. Born in 1818, John Odell began an apprenticeship at the ironmongery and blacksmiths in the town, learning under..

Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 is Wednesday 27 January, the day for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Dafur. On this day we would normally be gathered at The Milton Keynes Rose to honour survivors of these regimes and challenge ourselves to use the lessons of their experiences to inform our lives today. This year it will not be possible to hold a Holocaust Memorial event at the Milton Keynes Rose in Campbell Park, as usual, because of Covid-19 restrictions, but a short talk by Paul Salver, formerly a teacher at Sir Herbert Leon Academy, some words from the Mayor of MK Cllr Andrew Geary and a poem for the occasion by Mark Niel, will be posted on the website www.miltonkeynesrose.org.uk to mark the date. 2021’s theme ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’, is a quotation..

Christmas is coming and with it comes the usual small screen parade of former big screen box office hits. But while we welcome the annual custom of settling in front of the TV to watch It’s A Wonderful Life and Home Alone for the umpteenth time, we thought we’d also provide you with an alternative to the predictable seasonal fare. If you go searching for them, you could enjoy a Christmas full of movies that all have a Milton Keynes connection. Sammy Jones grabbed the popcorn... Milton Keynes has a reel-y interesting history when it comes to big screen action; the new town and its surrounding areas have been utilised by film-makers for decades. Everyone remembers Superman IV, which we’ll get to in a moment, but many people forget that in the 1960’s Grade 1 Tyringham Hall was used for the comedy spy thriller Arabesque, which starred Gregory Peck and..

One of the biggest Christmas traditions for many is a family trip to the annual pantomime. Its cancellation in 2020 has snatched away the seasonal magic, and venues up and down the country have lost out on their biggest cash injection of the year. Milton Keynes Theatre should have been enjoying slapstick shenanigans with Ashley Banjo and the boys from Diversity this December, but Jack and the Beanstalk has been postponed. Luckily the venue has announced a smaller, ‘covid safe’ show this year, but we need more! To raise some festive cheer, self-confessed panto addict Sammy Jones looks back at the merriment (and occasional mayhem) that the theatre has given us over the past 20 years… Milton Keynes Theatre opened its doors in 1999 and Paul Nicholas, Linda Robson and Paul Barber were cast in panto number one; Peter Pan. Since then, we’ve had a parade of Hollywood A-listers, soap..

Our monarchs and their family members have made quite the impression in these parts over the centuries; some for more sinister reasons than others. Royal visitors? Stony Stratford has had a few; King John stayed there in 1215 with his advisors, and spent time issuing writs and patents, and Eleanor of Castile also passed through on her final journey in 1290; the wife of King Edward I had succumbed to a slow fever and her body rested in the town overnight on her final journey to Westminster Abbey. The king announced that a memorial would be erected in every place the deceased queen and her entourage stayed en route to the capital. Stony Stratford’s Eleanor Cross was destroyed in the Civil War, but a commemorative plaque at 157 High Street marks the spot where it once stood. More than 700 years have since passed, and yet it remains a popular..

It is one of the most famous moments in British history, and more than 400 years later it is still a date on the annual calendar with the fireworks displays and burning of the Guy. The Gunpowder Plot might have been focused on Parliament, but much of the plotting was done much closer to home... After decades of persecution, English Catholics had reason for hope in 1603; Queen Elizabeth I died and her successor – James I – was said to be much more warmly disposed to them than their Queen had been. In the Tudor state they were forced to attend Anglican services and forbidden to hear Mass. Anyone refusing to adhere to the rules was fined heavily. With the more lenient James I in control, Catholics had reason to believe that a turnaround in their fortunes was coming, and at first, it seemed to be. But the King’s..