Bletchley and Fenny Stratford
Encyclopedia
Bletchley and Fenny Stratford is a civil parish
with a town council, in Milton Keynes
, Buckinghamshire
, England
. It was formed in 2001 from the unparished area of Milton Keynes, and according to the 2001 census had a population of 13,971.
The parish includes Brickfields (includes the Blue Lagoon), Central Bletchley
(that is, Bletchley east of the West Coast Main Line
), Denbigh (Denbigh North
, Denbigh East and Denbigh West), Fenny Stratford
, Fenny Lock, Granby, Mount Farm and Water Eaton
(includes "Lakes Estate").
), Bletchley Park
, and the Freeman Memorial Methodist chapel on Buckingham Road. This area is now known as Old Bletchley and is the reason why the station faces that way. However, as Bletchley developed, a new centre grew up around Bletchley Road (the road from Fenny Stratford to [Old] Bletchley. In 1966, after a Royal Visit, Bletchley Urban District Council renamed the street as "Queensway".
Central Bletchley is bordered by the West Coast Main Line
to the west, the Water Eaton Brook and Water Eaton Road to the south, North Street and Bletchley Leisure Centre to the North and Knowles School/Leon Recreational Ground to the East.
.
In 2005, large commercial developments occurred on the immediate outskirts of Bletchley, although still in the civil parish
of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. The supermarket chain Asda
-Wal-Mart
and the Swedish
furniture retailer IKEA
built and opened large stores at Denbigh North
, northeast of the town centre on Watling Street
, and Tesco
responded by expanding its Fenny Stratford
store (also on Watling Street). Whether or not these new developments accelerate the decline of the town centre remains to be seen.
This same area of development is also home to the new stadium:mk for Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
. Many away fans will arrive via Bletchley railway station
, and this may bring some added business to the town on their way to the ground. However, most fans will use intercity services to Milton Keynes Central and be bussed to the stadium.
Milton Keynes has its own nature reserve in Bletchley. The Blue Lagoon attracts many local visitors every day. School children in Bletchley are often taken on trips to learn about the history of this site.
estate to be built in Bletchley. It took some time to build - beginning in about 1968 and not being fully completed until 1975."
The Lakes Estate is bordered by Drayton road to the North and West, Stoke road to the East and Lomond road to the south.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
with a town council, in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was formed in 2001 from the unparished area of Milton Keynes, and according to the 2001 census had a population of 13,971.
The parish includes Brickfields (includes the Blue Lagoon), Central Bletchley
Bletchley, Milton Keynes
Bletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, England. It is part of the Borough of Milton Keynes unitary authority, in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. It is situated in the south-west of Milton Keynes but still retains a distinctive identity...
(that is, Bletchley east of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
), Denbigh (Denbigh North
Denbigh North
Denbigh is a district in Milton Keynes, ceremonial Buckinghamshire, England, to the north of Fenny Stratford and on the eastern side of the West Coast Main Line and Bletchley proper. It is in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and is generally regarded as part of Bletchley...
, Denbigh East and Denbigh West), Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
, Fenny Lock, Granby, Mount Farm and Water Eaton
Water Eaton, Milton Keynes
Water Eaton is an area of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. It is to the south of Fenny Stratford, and is one of the ancient villages of Buckinghamshire that became incorporated as part of Milton Keynes in 1967.By the date of...
(includes "Lakes Estate").
Central Bletchley
Originally, Bletchley was exclusively west of the railway line and was centred around St. Mary's (Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
), Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
, and the Freeman Memorial Methodist chapel on Buckingham Road. This area is now known as Old Bletchley and is the reason why the station faces that way. However, as Bletchley developed, a new centre grew up around Bletchley Road (the road from Fenny Stratford to [Old] Bletchley. In 1966, after a Royal Visit, Bletchley Urban District Council renamed the street as "Queensway".
Central Bletchley is bordered by the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
to the west, the Water Eaton Brook and Water Eaton Road to the south, North Street and Bletchley Leisure Centre to the North and Knowles School/Leon Recreational Ground to the East.
Denbigh
For many years, Denbigh has been an important employment area: perhaps its most famous resident is Marshall AmplificationMarshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
.
In 2005, large commercial developments occurred on the immediate outskirts of Bletchley, although still in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. The supermarket chain Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
-Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
furniture retailer IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
built and opened large stores at Denbigh North
Denbigh North
Denbigh is a district in Milton Keynes, ceremonial Buckinghamshire, England, to the north of Fenny Stratford and on the eastern side of the West Coast Main Line and Bletchley proper. It is in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and is generally regarded as part of Bletchley...
, northeast of the town centre on Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
, and Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
responded by expanding its Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
store (also on Watling Street). Whether or not these new developments accelerate the decline of the town centre remains to be seen.
This same area of development is also home to the new stadium:mk for Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
. Many away fans will arrive via Bletchley railway station
Bletchley railway station
Bletchley is a railway station that serves the southern districts of Milton Keynes , and the north-eastern parts of the Buckinghamshire district of Aylesbury Vale....
, and this may bring some added business to the town on their way to the ground. However, most fans will use intercity services to Milton Keynes Central and be bussed to the stadium.
The Blue Lagoon
Water Eaton
"The Lakes Estate was the last London overspillLondon overspill
London overspill is the term given to the communities created - largely consisting of publicly provided housing - as a result of the Government policy of moving residents out of Greater London, England into other towns around the South East, East Anglia and beyond.-Policy development:The policy...
estate to be built in Bletchley. It took some time to build - beginning in about 1968 and not being fully completed until 1975."
The Lakes Estate is bordered by Drayton road to the North and West, Stoke road to the East and Lomond road to the south.
Social issues
The Lakes Estate council estate has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe: 59 in every 1,000 girls aged 15-17 have children. The UK national average is 42 per 1000, again 'comfortably' the highest in Europe.See also
- West Bletchley civil parish
- Bletchley, Milton KeynesBletchley, Milton KeynesBletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, England. It is part of the Borough of Milton Keynes unitary authority, in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. It is situated in the south-west of Milton Keynes but still retains a distinctive identity...
- Fenny StratfordFenny StratfordFenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
External links
- Town Council
- "Bletchley Pioneers, Planning & Progress". Oral history collected by Knowles Middle School parents Clutch Club describe the post-war expansion of Bletchley by migrants from London.
External links
- 'Parishes : Bletchley with Fenny Stratford and Water Eaton' - Victoria History of the Counties of England, A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4 (1927), pp. 274-283.