New Bradwell
Encyclopedia
New Bradwell is a Victorian era
new village
, modern district and civil parish
that is now part of Milton Keynes
(ceremonial county
of Buckinghamshire
), on its northern edge. Together with Wolverton
(on the other side of the West Coast Main Line
), it was built primarily to house the workers on the Wolverton railway works
.
The original village of Bradwell
lies south of New Bradwell.
New Bradwell is roughly 150 years old. Exact dates are hard to figure, as buildings such as mill houses and farm houses existed on the site of what is now the village of New Bradwell, long before then. Around 1851 the area was little more than a hamlet, with 381 inhabitants and a local industry of stone quarrying and lime kilns. The first purpose built houses were constructed in 1854 - 1856 as dwellings for workers in the nearby Wolverton works, by 1861 the village had 1,658 inhabitants and over 4,000 by 1906.
Perhaps the most significant date was the expansion of the parish of Stantonbury on 16 July 1857. The old parish of Stanton Barry, or Stantonbury, contained but 750 acres (3 km²), and about a dozen scattered houses. By an Order in Council, dated July 16, 1857, a new parish was formed by adding to the old one the hamlet of New Bradwell. The area of the newly formed parish was 904 acres (3.7 km²). There was a ceremony of laying the foundations for the Church of St. James and other buildings such as the church schoolhouse on Monday May 24, 1858, which may mark the very foundations of the village of New Bradwell as an entity in its own right. The church of St. James was completed in 1860.
Originally this new village was called Stantonbury after the name of the parish. Buses within living memory still had the name Stantonbury on them when they terminated in the village. The change of name seems fairly recent. From records of house deeds, the change appears to have happened in 1921. A record of deed for a house in 1920 records a property in King Edwards Street being in Stantonbury, while the following year another property in the same street is listed as being in New Bradwell. Considering how accurate such legal documents have to be, this is pretty conclusive proof that the change of name was made official at this time, but definitive research would need to be conducted to establish this as fact.
From 1867 to 1964 the village was served by Bradwell railway station
on the now defunct Wolverton to Newport Pagnell line
.
The Grand Union Canal
passes between Bradwell and New Bradwell, providing boating and fishing facilities. The modern Bradwell Aqueduct was the first of its kind to be constructed over the Grand Union in over 100 years
broke out in September 1939, blackout
precautions were immediately put into effect, due to the dangers of night time bombing raids. Ironically, New Bradwell's new electric street lights, which had only been completed two weeks previously, were switched off and not used again for six years. Bradwell's Blitz consisted of two bombs on Sunday October 20, 1940. First, two flares were dropped at the end of Bridge Street, landing on the allotments, now the school playing fields. Then the two bombs were dropped on the western end of the high street, the first landing on the road outside "the Laurels", creating a 30 ft crater, the second at the end of the high street, demolishing numbers 71, 73 & 75 and killing five people. A local legend tells of a baby still in its cradle that was expelled through an upstairs window by the explosion landing totally unharmed nearby. The so called "Bradwell Blitz" was one of the most dramatic event in this part of North Buckinghamshire. (The activities at Bletchley Park
a few miles south were top secret). An unconfirmed therory suggests that the bombs may have been aimed at Wolverton
Works, which was involved at the time in the highly camouflage
d war work. The Bradwell Blitz was during the Blitz
the fourth and last phase of the Battle of Britain
.
of New Bradwell was created in 1919 from part of the Bradwell parish, and formed part of the Wolverton Urban District
urban district (with the rest of the Bradwell parish remaining in Newport Pagnell Rural District
). The parish was merged into Wolverton parish in 1934. It was re-established in 2001 as part of a general parishing of all the unparished areas of Milton Keynes.
The parish is bounded to the north by the Great Ouse, to the west by V6 Grafton Street, to the south by the route of the former Wolverton/Newport Pagnell railway line (now a redway
) and to the east by a short stretch of the Grand Union Canal
.
At the 2001 census
, the population of the parish was 2,990
The current headmaster is Philip Webster, the successor to John White.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
new village
New Village
New Villages , also known as Chinese New Villages , are settlements created during the waning days of British rule over Malaysia in the mid-1950s.-History:...
, modern district and 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...
that is now part of 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...
(ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of 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....
), on its northern edge. Together with Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
(on the other side 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...
), it was built primarily to house the workers on the Wolverton railway works
Wolverton railway works
Wolverton railway works was established in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at the midpoint of the 112 mile-long route from London to Birmingham...
.
The original village of Bradwell
Bradwell, Milton Keynes
Bradwell is an ancient village and modern civil parish that is part of Milton Keynes . For a time, although it predates it, Bradwell was the supporting village for Bradwell Abbey, a Benedictine priory, founded in 1155 and dissolved in about 1540.The village name is an Old English language word...
lies south of New Bradwell.
History
Perhaps the most significant date was the expansion of the parish of Stantonbury on 16 July 1857. The old parish of Stanton Barry, or Stantonbury, contained but 750 acres (3 km²), and about a dozen scattered houses. By an Order in Council, dated July 16, 1857, a new parish was formed by adding to the old one the hamlet of New Bradwell. The area of the newly formed parish was 904 acres (3.7 km²). There was a ceremony of laying the foundations for the Church of St. James and other buildings such as the church schoolhouse on Monday May 24, 1858, which may mark the very foundations of the village of New Bradwell as an entity in its own right. The church of St. James was completed in 1860.
Originally this new village was called Stantonbury after the name of the parish. Buses within living memory still had the name Stantonbury on them when they terminated in the village. The change of name seems fairly recent. From records of house deeds, the change appears to have happened in 1921. A record of deed for a house in 1920 records a property in King Edwards Street being in Stantonbury, while the following year another property in the same street is listed as being in New Bradwell. Considering how accurate such legal documents have to be, this is pretty conclusive proof that the change of name was made official at this time, but definitive research would need to be conducted to establish this as fact.
From 1867 to 1964 the village was served by Bradwell railway station
Bradwell railway station
Bradwell railway station was a railway station on the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell line. It served the both Bradwell and the new village of New Bradwell in Buckinghamshire. The station, which consisted of a brick built station building, and single platform, opened to traffic in 1867.The last...
on the now defunct Wolverton to Newport Pagnell line
Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line
The Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line was a railway branch line in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom running from Wolverton on the London and North Western Railway to Newport Pagnell. The line fully opened to passengers in 1867, with an extension to Olney planned in 1865, but this scheme was...
.
The Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
passes between Bradwell and New Bradwell, providing boating and fishing facilities. The modern Bradwell Aqueduct was the first of its kind to be constructed over the Grand Union in over 100 years
Bradwell Blitz
When the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out in September 1939, blackout
Blackout (wartime)
A blackout during war, or apprehended war, is the practice of collectively minimizing outdoor light, including upwardly directed light. This was done in the 20th century to prevent crews of enemy aircraft from being able to navigate to their targets simply by sight, for example during the London...
precautions were immediately put into effect, due to the dangers of night time bombing raids. Ironically, New Bradwell's new electric street lights, which had only been completed two weeks previously, were switched off and not used again for six years. Bradwell's Blitz consisted of two bombs on Sunday October 20, 1940. First, two flares were dropped at the end of Bridge Street, landing on the allotments, now the school playing fields. Then the two bombs were dropped on the western end of the high street, the first landing on the road outside "the Laurels", creating a 30 ft crater, the second at the end of the high street, demolishing numbers 71, 73 & 75 and killing five people. A local legend tells of a baby still in its cradle that was expelled through an upstairs window by the explosion landing totally unharmed nearby. The so called "Bradwell Blitz" was one of the most dramatic event in this part of North Buckinghamshire. (The activities at 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...
a few miles south were top secret). An unconfirmed therory suggests that the bombs may have been aimed at Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
Works, which was involved at the time in the highly camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
d war work. The Bradwell Blitz was during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
the fourth and last phase of the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
.
Civil parish
The civil parishCivil 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 New Bradwell was created in 1919 from part of the Bradwell parish, and formed part of the Wolverton Urban District
Wolverton Urban District
Stratford and Wolverton Rural District , Stratford and Wolverton Urban District and Wolverton Urban District were local government districts in Buckinghamshire, England, covering the town of Wolverton and its environs.It was created as a rural district in 1894 and took over the responsibility for...
urban district (with the rest of the Bradwell parish remaining in Newport Pagnell Rural District
Newport Pagnell Rural District
Newport Pagnell was a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. The rural district took over the responsibilities of the disbanded Newport Pagnell Rural Sanitary District...
). The parish was merged into Wolverton parish in 1934. It was re-established in 2001 as part of a general parishing of all the unparished areas of Milton Keynes.
The parish is bounded to the north by the Great Ouse, to the west by V6 Grafton Street, to the south by the route of the former Wolverton/Newport Pagnell railway line (now a redway
Milton Keynes redway system
The Milton Keynes redway system is a network of cycleways/paths for cyclists and pedestrians in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is generally surfaced with red tarmac, and criss-crosses most of the city....
) and to the east by a short stretch of the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
.
At the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the population of the parish was 2,990
School
New Bradwell School is situated on Bounty Street and is just to the side of Grafton Street and Spencer Street, an off-road street with some historic houses named 'Railway Cottages'.The current headmaster is Philip Webster, the successor to John White.