Bletchley
Bletchley | |
---|---|
Queensway, the main shopping street in Bletchley. | |
Mapping © OpenStreetMap Location within Buckinghamshire | |
Population | 37,114 (2011 census)[1] |
OS grid reference | SP872336 |
• London | 43 miles (69 km) |
Civil parish | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MILTON KEYNES |
Postcode district | MK1-3 |
Dialling code | 01908 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Buckinghamshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament |
|
Bletchley is a constituent town of
Bletchley is best known for
History
Origins and early modern history
The town name is
Bletchley was originally a minor village on the outskirts of Fenny Stratford, of lesser importance than Water Eaton.[5] Fenny Stratford fell into decline from the English Civil War (17c) onwards.[5] The arrival of the London and Birmingham Railway (now part of the West Coast Main Line) from 1838, and particularly of the branch lines to Bedford (1846) and Buckingham (1850) (that together subsequently became the Oxford – Cambridge "Varsity Line"), made the station at Bletchley a substantial one. Bletchley grew to eclipse both its antecedents.[5]
Almost forty years after the construction of
(These districts are known today as Old Bletchley and Far Bletchley). The major settlement of the time is nearby Fenny Stratford.The Bletchley area is rich in Oxford Clay, which has long been used for bricks. Brick-making has taken place on the Newton Leys site and the surrounding area from the late 19th century, circa 1897.[7] Bletchley Brickworks closed in September 1990.[8]
"Bigger, Better, Brighter" – Bletchley in the 20th century
In the urban growth of the
Bletchley in Milton Keynes
Proposals for a new city in North Buckinghamshire had been floated from the early 1960s. Bletchley had fought to be the centre of the proposed new city, but it was not to be. When the
The town's importance as a major hub within Milton Keynes and the wider region was recognised in March 2021 following a successful bid by the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Deal Board, when MK City Council was successful in securing an award of £22.7mn as part of the UK Government's "New Towns Deal",[15] with the City Council focusing most of that money on Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. This led to the publishing of the Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Investment Plan (TIP),[16] with the plan aiming to boost jobs, skills and connectivity in the area, and further invest in Central Bletchley (the town centre).[17]
Bletchley Park
Within the West Bletchley parish, in the Church Green district, is
Wilton Hall
The nearby Wilton Hall was built in 1943 as part of the Bletchley Park estate and was used by the government as a meeting place by day and a music and dance venue by night. After World War II, the venue continued to remain open and played host to musicians such as Lulu and The Rolling Stones.
In recent years, the building was slated for demolition after its closure in 2019. However, after residents and the local MP rejected calls for the demolition of the site due to historical value, the building was sold to a new partnership in 2020 who have refurbished and reopened the building in 2022.
Civil parishes: Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, and West Bletchley
For more details about the districts of Bletchley, see these civil parish articles.
The Bletchley built-up area is divided for administrative purposes into two civil parishes, Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and West Bletchley
The districts that make up Bletchley and Fenny Stratford
West Bletchley CP covers that part of Milton Keynes that is south of Standing Way (A421), west of the West Coast Main Line and north of the Varsity Line. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 15,313.[19] The districts and neighbourhoods in the parish are: Church Green (including Bletchley Park); Far Bletchley; Old Bletchley; West Bletchley (district); Whaddon (ward around Whaddon Way, not to be confused with nearby Whaddon in Aylesbury Vale).
In 1961 the parish of Bletchley had a population of 17,095.[20] On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished and became an unparished area of the Milton Keynes district.[21]
Transport
Rail
The town is served by
Road
Major Milton Keynes
Watling Street, originally the
Bus
Bletchley is MK's main southern interchange point for cross-city and rural bus services. The town is served by Arriva buses 4, 5, 6, 150, F70/F77 and M6; Z&S Transport bus 50; Red Rose bus 100; and Star Travel bus 162.[24]
The town's main bus station is located on South Terrace, just east of V7 Saxon Street in Central Bletchley.
MK City Council also operates an on demand bus service known as "MK Connect", which serves the whole MK unitary authority area, including Bletchley.[25]
Sport and leisure
Bletchley has a football club, Milton Keynes Irish and a rugby union club, Bletchley RUFC, both of which play at Manor Fields just south of Fenny Stratford.
Bletchley Leisure Centre was completed in 2009, replacing the original 1970s building.
Stadium MK, home of Milton Keynes Dons is at the northern edge of the town. This area also contains what is known as the "MK1" shopping centre. This includes shops, restaurants, and an Odeon cinema (which moved to MK1 from The Point building in Milton Keynes Central in 2015).
Political representation
Bletchley is divided between three electoral wards of Milton Keynes City Council, consisting of Bletchley East (3 Labour), Bletchley West (2 Labour, 1 Conservative) and Bletchley Park (1 Labour, 2 Conservative),[26] and is in the parliamentary constituency of Milton Keynes South.[citation needed]
ONS built up area
For the 2011 census, the Office for National Statistics designated a "built up area sub-division", being that part of Milton Keynes that is west of the A5 and south of the A421, some 1,073.5 hectares (2,652.7 acres).[1] At the 2011 census, the population of the area was 37,114.[1]
For the 2001 census, it designated a (larger) "urban sub-area" that approximates to the boundaries of the former Bletchley Urban District Council at the time of the designation of Milton Keynes. It also included that part of Winslow Rural District that fell within the designation. In outline, the ONS Sub-area consisted of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Civil Parish, West Bletchley Civil Parish and part of Shenley Brook End Civil Parish (specifically Furzton, Emerson Valley, Tattenhoe and Snelshall).[27] At the 2001 Census, the population of the Sub-area was 47,176.[28]
See also
- traction maintenance depot
Notes
- ^ meaning both "the last" and "the best". The Greater London Council (GLC) was very proud of the Lakes Estate, declaring it to be the finest in modern architecture for a working class estate, based on the design concept pioneered in Radburn, New Jersey[12]
References
- ^ Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ Official map of Milton Keynes showing original designated area boundary
- ^ Bennitt, F.W (1933). Bletchley. H. Jackson.
- ^ "Key to English place names: Bletchley". Institute for Name-Studies, the University of Nottingham. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ Victoria History of the Counties of England. 1927. p. 274–283. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Ordnance Survey (1885). "Buckinghamshire XV (includes: Bletchley; Bow Brickhill; Walton.)" (Map). OS Six-inch England and Wales, 1842-1952. 1:10,560. Ordnance Survey – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ "Living Archive – Bletchley Bricks". Living Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ^ "Newton Leys Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and Surface Water Drainage Strategy" (PDF). Peter Brett Associates. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ^ "Vision of Britain: Bletchley and Fenny Stratford". A Vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- ISBN 0-904847-29-2.
- ^ "Bletchley: Early Days of Overspill". Clutch Club. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- ISBN 978-0906782729.
- ^ "Vision of Britain: Bletchley Urban District". A Vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- ISBN 0-903379-00-7.
- ^ "Investment in Bletchley and Fenny Stratford". Milton Keynes City Council. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Investment Plan" (PDF). Milton Keynes City Council. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Single town in Milton Keynes to be 'transformed' with £23m funding, Chancellor's budget confirms today". Milton Keynes Citizen. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "North Bucks Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ EWR Alliance (April 2020). "EWR2 Project Newsletter, Spring 2020". Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "Front Page". East West Rail Consortium. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ "Bus and Taxi, Bus Timetables, Maps and Travel Updates". Milton Keynes City Council.
- ^ "On-Demand Rideshare in Milton Keynes powered by Via". Via.
- ^ "CMIS > Councillors". milton-keynes.cmis.uk.com. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ Map of Bletchley USa
- ^ KS01 Usual resident population: Census 2001, Key Statistics for urban areas, line 1809
Further reading
- Edward Legg, Early History of Bletchley Park 1235–1937, Bletchley Park Trust Historic Guides series, No. 1, 1999