Campbell Park

Last updated

Campbell Park
Campbell Park, May 2023.jpg
Campbell Park, May 2023.
Campbell Park
Location Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England
Coordinates 52°02′50″N0°44′37″W / 52.04722°N 0.74363°W / 52.04722; -0.74363
OS grid reference SP 862 395
Area46 hectares (114 acres) [1]
Built1984 (opened)
Architect Derek Walker, Stuart Mosscrop and Andrew Mahaddie (1973–1975), revised Neil Higson (1980). [1]
Owner Milton Keynes Parks Trust
Website The Parks Trust: Cambpbell Park
Official nameCampbell Park, Milton Keynes
Designated18 August 2020 [1]
Reference no.1467405

Campbell Park is the name of the central park for Milton Keynes (England) and of a ward of Central Milton Keynes civil parish. [2] (The nearby Campbell Park (civil parish) previously included the park but no longer does so. It did not change its name after the park district was transferred to CMK Town Council).

Contents

The park is listed (grade 2) "due to its historic interest and innovative architectural design". [3]

The Park

The park, part of Central Milton Keynes civil parish (rather than Campbell Park CP), takes up the larger part of the district. It was named in honour of the first chairman of Milton Keynes Development Corporation, Jock Campbell, Baron Campbell of Eskan. It is accessed from the main retail/service/entertainment district at the end of Midsummer Boulevard by a footbridge over the Marlborough Street (B4146, V8) cutting. From here, the park slopes downwards to the Grand Union Canal. A junction between the Grand Union and a new Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway is proposed for this area. [4]

The park is listed (grade 2) by Historic England, [1] and had previously attracted praise in the Pevsner Architectural Guides:

Campbell Park, the city park, links central MK to a vast swathe of parkland down to the Ouse Valley, in all the largest and most imaginative park to have been laid out in Britain in the 20th century.

— Pevsner and others, The buildings of England: Buckinghamshire. [5] : 487 

The magnificently generous city park [is] on the right scale for the city. It lies on axis with the shopping centre and rises to a mound, intentionally reminiscent of a prehistoric site, before spreading out with an exhilarating panorama over Newlands, Willen Lake and its surrounding parkland, with which it makes a single tract of countryside.

— Pevsner and others, The buildings of England: Buckinghamshire. [5] : 517 

Milton Keynes Rose

The Rose, at the west end of the park and nearest to the MK's central business district, "is a public space designed for commemoration, celebration and contemplation". As well as a central Cenotaph, the installation includes markers for a wide variety of historical events. [6]

When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, the MK Rose was used by locals as a place to lay floral tributes.

Belvedere and Pyramid of Light

Leading east from the Rose, the Belvedere is level path leading to Pyramid of Light, a sculpture. The ground on either side falls away so that most of the path is on an increasingly elevated embankment.

The Pyramid of Light also serves as a beacon and was most recently lit during the 2022 Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

Events plateau and amphitheatre

These spaces are used for community events and biennially for IF: Milton Keynes , the Milton Keynes International Festival.

This area is also known for hosting Milton Keynes-based events such as India Day and the African Diaspora Foundation Festival.

The amphitheatre has also hosted concerts featuring acts such as Steps, Paloma Faith, and Will Young.

Cricket ground

Campbell Park Cricket Ground and its pavilion lie at the east end of the park, near the Grand Union Canal.

Parks Trust headquarters

The Milton Keynes Parks Trust has its headquarters building at the eastern end of the park, near the cricket ground.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Keynes</span> City in Buckinghamshire, England

Milton Keynes is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms the northern boundary of the urban area; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckingham</span> Town in Buckinghamshire, England

Buckingham is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Central Milton Keynes, 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Banbury, and 24 miles (39 km) north-east of Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Milton Keynes</span> Unitary authority area in England

The City of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority area with both borough and city status, in Buckinghamshire. It is the northernmost district of the South East England Region. The borough abuts Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and the remainder of Buckinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olney, Buckinghamshire</span> Market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England

Olney is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 6,477.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport Pagnell</span> Human settlement in England

Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanslope</span> Civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, England

Hanslope is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about 4 miles (6.4 km) west northwest of Newport Pagnell, about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Stony Stratford and 8 miles (13 km) north of Central Milton Keynes. The northern parish boundary is part of the county boundary with Northamptonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bletchley</span> Human settlement in England

Bletchley is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in the south-west of Milton Keynes, and is split between the civil parishes of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and West Bletchley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broughton, Milton Keynes</span> Civil parish in Milton Keynes, England

Broughton is a historic village, modern district and civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, situated approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Central Milton Keynes. As of 2020, it is governed by Broughton and Milton Keynes Joint Parish Council, which it shares with the neighboring Milton Keynes parish. Today, Broughton is a large district of (greater) Milton Keynes that has been developed around the original village and that grew substantially during the 2000s and 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Linford</span> Civil parish in Milton Keynes, England

Great Linford is a historic village, district and wider civil parish in the north of Milton Keynes, England, between Wolverton and Newport Pagnell, and roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Central Milton Keynes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravenstone, Buckinghamshire</span> Human settlement in England

Ravenstone is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The village is about 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Olney, and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Newport Pagnell and about 10 miles (16 km) from Central Milton Keynes. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 209.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stantonbury</span> Civil parish in Milton Keynes, England

Stantonbury is a district and civil parish of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, situated roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Central Milton Keynes. The toponym Stanton is derived from an Old English term for "stone-built farmstead" and the bury element from the French family Barri who held it in 1235. The original Stantonbury is a deserted medieval village now known as Stanton Low; the Stantonbury name has been reused for the modern district at the heart of the civil parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolverton</span> Human settlement in England

Wolverton is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, England. It is located in north-west Milton Keynes, beside the West Coast Main Line, the Grand Union Canal and the river Great Ouse. It is the administrative seat of Wolverton and Greenleys civil parish.

Denbigh is a district in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, to the north of Fenny Stratford and on the eastern side of the West Coast Main Line. It is in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford and is categorised by the Office for National Statistics as part of the Bletchley built-up area. The A5 forms its eastern and northern boundary; parts of Bletcham Way and Saxon St form its southern boundary. The overall district has five sub districts, divided by Watling St/Denbigh Rd, the 'uptick' of Bletcham Way and Grafton Street, and Saxon Street northbound. The district names are planning designations that have persisted without ever being changed to the style "North Denbigh" etc. as is the norm elsewhere in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bradwell</span> Civil parish in Milton Keynes, England

New Bradwell is (mainly) an Edwardian era village, modern district and civil parish in north-west Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Central Milton Keynes. Together with Wolverton, it was built primarily to house the workers on the Wolverton railway works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Milton Keynes</span> Civil parish and central business district of Milton Keynes, England

Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right, with a town council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradwell Abbey</span> Historic site in Milton Keynes, England

Bradwell Abbey or Bradwell Priory is a Scheduled Monument, urban studies site, district and former civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was once the location of a Benedictine priory, founded in 1155.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Keynes redway system</span> Shared path network in Milton Keynes, England

The Milton Keynes redway system is an over 200 miles network of shared use paths for cyclists and pedestrians in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is generally surfaced with red tarmac, and criss-crosses most of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Milton Keynes</span> History of the city in England

This history of Milton Keynes details its development from the earliest human settlements, through the plans for a 'new city' for 250,000 people in northern Southeast England, its subsequent urban design and development, to the present day. Milton Keynes is the largest settlement and only city in Buckinghamshire, founded in 1967. At the 2021 census, the population of its urban area was estimated to have exceeded 256,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Woughton</span> Civil parish in Milton Keynes, England

Old Woughton is a district and civil parish in south central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The parish was established in April 2012 by the division into two parts of Woughton parish. The original (undivided) civil parish was itself originally called "Woughton on the Green".

Campbell Park is a civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The parish is bounded by Childs Way (H6) to the north, the River Ouzel to the east, the A5 to the west, and Chaffron Way to the south. The parish includes the § Fishermead, § Newlands, § Oldbrook, § Springfield, § Winterhill, Willen and The Woolstones grid-squares. The parish was originally known as Woolstone-cum-Willen, and was formed on 1 April 1934 as a merger of Great Woolstone, Little Woolstone and Willen. The parish was part of Newport Pagnell Rural District until the latter became part of the Borough of Milton Keynes in 1974. The parish was redefined in 2012, when the districts of Campbell Park (sic), Newlands and Willen were reallocated to other parishes. Despite the loss of its eponymous district, the Parish Council continues to use its name. As of December 2022, the parish council is consulting on changing its name.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Historic England. "Campbell Park, Milton Keynes (1467405)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "Map of parish and town councils". City of Milton Keynes.
  3. ↑ Holly Patel (21 August 2020). "Campbell Park in Milton Keynes recognised as one of the finest post-war parks". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Route chosen for £150m link canal". BBC News. 28 February 2003.
  5. 1 2 Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth; Brandwood, Geoffrey K. (2000). Buckinghamshire. The Buildings of England. London: Penguin. p. 487.
  6. ↑ "Milton Keynes Rose". Milton Keynes Parks Trust.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.