Newport Pagnell | |
---|---|
High Street | |
Location within Buckinghamshire | |
Population | 15,118 (2011 Census) [1] |
OS grid reference | SP873437 |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Newport Pagnell |
Postcode district | MK16 |
Dialling code | 01908 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Buckinghamshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. [2] The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area. [3]
The town is separated from the rest of the urban area by the M1 motorway, on which Newport Pagnell Services, the second service station to be opened in the United Kingdom, is located.
The town is more widely known for having the only remaining vellum manufacturer in the United Kingdom, and being the original home of the exclusive sports car manufacturer Aston Martin.
The town was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Neuport, Old English for 'New Market Town', but by that time, the old Anglo-Saxon town was dominated by the Norman invaders. The suffix 'Pagnell' came later when the manor passed into the hands of the Pagnell (Paynel) family. [4] [5] It was the principal town of the "Three Hundreds of Newport", [6] a district that had almost the same boundary as the modern City of Milton Keynes UA.
The Grade I listed Tickford Bridge, over the River Ouzel (or Lovat), was built in 1810. [7] It is one of just a few cast iron bridges in Britain that still carry modern road traffic. [7] Near the footbridge at the side, there is a plaque placed by Newport Pagnell Historical Society that gives details of its history and construction. The Ouzel joins the Great Ouse nearby, and a large set of sluice gates – used to control downstream flooding – is located near the bridge.
Between 1817 and 1864, the town was linked to the Grand Junction Canal at Great Linford via the Newport Pagnell Canal. [8] In 1862, the canal owners sold the route to the London and North Western Railway. [9] For a hundred years (1867 to 1967), Newport Pagnell was served by Newport Pagnell railway station, the terminus on the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell branch line. (The route is now a rail trail, part of the Milton Keynes redway system.)
The population of Newport Pagnell and its hinterland at the 1801 Census was 17,576; by 1911 it had grown to 14,428. [10] The population of Newport Pagnell Urban District alone is first recorded at the 1911 Census as 4,238 and had reached 4,743 by 1961. [11]
The town has one scheduled monument (Civil War defences in Bury Field [12] ), two buildings or structures listed at Grade I (Tickford Bridge [7] and the parish church of SS Peter and Paul [13] ), one at Grade II* (84 High St. [14] ) and a further 118 at Grade II. [15]
The Old Town Hall Chambers, now apartments, were built as a school in the early 19th century. [16]
From 1954 until 2007, the town was the home to the sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. [17] The Newport Pagnell factory was considered outdated and a new production facility was built near Gaydon in Warwickshire. There is still a service facility in Newport Pagnell, but the factory on the north side of Tickford St has since been demolished apart from the engine shop, board room and offices that are listed buildings. The land behind these has been developed by a housing developer. The buildings at the front, including the house used as a board room, have been restored and will be used as commercial sites. In 2012, Aston Martin completely modernised the service facility and the site also houses a bespoke sales department.
Notable industries in the town include the only remaining vellum manufacturer in the United Kingdom, William Cowley, located at Parchment Works, 97 Caldecote Street. [18]
Over the past 50 years, Newport Pagnell has attracted an increasing amount of investment and of economic growth, due to its fortunes being intertwined with the growth of Milton Keynes. This has led to a number of new housing developments in the area. [19]
The modern civil parish of Newport Pagnell stops at the M1, but the Church of England ecclesiastical parish extends to include Broughton and Caldecote. Much of the Grade 1 listed parish Church of St Peter and St Paul dates from the fourteenth century. [20]
The town is home to four primary schools – Tickford Park Primary School, Cedars, Green Park Primary School, and Portfields Primary School – and three pre-schools – River Meadows, Lovat Hall and Northern Pastures. It is also home to one of two campuses of Ousedale School (the other one being in nearby Olney), which serves students from across the town and its surrounding villages, and is one of the best performing secondary schools in the City of Milton Keynes. [21]
The town is located at the north-eastern corner of the Milton Keynes urban area, overlooking the rural parts of the Unitary Authority area. It is served by the M1 motorway from Junction 14 (2 miles (3.2 km) to the south) via the A509 which, along with the A422 and Wolverton Road, connects it with (the rest of) the Milton Keynes BUA. To the east of the town, the A422 and A509 multiplex northwards to form the Newport Pagnell Eastern Bypass, providing links to Bedford, Wellingborough and Kettering. The historic Newport Pagnell-Northampton road (B526) runs through the centre of the town, linking rural villages to the north, and provides a secondary route to Northampton.
It was proposed in January 2021 that, with the money that had been given to Milton Keynes City Council as part of the UK Government's Active Travel Fund, Tongwell Lane in Newport Pagnell would be converted into a redway, which would better link the town with the rest of the city. [22] Since its completion in March 2021, [23] the town has been served by three connections to the wider redway network of Milton Keynes, all heading westwards into Blakelands first: Tongwell Lane, Stanmore Gardens and the Wolverton-Newport Pagnell railway walk. [24]
In February 2021, developers presented to Milton Keynes City Council proposals for the development of a new community to the south of Newport Pagnell, with the construction of approximately 5,000 homes. [25] In planning documents, the new area is called "Milton Keynes East", and is proposed to include a local centre with two primary schools and a secondary school. It is to have direct road links to Newport Pagnell town centre, and Central Milton Keynes via an expansion of the Milton Keynes grid road system. [26] In September 2023, construction of the development initiated, with MK City Council closing the A509 London Road (between M1 J14 and Tickford Roundabout to the south of the town) which is currently in place for up to 18 months, with a new "Eastern Relief Road" and bridge across the M1 planned to be built. [27]
In September 2023, developer Vistry Group was commissioned by MK City Council to construct over 900 timber-framed homes as part of the £275mn Tickford Fields development to the east of the town, with more than 30% of the homes planned to be affordable. The development will also feature a primary school, local centre sports pitches and play areas. It is expected to be energy efficient and sustainable. [28]
Newport Pagnell is identified by the City Council (in local planning documents) as one of the three "Key Settlements" in the Milton Keynes UA outside of the 1967 "designated area" of the New Town, [29] with the town's complementary Neighbourhood Plan, adopted in June 2021, allocating a total of 1,400 homes for the town between 2016 and 2031. [30]
The closest passenger rail service is at Wolverton railway station (approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) distant), with inter-city services accessible from Milton Keynes Central (approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) distant).
Bus 21 (Red Rose) operates an hourly service from Monday to Friday, connecting the town with Olney and Lavendon to the north, and Central Milton Keynes to the south-west. Operating roughly every 30 mins from Monday to Friday are the Arriva-operated Bus 1 (serving Willen and CMK), and Bus 2/2A (serving Crownhill). [31]
MK City Council also operates an on demand bus service known as "MK Connect", which serves the whole MK unitary authority area, including Newport Pagnell. [32]
There are two tiers of local government covering Newport Pagnell, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Newport Pagnell Town Council and Milton Keynes City Council. The town council has its offices and meeting place at 80 High Street. [33] In City Council elections, the town is divided between the Newport Pagnell South, and Newport Pagnell North and Hanslope wards. [34] [35]
Newport Pagnell became the headquarters of Newport Pagnell Rural District under the Local Government Act 1894. [36] In 1897, Newport Pagnell became the sole civil parish within the newly created Newport Pagnell Urban District. Both the urban and rural district were abolished in 1974, merging with neighbouring districts to become the (then) Borough of Milton Keynes. The former urban district was an unparished area from 1974 to 1985, governed directly by Milton Keynes Borough Council. The civil parish of Newport Pagnell was re-established in 1985, with its council adopting the name Newport Pagnell Town Council. [37]
Although Newport Pagnell was excluded from the 1967 designated area of Milton Keynes, [38] its growth has been at a similar level to that of the constituent towns of the latter; the two now join at the M1 and there are no other practical distinctions between them. As of 2001, the Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes Urban Area. [3] By the 2001 census, its population had increased significantly from 6,000 in 1971 [39] to 15,020.[ citation needed ] In 2006, the Borough Council projected that the population will remain broadly stable at this level, [40] and by the 2011 census, the population had increased very little to 15,118. [1]
Newport Pagnell has a Non-League football team Newport Pagnell Town F.C., nicknamed the Swans, who play at The Pavilion on Willen Road. An ITF Taekwon-Do club, Kicks Taekwon-Do Academy, trains at Cedars Primary School, Bury Street, and a swimming pool. Between 1959 and 1960 it was the headquarters of the Aston Martin F1 team.
Bowls has been played in Newport Pagnell for over 400 years as maps of the Town dating from the mid 17 Century show a public House called "The Bowling Green". The Newport Pagnell Bowling Club was founded in 1905[ citation needed ] and the club used the Bowling Green behind the George pub in Tickford Street (currently The Magic Wok 2019). The game was developing locally due to the Railways,[ clarification needed ] with clubs at Wolverton existing already and Olney forming in 1906. After the Great War, the Club purchased a plot of land known as "The Bully" and the Club remains at this site in Castle Meadow to the current day.
Milton Keynes is a city 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).
The City of Milton Keynes is a borough with city status, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is the northernmost district of the South East England Region. The borough abuts Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and the remainder of Buckinghamshire. The borough is administered by Milton Keynes City Council, a unitary authority.
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.
Caldecote is a hamlet in the civil parish of Moulsoe in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, situated roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Newport Pagnell, and roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) north-east of Central Milton Keynes.
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.
Bradwell is an ancient village and modern district in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Central Milton Keynes. It has also given its name to a modern civil parish that is part of the City of Milton Keynes. The village was adjacent to Bradwell Abbey, a Benedictine priory, founded in 1155 and dissolved in about 1540, but the abbey and its immediate environs were always a separate ecclesiastical parish.
Broughton is a historic village, modern district and civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Central Milton Keynes. It is governed by Broughton and Milton Keynes Joint Parish Council, shared with the neighbouring Milton Keynes parish. Broughton district was developed during the 2000s and 2010s largely to the south and east of the historic village.
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.
Haversham is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Haversham-cum-Little Linford, in the City of Milton Keynes unitary authority area, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated to the north of the Milton Keynes urban area, near Wolverton and about 5 miles (8 km) north of Central Milton Keynes.
Wolverton is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, England. It is located in the north-west of the city, 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.
Wolverton railway station serves Wolverton, a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The station is on the West Coast Main Line, about 52 miles (84 km) from Euston, between Milton Keynes Central and Northampton. The station is one of the seven stations serving the Milton Keynes urban area.
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.
The A509 is a short A-class road for north–south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the A5 in Milton Keynes, via M1 junction 14.
Milton Keynes North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 general election by Chris Curtis for the Labour Party.
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.
Sport in Milton Keynes covers a range of professional and amateur sport in the City of Milton Keynes unitary authority area. In 2019, Milton Keynes was officially designated as a European City of Sport for 2020. There are professional teams in football, in motorsport and in ice hockey. The National Badminton Centre, and the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletic Club train professional and amateur athletes. Most other sports feature at amateur level although there are semi-professional teams in rugby union and football among other sports. There is an international-standard karting track owned by Daytona Motorsport.
In January 2004, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced the United Kingdom government's Expansion plans for Milton Keynes. However, the change of government in 2010 and the abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategy in 2012/13 saw these plans revoked and a planned expansion of up to 44,000 dwellings reduced to 28,000. The Milton Keynes Core Strategy was published in July 2013 and regards the figure of 28,000 new homes to be the minimum figure.
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, founded in 1967, is the largest settlement and only city in Buckinghamshire. At the 2021 census, the population of its urban area was estimated to have exceeded 256,000.
The Milton Keynes grid road system is a network of predominantly national speed limit, fully landscaped routes that form the top layer of the street hierarchy for both private and public transport in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The system is unique in the United Kingdom for its innovative use of street hierarchy principles: the grid roads run in between districts rather than through them. This arrangement permits higher speed limits due to the absence of buildings close to the roads – although more recently some have been limited in part to 40 mph (64 km/h). The grid road system also serves an important purpose of discouraging through-traffic from travelling through neighbourhoods and thus reduces traffic noise and pollution in pedestrian areas. Motor traffic is segregated from pedestrian and leisure cycling traffic, which uses the alternative Milton Keynes redway system. Almost all grid junctions are roundabouts, and the absence of traffic lights enables free and efficient movement of traffic.
Newport Pagnell railway station was a railway station that served Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, on the Wolverton–Newport Pagnell line. Opened in 1867 the station consisted of a brick built station building, and extensive goods facilities.
Newport Pagnell will now be better linked with the rest of the city