Places to Visit - Wolverton and Greenleys Town Council

Buildings

The Old Bath House

The Old Bath House was built in 1890 between the Finishing Shop and the Horse Box Repair Shop on Stratford Road. It was built by the London and North Western Railway Company as a public bath house for residents and railway workers in Wolverton.

In 1992 Tesco obtained planning permission to build a new superstore on neighbouring land, on the condition that they financed a brand new community centre, and refurbished the Old Bath House. The new centre became home to Living Archive, who stayed at the Old Bath House collecting and preserving Milton Keynes’ history until they moved to Milton Keynes Museum in 2013. The Old Bath House is now a community centre, for more information visit The Old Bath House website.

Old Bath House

Milton Keynes Museum

The history of Milton Keynes didn't start in the 1960s! Find out all about the history of our extraordinary city at the Milton Keynes Museum, a converted Victorian farm house dating from 1847. The Museum hosts local artefacts relating to the heritage of Milton Keynes. This is a great place to visit with all the family to learn about the rich history of our railway towns, farming and printing industry and much more. For more information visit the MK Museum website.

St George's Church

St George the Martyr is the world's first railway church, built in 1845 by the railway company. You can find more information on the St George's church website.

St George's church

The Water Tower

Along Green Lane sits the Victorian water tower. Originally one of two, this was built on the highest land in the town. It used to hold clean water and was the main supply for the town.

Water tower

Stratford Road

Stratford Road is the main road through Wolverton and is home to residential housing as well as independent businesses. Along the wall at the corner of Stratford Road and Radcliffe Street are ‘sniper holes’, holes in the brick wall that guns could be fired through in order to protect the works from an enemy. The works wall runs opposite what was the town's main shopping streets and sold everything from boots to bicycles to bread and beer. The works Bath House and Fire Station can be seen across the road.

Stratford Road walls

Parks and Open Spaces

The Community Orchard

There is always a range of tasks to do in the Community Orchard, with volunteers working hard. Tuesdays is the regular work day if you would like to come along and help, anytime between 10am and 1pm. We're in the alleyway off Woburn Avenue, nearest postcode for satnavs is MK12 5AY.

There are regular and very popular events in the Orchard, usually in April, July and September. All these events are free entry but we hope that you will donate for refreshments from our Victorian railway carriage to help pay the necessary expenses.

For more news on the Orchard please visit the Orchard's Facebook page.

An allotment plot/orchard

Aqueduct and Canal

The Grand Union Canal is Britain's longest, the trunk route of the canals link London to Birmingham. There are beautiful walks to take with the family, friends and dogs along the canal passing rolling countryside.

As you walk along the canal from Old Wolverton you can discover the The Iron Trunk Aqueduct which is a magnificent Georgian structure, which carries the Grand Union Canal over the River Ouse. Built in 1811 by canal engineer Benjamin Beavan, following the collapse of the previous brick-built structure, the aqueduct stands at an impressive 10.8 metres high and connects Wolverton with Cosgrove. In 2011 the Iron Trunk Aqueduct celebrated its bicentenary and the Town Council were awarded a grant from the Lottery to invest in improvements.

Visit the Canal River Trust's website for a brief history of the Iron Trunk Aqueduct and to download the Iron Aqueduct Trails with places of interest you can visit along the way.

For more information about the Grand Union Canal visit the Grand Union Canal website.

Floodplain Forest and Nature Reserve

The Parks Trust implemented the first phase of public access infrastructure at the Floodplain Forest site at Manor Farm, Old Wolverton. The new paths and bird hides provide a set of easy access routes for visitors. Wildlife is flourishing at the site in abundance and the wetland is fast becoming a popular spot for bird watchers.

On Thursday 25th August 2016 the site was officially opened to the public by Adam Henson, farmer and rural TV presenter.

The Floodplain Forest is a 48 hectare (120 acre) habitat creation project made possible by extracting gravel and sand reserves from beneath an area of agriculturally improved grazing land.

Floodplain forests are complex habitats which include water channels, ponds, grasslands and scrubland as well as woodland. Natural floodplain forests are now a rare type of habitat.

The mineral extraction from the site was undertaken by Henson UK. It began in 2007 and was completed in 2013. The supply of minerals was valuable towards meeting local demand.

The post-extraction restoration scheme has created a mosaic of water channels, pools, marshy areas and islands. These are becoming colonised by wildlife and will develop into a diverse ecosystem providing habitat for many different species.

Since its creation, the newly remodelled landscape has been flooded from the River Great Ouse several times. This is an important feature of the habitat and is beneficial to flood management because the project has increased the holding capacity for the floodplain.

The Nature Reserve is owned and will be managed by the Parks Trust for the local community and visitors to experience and enjoy the new landscape and the wildlife it will attract.

The income The Parks Trust received from the sale of the minerals from the site is held in a special fund for use only on the Nature Reserve, including the provision and upkeep of the public access facilities. You can find out more on the Parks Trust's website.

The Secret Garden

In a patch of ground alongside the Grand Union Canal in the railway town of Wolverton, Milton Keynes, members of the local community transformed a piece of derelict land into a new greenspace for the enjoyment of all of the community - the Secret Garden. The Secret Garden can only be accessed on foot, either from the canal towpath or from Stratford Road near the train station. Alongside the canal is the black and white mural of a steam train. This mural is the work of the late Bill Billings, a community artist who lived and worked in Milton Keynes.

To find out more information on the Secret Garden including events and activities held please visit the Secret Garden Facebook page and the Living Archive entry. Better still, why not visit yourself?

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