Milton Bryan is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

located in

Central Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created in 2009. Formation Central Bedfordshire was created on 1 April 2009 as part of a structural reform of local government in Bedfor ...

(the spelling Milton Bryant was previously common and is still recognised by postal services). It lies just off the A4012 road, near to its junction with the A5 at

Hockliffe Hockliffe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire on the crossroads of the A5 road which lies upon the course of the Roman road known as Watling Street and the A4012 and B5704 roads. It is about four miles east of Leighton Buzzard. Near ...

. The parish includes the ancient hamlets of Potsgrove &

Battlesden Battlesden is a hamlet and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is just north of the A5, between Dunstable and Milton Keynes. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 38. Because of its ...

. The village is best known for being the birthplace of Joseph Paxton, the designer of

the Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibitors from around th ...

, who was born in Milton Bryan as the seventh son of a farming family along with its role in the Second World War.

South End

The village is divided into two distinct areas: Church End and South End. South End includes the Red Lion pub and an attractive duck pond. A Methodist Chapel was built by the pond in the 19th century, resting on the banks of the pond and overhanging the pond supported on stilts.

Church End

Church End includes St Peter's Church and the remains of a radio station ( Soldatensender Calais) built in the Second World War to broadcast 'black propaganda' into Nazi Germany.

St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church was initially a simple Norman structure with a chancel, nave and small timber bell turret, with a 15th-century east window, windows in the nave and doorways in chancel and nave. Then the Inglis family acquired the Milton Bryan Estate through marriage in 1784. The first major alterations took place in 1826 in memory of Sir Hugh Inglis, who had died in 1820, by his son Sir Robert Harry Inglis. A north transept was built and a family chapel over a vault, the architect seems to have been

Sir Robert Smirke Sir Robert Smirke (1 October 1780 – 18 April 1867) was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture, though he also used other architectural styles. As architect to the Board of Works, he designed several major ...

. A new tower and a porch were built in 1840-1841, designed by

Lewis Nockalls Cottingham Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787 – 13 October 1847) was a British architect who pioneered the study of Medieval Gothic architecture. He was a restorer and conservator of existing buildings. He set up a Museum of Medieval Art in Waterloo Road, Lon ...

, the west window was reopened and a new west front gable were added. Ten years later a south transept was added at Sir Robert Harry Inglis' expense, after his death a stained glass window was installed in the north transept in 1857. Lady Paxton gave a stained glass window in 1867 in memory of her husband Sir Joseph Paxton, architect of the

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

, who was born in the village.

Pond

In 1861, a chapel was built over the pond, supported by stilts and partially on land. This was a timber Chapel with a slated roof which, at a squash, could seat up to 50 people. The interior was very simple and austere. During its life, the Chapel was maintained meticulously by the villagers who ensured that the pews were kept polished and the wooden floor scrubbed. Very often, the sound of ducks under the Chapel could be heard during the sermons and hymns. A plaque was placed by the pond to commemorate both the Millennium 2000 and the site of the former Milton Bryan Methodist Chapel.

Surrounding area

The nearest town to Milton Bryan is Leighton Buzzard, closely followed by

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...

. It is also a short distance away from the villages of ToddingtonGenuki: Milton Bryan
GENUKI.com. Accessed 19 April 2012. and Woburn.

References

External links

{{authority control Central Bedfordshire District Civil parishes in Bedfordshire History of telecommunications in the United Kingdom Military history of Bedfordshire Radio during World War II Villages in Bedfordshire