Willen is a district of

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and is also one of the ancient villages of

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

to have been included in the designated area of the New City in 1967. At the 2011 Census the population of the district was included in the

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 authority ...

of Campbell Park. The original village is now a small but important part of the larger district that contains it and to which it gives its name.

History

The village was first recorded as ''Wilinges'' (12th century) and later as ''Wylie'', ''Wilies'' (13th century); ''Wilne'', ''Wylyene'' (14th century); and ''Wyllyen'', ''Wyllyn'' (15th century). Willen is not recorded by name in the Domesday Survey, but it can be identified with the 4 hides 1 virgate assessed under Caldecote, part of the neighbouring parish of

Moulsoe Moulsoe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Unitary authorities in England, unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is on the border with Bedfordshire, and just east of the M1 ...

, and held under the Count of Mortain by Alvered. The name Willen is probably from Anglo-Saxon or Old English meaning (at the) 'willows', the adjacent

River Ouzel The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a river in England, and a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell. It is usually called the ''River Ouzel'' ...

meanders through land ideal for willows. The Willen civil parish was merged with Great and Little Woolstone to become "Woolstone-cum-Willen" in 1934. It is now part of the parish of Campbell Park.

Environment and amenities

Religious

The parish church (1680), was designed by the architect and physicist

Robert Hooke Robert Hooke FRS (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath active as a scientist, natural philosopher and architect, who is credited to be one of two scientists to discover microorganisms in 1665 using a compound microscope that ...

and is a classic of the early

English Baroque English Baroque is a term used to refer to modes of English architecture that paralleled Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London (1666) and roughly 1720, when the flamboyant and dramatic qualities of Baroque ...

period. Further around the lake, there is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Temple/

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and a large

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

, the

Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. Most, though not all, peace pagodas built since World War II ...

built in 1980 by the monks and nuns of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji. It was the first to be built in the western hemisphere. There is a grass

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

nearby. St Michael's Priory is small

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

house in the village.

Willen Hospice

Overlooking the lake, Willen Hospice provides specialist care for people whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment (also known as specialist

palliative care Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...

).About us
(Willen Hospice)

Willen Lake

One of the more important features of the district is a large

balancing lake A balancing lake (also flood basin or Sustainable urban drainage scheme) is a term used in the U.K. describing an element of an urban drainage system used to control flooding by temporarily storing flood waters. The term balancing pond is also ...

on the

, designed to capture

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

s lest they cause problems down stream. The lake is split into two halves. The north lake is a wild-life sanctuary and a favourite of migrating aquatic birds, overlooked by the Peace Pagoda and the Hospice. The south lake is for leisure use, with a full watersports and boat hire centre, as well as inflatable aqua park and wakeboarding facility. There are many paths around the lake suitable for walking, running or cycling. The south lake also comprises a children's splash park and a high ropes course, as well as playing host to various events throughout the year.

Bird Life

In its history, many rare and scarce migrating birds have turned up on the north side of the lake. The island is primarily for bird life. Many common bird species breed on the spit that can be viewed from the only hide on the lake, the north hide.

Sports

The district is also home to Willen Cricket Club and to Willen Juniors FC, who both play at Willen Fields on Portland Drive.

References

External links

*
The official website for the Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda
by Peter Loud {{authority control Villages in Buckinghamshire Areas of Milton Keynes Willen Church Parks and open spaces in the Borough of Milton Keynes