Olney, Buckinghamshire

Olney (, rarely , rarely ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 6,600.

Lying on the left bank of the River Great Ouse, the town is located around from Central Milton Keynes, and from Bedford, Northampton and Wellingborough.

History

Olney is thought to have been an important Romano-British township, with remains located north-east of the current town, where in 2023 archaeologists uncovered a villa mosaic considered "remains of high significance".

Olney is mentioned as ''Ollanege'' (Olla's island) in 932 CE. According to the Domesday Book the place later called ''Olnei'' had been held in 1066 by Burgred, a descendent of the King of Mercia, but by 1086 its overlord was Geoffrey de Montbray, Bishop of Coutances.

The "L" in Olney came long ago not to be pronounced, at least by local people.

In 1643, during the English Civil War, the Battle of Olney Bridge saw Prince Rupert's force attack Col. Harvey's Parliamentarians, with 60 killed.

The town was a centre of the Buckinghamshire lace-making industry, with Armstrong's Lace Factory prominent in the High Street, ornamented as "the Bucks Lace Industry".

In the late 18th century, the poet William Cowper and anti-slavery campaigner and cleric John Newton collaborated here on what became known as the Olney Hymns, which include Amazing Grace. The town has the Cowper and Newton Museum dedicated to them, adapted from Cowper's former residence, given to the town in 1905 by the publisher William Hill Collingridge (who had been born in the house). Newton was succeeded as curate in Olney by the biblical commentator Thomas Scott (1747–1821).

Olney Park Farm

The hamlet of Olney Park Farm to the north of the town derives its name from a park established in 1374 by Ralph, Lord Basset. In 1861 it attained civil parish status, but was subsequently incorporated into an enlarged Olney civil parish around 1931.

The 1841 census gave the population as 2,362.

Olney Pancake Race

Since 1445, a pancake race has been run in the town on many Pancake Days, the day before the beginning of Lent. Tradition records that in 1445 on Shrove Tuesday, the "Shriving Bell" rang out to signal the start of the Shriving church service. On hearing the bell a local housewife, who had been busy cooking pancakes in anticipation of the beginning of Lent, ran to the church, frying pan still in hand, tossing the pancake to prevent it from burning, and dressed in her kitchen apron and headscarf.

The women of Olney recreate this race every Shrove Tuesday (known in some countries as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday) by running from the market place to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, a distance of over 400 yards. The traditional prize is a kiss from the verger. In modern times, Olney competes with the town of Liberal, Kansas in the United States for the fastest time in either town to win the "International Pancake Race". There is also a children's race, run by children from the local schools. The children have to run a distance of about 20 yards. This competition has been run every year since 1950.

Listed buildings and structures

The parish has one Grade I listed building, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul; four Grade II*, and a further 114 at Grade II. The church is 14th century, with later additions. There is a scheduled monument, a Romano-British settlement, on the northern outskirts of the town.

Amazing Grace 250

In July 2022, following the securing of funding from MK City Council, the MK Community Foundation, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, the town's Cowper and Newton Museum launched the "Amazing Grace 250" project to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Amazing Grace hymn, featuring a host of exhibitions and special events in Olney, the wider Milton Keynes UA, and beyond.

Description

The A509 road runs into the wide High Street bordered by historic townhouses. The Market Place is the site of a general market on Thursdays and a farmers' market on the first Sunday of each month. The vast majority of Olney shops are independent, attracting shoppers from further afield to find the galleries, antique, rug and furniture sellers, as well as boutiques for interior design, fashionable clothes and perfumery. There are restaurants, pubs, cafés and takeaways offering a wide variety of British and international food.

As Olney expanded with new housing estates, a secondary-level satellite campus, Ousedale School, opened in 2007 for pupils from year 7 to year 11. Olney Infants School is for reception to year 2 children and Olney Middle School takes the children up to year 6, at the age of 11.

Olney is the northernmost town in the Milton Keynes UA, Buckinghamshire and the South East England region, close to the boundary with Northamptonshire (and the East Midlands), and Bedfordshire (and the East of England).

Transport

Rail

The closest passenger rail service is at (approximately distant), with inter-city services from and railway stations (each approximately distant). Olney formerly had its own railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway and the Bedford-Northampton line, but passenger services were withdrawn in 1962.

Road

The town is bisected by the Central Milton Keynes-Kettering A509 road, which runs southbound towards the M1 at Junction 14 (roughly distant), and northbound towards the A428 (which runs westbound towards Northampton and eastbound towards Bedford, and Cambridge further afield).

Bus

Bus 21 (Red Rose) connects the town with Lavendon to the north-east, and Newport Pagnell and Central Milton Keynes to the south running approximately every hour from Monday to Friday. Bus 41 (Stagecoach) connects the town with Lavendon, Bedford and Northampton, formerly running approximately every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday. In October 2022, service 41 was reduced to one service to and from Olney per day. However, in April 2023, Milton Keynes City Council stated intent to increase the frequency of the service by providing subsidised fares and discretionary funding using the UK Government's Bus Recovery Grant scheme, with the support expected to come into effect by June 2023.

The City Council also operates an on demand bus service known as "MK Connect", which serves the whole MK unitary authority area, including Olney.

Developments

Olney is identified by MK 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, with the town's complementary Neighbourhood Plan, adopted in May 2017, allocating a total of 300 homes for the town between then and 2031, with 30% of dwellings planned to be affordable.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio, Heart East and MKFM. The town is served by the local newspaper Milton Keynes Citizen.

Governance

Olney has been part of the Borough (now City) of Milton Keynes since 1974, which has been a unitary authority since 1997. This gives Milton Keynes City Council the responsibility for the provision of most local government services. Voters registered in the town are represented on MK City Council, which has (since 2014) been divided into 19 wards each carrying 3 councillors with Olney being part of the larger ward of the same name.

At the parish level, Olney has a town council based at the Olney Centre on the town's high street.

Sport

Rugby football

Olney has a rugby team Olney Rugby Football Club dating to 1877.

Association football

The town's football club, Olney Town, played in the United Counties League but closed down in 2018.

The town also has a junior football club, Olney Town Colts FC. The FA Charter Standard club has 27 teams ranging from U5s to U18s and an adult development team ensuring local players can continue playing beyond youth football.

Others

Other sports activities are supported by clubs for cricket, tennis and bowls, and a hockey club for juniors.

Notable residents

* Thomas Armstrong, organist and college administrator
* Moses Browne, poet and clergyman
* William Cowper, poet and hymn writer
* Clem Curtis, musician, television personality, a member of ''The Foundations''.
* Ben Field, convicted murderer.
* Henry Gauntlett, organist and composer
* Susannah Martin, a woman executed for witchcraft during the Salem witch trials
* John Newton, clergyman, slave trader turned abolitionist and writer of "Amazing Grace".
* Thomas Scott (1747–1821) preacher and biblical commentator.
* John Sutcliff, Baptist minister in town for 39 years, and key figure in the revival of the Baptist mission.
* Dan Wheldon (1978–2011) (former resident), racing driver, winner of the 2005 IndyCar Series and twice winner of the Indianapolis 500.
* Albert William Wise (1886-1964) known as Micky Wise, was born in Olney, and played football as goalkeeper for Chelsea FC, Bedford Town and other clubs.

References

External links

'Parishes : Olney with Warrington'
Victoria History of the Counties of England, A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 4 (1927), pp. 429–439.
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Towns in Buckinghamshire
Populated places on the River Great Ouse
Market towns in Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes
Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire