Bedford - Where is it?

[eastdyke]

My first visit was circa 1957 at age 10 when we went on school camp to Stony Stratford. The camp site was near to the River Ouse not far from where the Grand Union Canal crosses on the aqueduct.
Memories include visiting The Bull and the Police Station in High Street, formerly Watling Street and A5. (The latter visit was not the result of [being caught] underage drinking ).
I remember the Ransomes & Rapier turntable in Bletchley shed yard and the seemingly endless walls of Wolverton Carriage Works.
It was and still is a thoroughly nice location.
Many planning districts in the country ought to be forced to plan their own 'Milton Keynes' to slow down the relentless peripheral development of so many of our existing towns and cities, the cause of so much traffic congestion and poorly connected public transport.

 

[edwin_m]

I like aswell the reminder that it's in the North Sea watershed; similarly mentions of Glossop remind that Derbyshire is split into separate watersheds, as are other counties and "regions". Maybe this should be how we define regions, if we're gonna have regions at all that is...

That's pretty much how the water companies are organised, except that Severn Trent is all one company. The reason for that is also pertinent to why it wouldn't work too well for administrative regions; the West Midlands conurbation would be split.

 

[Bevan Price]

MK village and MK city are two completely different things though. If they were the same then the village would be the centre, or atleast next to it, not in effect a suberb of the city a few miles away. Well ok, just started thinking of Swindon and many other places with an "old town", but they usually are next to each other..

What's your opinion on why the name Milton Keynes was chosen for the new city? I go with the economists' names one (out of the options I've ever heard anyway..)

Currently, MK is not officially classed as a "city" = it is just a (now largish) town, yet to receive official city status.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Currently, MK is not officially classed as a "city" = it is just a (now largish) town, yet to receive official city status.

It’s a “New City”, which is a term that was used by the CNT (Commission for the New Towns) to describe a large new town, hence the signage referring (as was) to the “Borough and New City of Milton Keynes”. It’s not a “city”.

Curiously in MK people refer to “going up the city” for what most people in actual cities call “going to town”.

 

[judethegreat]

Thanks Bletchleyite and AlterEgo, just checked out the de Cahaignes a wee bit, had never heard of them.

Re city status - I wasn't sure, I know it always was a bit vague.

Reading gets called a city in official things quite often. For instance I'm sure at some point buses had the destination "City Centre"...

 

[jon0844]

Well, technically, it did. Milton Keynes village has existed since about the 11th century. In any event even if your point were true the "new" MK began construction in the late 60's after a germination period dating back to the 50's.

So that'll explain why progress is so slow in Ebbsfleet Garden City. It's going to take about ten centuries to finish it.

(That's quite quick for some property developers).

 

[BluePenguin]

O dear this is a debate which has been going on for years. The whole country is torn as to where Bedford really is.

The way I see it Bedford is part of Bedfordshire and is in th East of England. I decided this because it boarders Cambridge and Northamptonshire on either side. It is a fair distant further North than Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to be considered South East.

South Midlands is not a real region! Bedford could be merged with Milton Keynes and placed in Hertfordshire or Buckinghamshire to be considered South East but I doubt that would bappen.

Personally they should create a new region for both Bedford and Milton Keynes and be done with it as clearly no other region wants them

 

[12CSVT]

Milton Keynes is in the London Borough of Merton - or at least that's what the Football Association seem to think