Walking in the Footsteps

I did make it to Stony Stratford yesterday - and walked the length of the shopping area on what was Watling Street (now called "High Street") across the river  bridge and into Old Stratford.

Behind the High Street are the remains of St Mary Magdalene church. It was seriously damaged in the 18th Century, but its medieval tower remains.

A lovely garden has been set to commemorate  the (probable) site of the Stony Stratford Eleanor Cross. These marked the overnight resting places of the body of Edward I's wife - as it was taken from her place of death in Nottinghamshire to Westminster.

The Bridge marks a significant point in the border between England and Danelaw. Alfred the Great signed a treaty with the Viking leader, Guthrun.  The border ran from the north along Watling Street until it met the River Ouse - then followed that river towards Bedford. The photograph below shows where the border made this turn.

The road to Runnymede goes through Milton Keynes!

I've been using some of the (small) amount of free time I have at the moment, to read up about the events leading up to the meeting at Runnymede. Using my modern atlas of France, I've been able to plot (approximately) his itinerary during the disastrous campaign of 1214.

By 800 years ago this week King John had moved into the Midlands (much of the time in previous months he had been in London or southern England). After a few days in Woodstock (just to the north of Oxford - and close to the site of Blenheim Palace - in fact, after Woodstock Palace was destroyed during the Civil War of the 17th Century - stones from it were used to construct Blenheim) - he moved to Silverstone (now the centre for motor racing). From there he travelled to Northampton, spending a night in Blisworth. Northampton had a grand castle - reputedly his father's favourite castle in England. Sadly little now remains - but the station, built on much of the site, is still known as Castle Station.

Then - 800 years ago today - he left Northampton to join the main route from the Midlands to London. He came to Stony Stratford - now part of Milton Keynes. It is an ancient town (though of medieval origin rather than Roman). In Roman times, there may have been some settlement across the Great Ouse river in what is now known as Old Stratford, but the Roman Road (Watling Street) ran through countryside in what is now Stony. (I am writing this from home - in Furzton, which adjoins Watling Street - it was countryside until only 30 years ago).

Stony, because of its strategic position on a major river crossing on this ancient, but continuously important road, has had many royal visitors. It was there that the boy king Edward V was met and taken into 'protective custody' by his uncle, the future Richard III. 

If I have time, I may well pop up to Stratford sometime today - and after popping to my favourite bakers (Woodstocks - by coincidence) - I'll drive home on exactly the route King John took, exactly 800 years previously.

Bank Holiday

So this is it...the end of summer. Today is the last bank holiday of the summer. Our next official holiday is Christmas Day! (at least in the US 'Labor Day' is a week later - so I'll be following the US example!!).

But a new season is about to begin...

The House of Commons returns on 2nd September. The week's business can be found here. (and they'll be discussing cycling on their first day). Conference season starts with the TUC Conference in Bournemouth from the 8th September - and the party conferences follow.

The Institut francais in South Kensington reopens and there's a lot on - I hope, with my newly found free time, to make my visits more frequent. There are a number of films on that I'm keen to see. The programme can be accessed here.

In Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes - Feastival returns.

So, if you are in Britain - enjoy today! (to friends overseas, also enjoy yourself - even if it isn't an official holiday!)

Stony Stratford

I live in Milton Keynes - a place some people think has no history. [It is a 'New City', planned from the 1960s; developed since - and now with a population of almost a quarter of a million]. But it is full of history. A Roman Villa can be visited in Bancroft; the major Roman road, later known as Watling Street runs through the city (and close to where I live); ancient villages remain [often hidden within one of the estates on the grid] - and Bletchley Park is a site and now museum of international historical significance.

Then there is Stony Stratford - sitting on Watling Street. It wasn't a Roman town itself (MK's Roman town was 'Magiovinium' - to the South East of Fenny Stratford) - and there is evidence of roman settlement across the Great Ouse in Old Stratford - but it came into its own during the medieval period. Watling Street continued to be a major route across England - and stony Stratford developed as a coaching town. If you walk around you'll see the tell-tale signs of coaching inns -

 

After the death of Edward IV, his son - the twelve year old Edward - left Ludlow heading for London. At Stony Stratford his uncle, Richard of Gloucester [to become Richard III] - who was named as his protector in Edward IV's will - met with the young Edward V - and took him into his care.

This plaque can be seen on a property in Stony Stratford High Street. At the moment (in the little spare time I have), I'm reading about Richard III. As someone with many connections to Leicester (and a former tutor at Leicester University), I followed closely the developments involving the discovery of Richard III's body. Currently I'm part way through John Ashdown-Hill's fascinating book "The Last Days of Richard III".



In the interests of full disclosure I should mention that I've also recently joined the Richard III Society.

Watling Street

This blog is often written at my home in Furzton, an area of the "New" City of Milton Keynes. (Some posts are written while I'm working away (for example the video posted yesterday was recorded whilst away just outside St Neots in Cambridge) or from Westminster.

While MK is a new city, in the sense that it is England's newest, and completely planned, city - it was formally designated as a "new town" on January 23rd 1967 - and has grown to 245,000 (2011 estimate) - it includes many sites of historic interest. Click here to see the Washminster post on the Roman Villa at Bancroft (very close to the "concrete cows").

Furzton is bordered by Watling Street - perhaps the most most important Roman road in England. It ran from the ports in Kent to Londinium (London) to Wroxeter on the border with Wales. Late it became the main route to Ireland - ending at Holyhead. Most of the route is now the A5.

In the Borough of Milton Keynes the main Roman settlement on Watling Street was Magiovinium, just to the south of Fenny Stratford - where the River Ouzel crosses Watling Street. (the garden centre Dobbies is on part of the site). The route (which of course, being a Roman road, was straight) goes in a north westerly direction until the crossing of the Great Ouse at Stony Stratford. This was itself to become an important centre in English history (Richard III - when he was Duke of Gloucester - intercepted and took into "protective custody" his 12 year old nephew, Edward V - at a inn in the town - the Rosé and Crown)

However, the town is of Saxon origin. Roman remains discovered north of the river suggest that "Old Stratford" (in Northamptonshire) was an administrative post on the ford across the Great Ouse. When England was split between an English Kingdom and Danelaw (Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum c 878) - the border was the Great Ouse from Bedford until Stony Stratford, whereupon Watling Street became the border (going northwards).

The Loughton Brook crosses Watling Street close to what is now Furzton Lake. I am trying to ascertain whether this is Harford Bridge - which appears on page 52 in "Britannia Depicta" of 1720. Any assistance would be appreciated (please email - friend@washminster.com)