Locale Wolverton

Wolverton is a working class red brick town on the northern edge of Milton Keynes. It was purpose built to support the railway works, but the heyday of the works was a long time ago, and they were severely cut back after Dr. Beeching's cuts in 1963. Another major (and now former) employer was McCorquodales printing factory: a large employer of women in the late Victorian period.

Wolverton is often seen as the poorer relation to Stony Stratford, but it's a cheerful redbrick urban development with a feel of history. There's a good range of local shops and green spaces, and easy access to the rest of Milton Keynes. One of its chief transport advantages is the railway station which is on the direct London West Coast line.

Wolverton was chosen in 1836 as the site of the locomotive repair shop for the London and Birmingham Railway then under construction. The L & B in 1846 became part of the London and North Western Railways (who subsequently decided that locomotives would be built and repaired at Crewe). The last locomotives at Wolverton were built in 1863 and repaired in 1877 after which it concentrated on carriages including railway owned road vehicles. It has also been and still is the home of the Royal Train fleet. During the Second World War, the Works were used to build parts for Lee-Enfield rifles, bomber plane timber frames, and ambulances. Green camouflage paint from the period can still be seen on some of the factory buildings, and a pillbox remains opposite the Works Wall, on the road up to the Agora (it's got little square windows and is made of brick).

The railway built some 200 houses for its workers by 1844 along with schools, a church and a market, and the area expanded to several thousand redbrick properties.

A station in Wolverton was opened in 1845 by Queen Victoria, it has since been replaced in a new location. The present station is minimal and anonymous: a portacabin next to a concrete set of platforms. Until the early 1980s it had a charming "toy town" wooden ticket office. It is alleged that British Rail heard of plans to make it a listed building and promptly demolished it one Sunday, using chainsaws. A new station building is due to be put up, but no provision is being made for disabled access to the platforms.

The former gas works are on the Wolverton Road. Formerely a coal-gas production site had two gasholders, retort house, benzole plant, smithy and a boiler house. The site (0.98 hectares), was decommissioned when North Sea Gas came on-stream and the gasholders were used for storage with the buildings relating to the coal-gas production being demolished. Currently the site houses light engineering and commercial premises.

There is talk of large regeneration plans in the near future, currently residents are being asked their opinions. It is likely that an even bigger Tescos will be built and more of the Works Wall will be knocked down to make way for it, and some of the disused and derelict railway works building will be converted into flats and offices.

The football ground beside the works and the station was home to the works team. The stand, built in 1899, is believed to be the first football stand in England. It is set to be demolished by September 2006 because its owners, the Strategic Rail Authority, wish to redevelop the site as an apartment complex. (source:MK News 18.1.06)

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