Denbigh North
Encyclopedia
Denbigh is a district in Milton Keynes
, ceremonial Buckinghamshire, England
, to the north of Fenny Stratford
and on the eastern side of the West Coast Main Line
and Bletchley proper. It is in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford
and is generally regarded as part of Bletchley. The A5 forms its eastern and northern boundary; parts of Bletcham Way and Saxon St form its southern boundary. The overall district has five sub districts, divided by Watling St/Denbigh Rd, the 'uptick' of Bletcham Way and Grafton Street, and Saxon Street northbound. The district names are planning designations that have persisted without ever being changed to the style "North Denbigh" etc. as is the norm elsewhere in Britain.
These lands to the east of Watling Street were originally in the manor of Simpson
.
This district includes the 22,000 all-seater stadium:mk for Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
and an indoor basketball arena for the Milton Keynes Lions
basketball team, as well as Asda
and IKEA
superstores. The stores were open for business by the end of 2005. The football stadium opened in July 2007 and was ready for the start of the 2007/08 season
, while all associated developments are expected to be completed sometime in 2008.
The development is on the former site of Denbigh Sports Ground and Denbigh North Leisure, an entertainment complex which was home to the Sanctuary Music Arena
.
. It is on the east side of Watling Street.
(which has the MK9 postcode).
and a small, isolated, council housing block (that is planned for demolition in the expansion plans for Milton Keynes
).
The district takes its name from the original 'Marquis of Granby" inn nearby, as described next.
rather than in Denbigh, but is mentioned here because its history gives rise to the name Denbigh. A local heritage map shows that it lies on the site of 'Denbigh Farm'
The original Denbigh Hall was an inn on Watling Street, dating from 1710. Family recollections say that it had previously been known as 'the Marquis of Granby' but that it had changed its name in the 18th century when the sixth Earl of Denbigh
stopped there overnight and was made so comfortable that he declared it his half-way house to London.
The inn no longer exists; its site is shown on the 1840 Ordnance Survey as just north of the bridge 158 where the West Coast Main Line crosses Watling Street.. Interestingly, same map shows a large private house, 'Denbigh Hall', to the south-east of the inn its site is approximately at the junction of Whaddon Way with Melrose Avenue.
Network Rail
continues to use this name (Denbigh Hall) for its marshalling yard
s north of Bletchley railway station
, near the site of the inn. The West Coast Main Line bridge (number 158) over Watling Street
near here bears a plaque that explains the first phase of the London and Birmingham Railway
line terminated here. At this point, passengers transferred to stage coaches for onward transfer by road to Birmingham.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, ceremonial Buckinghamshire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to the north of Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford
Fenny Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England and in the Civil Parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford. Originally an independent town, it was included in the Milton Keynes "designated area" area in 1967...
and on the eastern side of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and Bletchley proper. It is in the civil parish of Bletchley and Fenny Stratford
Bletchley and Fenny Stratford
Bletchley and Fenny Stratford is a civil parish with a town council, in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It was formed in 2001 from the unparished area of Milton Keynes, and according to the 2001 census had a population of 13,971....
and is generally regarded as part of Bletchley. The A5 forms its eastern and northern boundary; parts of Bletcham Way and Saxon St form its southern boundary. The overall district has five sub districts, divided by Watling St/Denbigh Rd, the 'uptick' of Bletcham Way and Grafton Street, and Saxon Street northbound. The district names are planning designations that have persisted without ever being changed to the style "North Denbigh" etc. as is the norm elsewhere in Britain.
These lands to the east of Watling Street were originally in the manor of Simpson
Simpson
-Places:Antarctica*Simpson Peak Australia*Simpson DesertCanada*Simpson, Saskatchewan*Simpson Pass, a mountain pass on the British Columbia-Alberta boundary...
.
Denbigh North
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
and an indoor basketball arena for the Milton Keynes Lions
Milton Keynes Lions
The Milton Keynes Lions, officially called Prestige Homes Milton Keynes Lions due to sponsorship, is a basketball team which represents Milton Keynes in the British Basketball League, the top level men's basketball league in the United Kingdom. The franchise’s only trophy success to-date is the BBL...
basketball team, as well as Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
and IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
superstores. The stores were open for business by the end of 2005. The football stadium opened in July 2007 and was ready for the start of the 2007/08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
, while all associated developments are expected to be completed sometime in 2008.
The development is on the former site of Denbigh Sports Ground and Denbigh North Leisure, an entertainment complex which was home to the Sanctuary Music Arena
Sanctuary Music Arena
The Sanctuary Music Arena was a 22,000 sq ft, 3,500 capacity music venue in Denbigh North, Milton Keynes in the UK. It opened its doors on December 6, 1991 to ESP promotions event called Dreamscape...
.
Denbigh East
Denbigh East is an employment area, best known as the home of Marshall AmplificationMarshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
. It is on the east side of Watling Street.
Mount Farm
This district is an industrial/employment area. The Milton Keynes central sorting office is here, with the post-code MK1 1AA. Most internet mapping sites assume that this means that it is the centre of Milton Keynes and mark it according. It is actually about three miles south of Central Milton KeynesCentral Milton Keynes
Central Milton Keynes is the central business district of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England and a civil parish in its own right.The district is approximately 2.5 km long by 1 km wide and occupies some of the highest land in Milton Keynes...
(which has the MK9 postcode).
Granby
This is a small area, just north of the stadium. It is mainly industrial, but includes a mosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and a small, isolated, council housing block (that is planned for demolition in the expansion plans for Milton Keynes
Expansion plans for Milton Keynes
In January 2004, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced the United Kingdom government's Expansion plans for Milton KeynesHe proposed that the population of Milton Keynes should double in the subsequent 20 years...
).
The district takes its name from the original 'Marquis of Granby" inn nearby, as described next.
Denbigh Hall
The modern industrial district called Denbigh Hall is in West BletchleyWest Bletchley
West Bletchley is a district and civil parish that covers the western part of Bletchley, a constituent town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, England. The parish covers that part of Bletchley that is south of Standing Way , west of the West Coast Main Line and north of Water Eaton Brook...
rather than in Denbigh, but is mentioned here because its history gives rise to the name Denbigh. A local heritage map shows that it lies on the site of 'Denbigh Farm'
The original Denbigh Hall was an inn on Watling Street, dating from 1710. Family recollections say that it had previously been known as 'the Marquis of Granby' but that it had changed its name in the 18th century when the sixth Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh
Earl of Denbigh is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1622 for the courtier and soldier William Feilding, 1st Viscount Feilding. He was Master of the Great Wardrobe under King James I and also took part in the Expedition to Cádiz of 1625...
stopped there overnight and was made so comfortable that he declared it his half-way house to London.
The inn no longer exists; its site is shown on the 1840 Ordnance Survey as just north of the bridge 158 where the West Coast Main Line crosses Watling Street.. Interestingly, same map shows a large private house, 'Denbigh Hall', to the south-east of the inn its site is approximately at the junction of Whaddon Way with Melrose Avenue.
Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
continues to use this name (Denbigh Hall) for its marshalling yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
s north of Bletchley railway station
Bletchley railway station
Bletchley is a railway station that serves the southern districts of Milton Keynes , and the north-eastern parts of the Buckinghamshire district of Aylesbury Vale....
, near the site of the inn. The West Coast Main Line bridge (number 158) over Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
near here bears a plaque that explains the first phase of the London and Birmingham Railway
London and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
line terminated here. At this point, passengers transferred to stage coaches for onward transfer by road to Birmingham.