Milton, Cambridgeshire
Encyclopedia
Milton is a village just north of Cambridge
, England
. It has a population of approximately 4,300 with 3,200 being on the electoral register
. It expanded considerably in the late 1980s when two large housing estate
s were built between the bypass and the village resulting in a doubling of the population between the 1981 and 1991 census
es. In the next decade its population remained static and according to the 2001 census it was still around 4,275.
The village possesses three running pubs and a brewery
, Milton Brewery
. There are two churches: All Saints' Church, which serves the Church of England
parish
of Milton, and a New Apostolic Church
.
The village has a primary school but no secondary school
. Most pupils continue their education at Impington Village College, Cottenham Village College or St. Bede's School, Cambridge
. There is also an Agricultural College, part of the College of West Anglia.
The Cambridge Science Park
lies within the parish boundaries. Milton is also the home of the Pi Shurlok's head office and Nokia
's (formerly Symbian
) Cambridge office.
In the early 2000s, Milton acquired a reputation for having an unpleasant smell - the "Milton Pong" - caused by its proximity to the Cambridge Sewage Works
. In 2003 South Cambridgeshire District Council
took legal action against Anglian Water
and as a result improvements have been made which considerably improved the situation; however the smell still occasionally reoccurs, most recently due to the sewage works using their "storm lagoon".
The land between Milton and Waterbeach
has been purchased for building a rowing lake by Cambridge Sport Lakes. Plans for an international-standard 8-lane rowing lake have been on the cards in Cambridge for many years. The original planning permission for the rowing lake was granted in 1995 but subsequently lapsed. However, permission was granted again in 2007.
pits. For many years it was a haven for wildlife but was formally designated as a country park in 1993. Two flooded pits called Todd's Pit and Dickerson's Pit now form freshwater lakes, both being available for fishing
, the former for carp, the latter for general silver fish and pike. A smaller pool named Hall's Pool between the pits has a dipping platform, while Deep Pool, the deepest pit in the park lies to the north of Dickerson's Pit.
A network of over two miles of paths leads around the park; many of these paths are suitable for bicycles and wheelchairs as well as those on foot. A sensory garden
next to the Visitor Centre gives has plants selected for aroma and texture, and opposite it a sustainable
garden is being built. A wheelchair loan scheme is in operation.
The park's financial future became uncertain due to the 2005 Council Tax
capping, causing South Cambridgeshire District Council
to announce that they could not continue to fund the park and were looking for a new body to do so, or if that was unsuccessful, to close the park. A campaign to save the park collected over 10,000 signatures. In July 2007, the council agreed in principle to hand the management of the park to Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust which it did on 31 March 2008.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, 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...
. It has a population of approximately 4,300 with 3,200 being on the electoral register
Electoral register
The electoral roll is a listing of all those registered to vote in a particular area. The register facilitates the process of voting, helps to prevent fraud and may also be used to select people for jury duty...
. It expanded considerably in the late 1980s when two large housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s were built between the bypass and the village resulting in a doubling of the population between the 1981 and 1991 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
es. In the next decade its population remained static and according to the 2001 census it was still around 4,275.
The village possesses three running pubs and a brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, Milton Brewery
Milton Brewery
Milton Brewery is a brewery in the village of Milton, on the outskirts of the city of Cambridge, England.It was established in 1999. Its first beer, named Pegasus, has won several awards including runner-up for the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain...
. There are two churches: All Saints' Church, which serves the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Milton, and a New Apostolic Church
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church is a chiliastic church, converted to Protestantism as a free church from the Catholic Apostolic Church. The church has existed since 1879 in Germany and since 1897 in the Netherlands...
.
The village has a primary school but no secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
. Most pupils continue their education at Impington Village College, Cottenham Village College or St. Bede's School, Cambridge
St Bedes Inter-Church comprehensive school
St Bedes Inter-Church School with Humanities Status is the only Christian state secondary school in Cambridgeshire. It is predominantly funded by the Cambridgeshire County Council Local Education Authority with support from both the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia and Anglican Diocese of Ely...
. There is also an Agricultural College, part of the College of West Anglia.
The Cambridge Science Park
Cambridge Science Park
The Cambridge Science Park, founded by Trinity College in 1970, is the oldest science park in the United Kingdom. It is a concentration of science and technology related businesses, and has strong links with the nearby University of Cambridge....
lies within the parish boundaries. Milton is also the home of the Pi Shurlok's head office and Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
's (formerly Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
) Cambridge office.
In the early 2000s, Milton acquired a reputation for having an unpleasant smell - the "Milton Pong" - caused by its proximity to the Cambridge Sewage Works
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
. In 2003 South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council is the local authority for the district of South Cambridgeshire in Cambridgeshire, England. Based in Cambourne, it forms the lower part of the two tier system of local government in the district, below Cambridgeshire County Council...
took legal action against Anglian Water
Anglian Water
Anglian Water is a privatised water company that operates in the East of England. Named for East Anglia, apart from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire it also covers Lincolnshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, a small part of north Nottinghamshire and Greater London...
and as a result improvements have been made which considerably improved the situation; however the smell still occasionally reoccurs, most recently due to the sewage works using their "storm lagoon".
The land between Milton and Waterbeach
Waterbeach
Waterbeach is a large fen-edge village located 6 miles north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 23.26 km².- Village :...
has been purchased for building a rowing lake by Cambridge Sport Lakes. Plans for an international-standard 8-lane rowing lake have been on the cards in Cambridge for many years. The original planning permission for the rowing lake was granted in 1995 but subsequently lapsed. However, permission was granted again in 2007.
 |
Milton Country Park
Milton Country Park is located at the south-eastern edge of the village. It is built on the site of a former gravelGravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
pits. For many years it was a haven for wildlife but was formally designated as a country park in 1993. Two flooded pits called Todd's Pit and Dickerson's Pit now form freshwater lakes, both being available for fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, the former for carp, the latter for general silver fish and pike. A smaller pool named Hall's Pool between the pits has a dipping platform, while Deep Pool, the deepest pit in the park lies to the north of Dickerson's Pit.
A network of over two miles of paths leads around the park; many of these paths are suitable for bicycles and wheelchairs as well as those on foot. A sensory garden
Sensory garden
A sensory garden is a garden or other plot specifically created to be accessible and enjoyable to visitors, both disabled and non-disabled. The purpose of such a provision is to provide individual and combined sensory opportunities for the user such that they may not normally experience.A sensory...
next to the Visitor Centre gives has plants selected for aroma and texture, and opposite it a sustainable
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
garden is being built. A wheelchair loan scheme is in operation.
The park's financial future became uncertain due to the 2005 Council Tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
capping, causing South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire District Council is the local authority for the district of South Cambridgeshire in Cambridgeshire, England. Based in Cambourne, it forms the lower part of the two tier system of local government in the district, below Cambridgeshire County Council...
to announce that they could not continue to fund the park and were looking for a new body to do so, or if that was unsuccessful, to close the park. A campaign to save the park collected over 10,000 signatures. In July 2007, the council agreed in principle to hand the management of the park to Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust which it did on 31 March 2008.
External links
- Parish council's web site, with information and news
- Milton Village - community based web site including Milton News, a chat list, village diary etc
- Milton Country Park
- Friends of Milton Country Park