Olney, Buckinghamshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Coordinates: 52°09′11″N 0°42′00″W / 52.153°N 0.700°W
| Olney | |
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  Olney shown within Buckinghamshire |
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| Population | 6,032 (2001 Census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Unitary authority | Milton Keynes |
| Ceremonial county | Buckinghamshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OLNEY |
| Postcode district | MK46 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Buckinghamshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | North East Milton Keynes |
| List of places: UK • England • Buckinghamshire | |
Olney (traditionally pronounced /ˈoʊni/, rhyming with "pony", but now sometimes the spelling pronunciation /ˈɒlni/[1][2]) is a small market town and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes, England, with a population of around 6,000 people. For ceremonial purposes it is part of the county of Buckinghamshire. It lies on the River Great Ouse, very close to the borders with Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire and equidistant from Northampton, Bedford and Milton Keynes itself. It has easy access to the M1 at Junction 14 (approximately seven miles) and with fast and frequent train links to London from Milton Keynes Central or Bedford (each approximately twelve miles distant).
It is perhaps best known for the Olney Pancake Race and for the Olney Hymns by William Cowper and John Newton.
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[edit] History
First mentioned as Ollanege in 932,[3] the town has a history as a lace-making centre, and as the place where the Olney Hymns were written. John Newton, author of the hymn Amazing Grace was curate of Olney and is buried here. His guest was William Cowper (English poet and hymnodist (1731-1800)) and the town hosts the Cowper and Newton Museum dedicated to them. The museum was William Cowper's actual house, and was given to the town in 1905 by the publisher William Hill Collingridge (who had been born in the house himself). Newton was succeeded as curate here by the biblical commentator Thomas Scott (1747-1821).
During the English Civil War, Olney was the site of the Battle of Olney Bridge.
Olney formerly had a railway station on the line from Bedford to Northampton, but the line was closed in 1962.[4]
[edit] The Olney Pancake Race
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Since 1445, a pancake race [5] has been run in the town every Pancake Day. Tradition records that back in 1445, on Shrove Tuesday the "Shriving Bell" rang out to signal the start of the Shriving church service. On hearing the bell a local housewife, who had been busy cooking pancakes in anticipation of the beginning of Lent, ran to the church, frying pan still in hand, still in her apron and headscarf. The women of Olney recreate this race every Shrove Tuesday (better known outside the United Kingdom as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday) by running from the market place to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The traditional prize is a kiss from the verger. In modern times, Olney competes with the town of Liberal, Kansas in the United States for the fastest time in either town and winner of the "International Pancake Race". There is also a children's race, run by children from the local schools. The children have to run a distance of about 20 metres. This competition has been run every year since 1950.
[edit] Description
The A509 road runs into the wide High Street of 1 mile with independent shops along both sides. Market Place, in the centre of the town is bordered by shops and is home to a general market on Thursday's and a farmers' market[6] on the first Sunday each month. Olney[7] rivals the shopping malls of nearby Milton Keynes with shoppers visiting regularly from towns and villages as far as 50 miles away to enjoy the art galleries, jewellers, antique shops, rug & furniture makers, interior designers and fashion boutiques. 25 restaurants, pubs, cafes and takeaways offer a wider variety of British and international food.
As Olney continues to expand, with new housing estates and its third school completed in 2007, a secondary-level satellite campus, Ousedale School in Newport Pagnell. The Ousedale Olney campus is now in full use with students from year 7 to year 11 studying and taking their year 9 SATs and their GCSEs.
The route for an A509 by-pass may continue to be an issue for the residents of the town, as are the various wind farm sites proposed in the locality[8].
[edit] Sport
The town's football club, Olney Town, plays in the United Counties League.
The town also has a junior football club, Olney Town Colts. The club has 19 teams ranging from U6s to U17s (all run by FA qualified coaches), offering both girls and boys the opportunity to learn the game and develop their skills to the highest possible standards.
There is also a ladies team.
Olney has a rugby team dating back from 1877, they are called Olney Rugby Football Club [9] and have 4 regular senior teams. They also cater for women's rugby and junior and mini rugby.
[edit] Population
At the 2001 Census, the population of the parish was recorded[10] as 6,000.
[edit] Notable residents
- Thomas Armstrong, organist and college administrator
- Moses Browne, poet and clergyman
- William Cowper, poet and hymn writer
- Clem Curtis, musician, tv personality, a member of 'The Foundations'
- Henry Gauntlett, organist and composer
- John Newton, clergyman, slave trader and hymn writer
[edit] Gallery
.jpg){kind=small} A signpost in Olney |
.jpg){kind=small} A signpost in Olney |
[edit] References
- ^ Olney Town Council official guide
- ^ Olney and its associations, or, Reminiscences of the poet Cowper. Oxford: University of Oxford. 1880. pp. 61. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pfMGAAAAQAAJ&q=%22pronunciation+of+Olney%22&dq=%22pronunciation+of+Olney%22&ei=Id6tSKyECJWszATL1eCDBw&pgis=1.
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of Placenames (ed. A.D. Mills and Adrian Room, 2002, Oxford University Press)
- ^ [1]
- ^ 2007 Pancake Race Video
- ^ Olney Farmers' Market
- ^ Olney Community Website
- ^ Bucks Lacks Enough Wind
- ^ Olney Rugby Football Club home page
- ^ Population statistics of Milton Keynes (page 22)
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