Stony Stratford
Stony Stratford is a picturesque and busy market town with a rich history, and it’s within walking or cycling distance of Fairfields.
History
Straddling Watling Street, its name is derived from ‘the stony ford on the Roman road‘.
This important strategic location has meant that throughout the centuries kings, queens, and the military have all visited the town.
Cock and Bull Stories
In the height of the coaching era – the 18th and early 19th centuries – the town was an important stopping-off point for mail and passenger coaches travelling between London and the North. This history is supposedly the source of the origin of the phrase ‘cock and bull story’.
The Cock and The Bull were the two main coaching inns on the High Road and the banter and rivalry between groups of travellers is said to have resulted in exaggerated and fanciful stories, which became known as ‘cock and bull stories’.
Lace Making
For centuries the women of Stony Stratford have been instrumental in the development of the areas lace-making industry. In 1881, a lace school is recorded on the High Street. Children as young as five were taught the trade. They were taught rhymes to help keep a rhythm and stop them from getting bored during their seven-hour days. Villages developed their own patterns and styles. Stony Stratford’s best-known pattern is the butterfly!
Modern Day Stony Stratford
This characterful town is full of independent and traditional shops, pubs and restaurants. Every June, the town hosts a music and arts festival which culminates in the free music event,’Folk on the Green‘.
The Stony Stratford Facebook Group has details of events and activities happening in the town.
Suggested Walks & Directions
- Stony Stratford is approximately an hour’s walk from Whitehouse taking a route via Upper, Middle and Lower Weald. And, around a 40-minute walk from Fairfields.
- It is also accessible via the red route along Watling Street.
- If you are driving, there is free parking in and around Stony Stratford.
- Once you arrive in Stony Stratford, there is a ‘town walk’ leaflet, available from local retailers or the tourist information office.
- The Parks Trust has a 3.4-mile self-guided walk that starts in Stony Stratford and includes Passenham.
- A number of people have recorded their own walking routes, include a 7.8-mile walk from Stony Stratford to New Farm, Hanslope, and two walks from Views from an Urban Lake, the first is a short walk along the Great Ouse into Stony Stratford and the second is a 10.8-mile circular walk around North West Milton Keynes.
Further Links
- The Living Archive website has some fascinating Stony Stratford history.
- The MK Heritage website has a suggested tour of Stony Stratford.