Areas: north

Areas: north

There are a number of villages, pubs, restaurants, and attractions within walking or cycling distance of Fairfields.

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

Further Links

Calverton

Near Stony Stratford is the historic town of Calverton. The parish includes Lower, Middle and Upper Weald.

A local initiative, The Calverton Records Project, has recorded the fascinating history of the area. Their research includes details of Roman and Saxon settlements, archaeological finds, farm ownership, field names, WW2 Radio Stations, as well as lots of historical photographs.

Calverton is popular with walkers and has a number of public walkways across farmland. The local pub – The Shoulder of Mutton – has a restaurant and is family-friendly.

Upper Weald, Middle Weald and Lower Weald are the three hamlets in the parish of Calverton. They are located to the southeast of the village centre, all three on the road to Whaddon. They are the site of the secretive WW2 listening posts. There are several public bridleways and tracks which lead from Upper Weald in the south, to Lower Weald in the north, ending up at the pretty church of All Saints, Calverton.

 

 

Beachampton

A village and parish beside the river Ouse with a population of around 150 people.

The village church, the Assumption of St Mary the Virgin, dates from 14th century and the village appears in the Domesday Book as Bechentone. Near the church stands Beachampton Hall, once owned by Catherine Parr, sixth wife to Henry VIII. Whilst the hall is not accessible to the public, its sale for £3.5M in 2020 gained coverage in Country Life Magazine.

The villages’ Bell Inn pub gets good reviews.

Passenham

Passenham is a small village in the civil parish of Old Stratford in South Northamptonshire, England. It is just north of the River Great Ouse, which forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire and close to (but separated by the river from) Stony Stratford in Milton Keynes.

The village has a rich farming heritage. The earliest reference to Passenham occurs in 921, when Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, stationed his West Saxon army there, while the stronghold at Towcester was being fortified. This suggests that Passenham was, in the early 10th century, a royal estate, capable of hosting the king and his household. The village remains little changed.

The church of St Guthlac has a late 13th-century tower, the upper part rebuilt 1626. There are original wall paintings that were restored in the 1960s. Also notable are box pews, stained glass and a monument to Banastre.

Passenham field is a large grazing area managed by The Parks Trust where cattle and sheep graze. Livestock grazing has taken place at Passenham for many years and is the most efficient way of maintaining the grassland as well as encouraging the development of wildflower species.

Passenham has a manor house and a mill. Pottery found in the area and evidence of a moat dates Passenham Manor to the Middle Ages. In 1623, Sir Robert Banastre (Bannister) held the manor and repaired the house.

Ghosts

Passenham is said to be haunted by the ghosts of Sir Banastre and a local girl who was drowned in mill stream. There’s even a song about her by Kevin Adams.

More information