Wolverton

About

Bordered by the Grand Union Canal to the North and East, Wolverton is a traditional railway town and today still sits astride the main London Euston to Birmingham rail line. With a proud medieval and industrial heritage, the town now manages to easily blend its heritage with a more modern outlook.

Though once a medieval settlement, the only visible remains are the Norman motte and bailey castle site next to the Holy Trinity Church. The town was chosen as the site of a major locomotive repair shop in the 1830s and the railway company built some 200 houses, a school, a church and a market for the hundreds of families that kept the trains running. A Farmers’ Market visits the town on the first and third Saturday of each month and offers locally produced and seasonal food and crafts.

Nowadays, Milton Keynes Museum, on the edge of the town, pays tribute to the rich history of Wolverton and the surrounding area with displays of social, domestic, industrial and agricultural life from the local area. Housed in a beautiful Victorian farmstead the large and constantly changing selection of displays has something for all the family. The town’s ‘Secret Garden’ is a must for any visitor. A piece of once derelict land alongside the canal now transformed into a beautiful pocket park full of wild flowers, shady trees and shy wildlife.

For shopaholics, the town offers a good example of an old railway town with traditional shopping. A range of experiences from small independent and specialist retailers to modern supermarkets. Take the weight off your feet at one of the local pubs, cafes or restaurants. Wolverton is definitely a town of contrasts – the very modern mixed with the traditional. Wolverton has a lot to offer. In December the town fills with light and music as the annual Lantern Festival passes through the Victorian streets.

If you’re looking for activities you can find a large outdoor swimming pool for splashing about in the hot summer months, or you can explore the River Ouse and Grand Union Canal and Ouse Valley Park. Walking, cycling, boating and fishing can be enjoyed on the waterways or you can take the 2.5km ‘Wolverton Walk’, a town-trail guided by terrazzo pavement markers taking you to some of the historical and architectural highlights throughout the town. There are two historic churches to visit, St George the Martyr in the centre and Holy Trinity in Old Wolverton

For more information, visit the official tourism website for Wolverton.