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The Story of the original CMK
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How do you give a brand new city a great centre when it is in the middle of a wheat-field?
How do you persuade the world that the Cuckoo up the M1 will not become a White Elephant!
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This is the story of how Central Milton Keynes happened, told by the people who shaped the initial ideas of ‘CMK’. Commissioned by the Central Milton Keynes Project Board (part of English Partnerships) and published (Oct 2007) by Living Archive of Milton Keynes. The book is illustrated with over 150 full-colour and black-and-white photographs, many never before published.
The story is told solely through the words of those interviewed - the architects, designers, planners, landscape designers, engineers, surveyors, architectural technicians, finance and project managers. These are members of the 1970s CMK team who created the original City Centre for Milton Keynes. They explain how the centre’s unique infrastructure and buildings came to be designed and built. They describe the thinking behind their work, and the battles they had - with government officials and local authorities, with national and local traders, and with each other! This is a story of endeavour and frustration, of excitement and panic and above all, of passion.
Living Archive co-founder Roger Kitchen, whose work includes training in oral history interviewing and recording for the Oral History Society, conducted the 22 interviews for Living Archive - including one with a farmer whose land eventually became ‘Central Milton Keynes’. Marion Hill, who has published 12 books (6 about Milton Keynes), edited the transcripts as a composite ‘story’.
Order on 01908 322568 or email. Also at Milton Keynes Gallery on 01908 676900.
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Current Project
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Milton Keynes Football Project
Funded by a 'Your Heritage' Lottery grant this project will collect personal testimonies, photographs and memorabilia to document the history of football in Milton Keynes over the last 100 years. The primary source material collected will be used to create a website, exhibition, book and digital stories. more |
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