Interview with Barry Staniland (b.1939).
Barry Staniland moved to Milton Keynes in 1975; as a bricklayer, there was plenty of work for him. They settled quickly in Greenleys, making good friends largely through the new local football team. However, he remembers a certain amount of resentment of newcomers among the older original residents. Having worked on several MK housing estates, he comments on the different architectures, recalling the mud and the redways. He gave up bricklaying in 1987 and now teaches it at Aylesbury College; he comments on the disappointing closure of the Skill Centre in MK where he originally taught. He recalls shopping in the early days, Wolverton market, and the need for a car. Talking about the great increase in amenities now, he syas: ‘the Theatre is brilliant’. He talks of his sons’ education (both attended Stantonbury Campus) and local healthcare.
Of MK he says: ‘It was a terrific opportunity to be in at the beginning of something that was obviously going to grow… The whole concept has worked’. He praises the landscaping. He also thinks there is a wider spectrum of people living here. But he sees the scarcity of council housing for younger people as a problem, which is nationwide, not just in MK.
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