Oral history audio recordings of recent settlers in Milton Keynes from the mid-1970s onwards.
The ‘Peoples History of Milton Keynes’ project includes approximately 324 oral history interviews recorded by and on behalf of the Living Archive. This selection of 20 interviews were recorded between 2000 and 2002 with recent arrivals in Milton Keynes, who moved to the town from the mid-1970s onwards. The interviews in most part cover the interviewee’s reminiscences about the development of the new town, and their thoughts on the subsequent changes.
Some interviewees have requested that the transcript should only be accessed for educational purposes.
Extent
22 audio tape cassettes
Reference number
PMK/014
Records in this Group
Pearl Oliver moved to Newport Pagnell, Bucks with her husband and family in 1975, because of her husband’s job. She describes why they chose Newport Pagnell and talks of the good facilities there: schools, shops, cinema.
Settling in was initially difficult because she was used to life on a farm, not a housing estate, but ...
Anna Cookson moved to the area in 1981 with her husband and family to be nearer to her husband’s job at the Open University. She remembers the difficulties and delays of their move to Bow Brickhill. She talks of her feeling of isolation, in a large house; but she made friends through playgroup ...
Christine Jones lived in Woburn Sands as a teenager and recalls hearing about initial plans for Milton Keynes as a teenager; she recalls her parents’ worries about its arrival. In her opinion, the development has been done so well that the countryside has not been spoilt, but she recalls seeing some of the early ...
Annie and Brad Bradstock came to Stony Stratford in 1974 to stay with a friend; they liked it so much that they decided to move there and found an old house in Stony. They recall there was plenty to do: the cricket club, the pub, and Brad joined the Hemlock Band (later the Cock and ...
Beryl Wallace talks about her childhood in London and her move to Metherfield, Milton Keynes in 1977 where she was offered a rented house after being made redundant. After a bad fall , she was unable to work so began various voluntary work in MK, for example driving for Meals on Wheels.
She talks of shopping ...
Alan Francis moved to Milton Keynes from Abingdon in 1978 to take up a research position at the Open University and moved into the new Rainbow Housing Co-operative in Spencer Street. He explains how the cooperative worked and recalls New Bradwell as an established, tight-knit community and an attractive place to live.
He remembers shopping in ...
Mr & Mrs Hewett moved to Milton Keynes in 1997, when he took a job in the IT industry here. They bought a house in Milton Keynes Village, where some land was just being released for development. They found it easy to settle in, MK Village residents put notices through doors about events, Mr Hewett ...
Nora Bland moved to Milton Keynes Village in 1981 with her husband, a professor at Cranfield University; due to her multiple sclerosis, they needed to live in a bungalow. Now a widow, Nora is wheelchair-bound, but the house is manageable for her. She discusses the developments in MK Village since 1981: the delay in further ...
Elspeth Plumb and her husband moved to the Milton Keynes area (Newport Pagnell) in 1980 from Great Missenden. She runs a smallholding on the land at their home, and also does some part-time administration. She talks of the difficulties of settling in initially; they made friends through the children’s schools, playing bridge and golf, ...
David Watson and his family moved to Milton Keynes Village in 1980, when he was offered a job as a pharmacist by Boots the Chemist. They had hopes for new possibilities in a new town, although they were concerned about their 11-year old daughter’s education because of the lack of grammar schools; however, she has ...
Interview with a female resident.
The interviewee has requested that the content of this interview be used for educational purposes only.
The content of this interview may be accessed at the discretion of Living Archive.
Peter and Gillian Collis moved to Milton Keynes from Wembley in 1981, initially to a council house on Pennyland. He continued to run his customer service business in furniture and bedding locally, she commuted to London, working for Brent Council. They talk of their move to Blakelands in 1984, where they settled in quickly and ...
Janet Mulley and her husband moved to Milton Keynes in December 1985 from Chesham, when her husband’s firm relocated.They still live in their Conniburrow house; her husband is now self-employed and Janet is a teacher; she talks about her first job in MK on the Lakes estate – ‘the most difficult I ever ...
Interview with a male resident who moved to Milton Keynes in 2001.
The interviewee has requested that the content of this interview be used for educational purposes only.
The content of this interview may be accessed at the discretion of Living Archive.
This interview has copyright restrtictions, for more information please contact Living Archive.
This interview has copyright restrictions, for further information please contact Living Archive.
Sue Burrows moved to Milton Keynes about 16 years ago, with her husband and children, from Towcester. She had previously commuted to Wolverton to work as a reporter on the Wolverton Express. She now works at Inter-action, the community arts organisation, as project manager and has also worked for the City Discovery Centre. She ...
Debbie Greaves came to Milton Keynes from London in 1984 to work as a drama teacher at Stantonbury Campus. She recalls it being ‘a demanding place’: the effort planning ‘day 10’ activities and numerous staff meetings. In her opinion, the ideology didn’t always work in reality. Initially she says: ‘I hated it (MK), ...
Interview with a female resident who came to Milton Keynes in 1987.
The interviewee has requested that the content of this interview be used for educational purposes only.
The content of this interview may be accessed at the discretion of Living Archive.
Interview with a female resident who came to Milton Keynes in 1978.
The interviewee has requested that the content of this interview be used for educational purposes only.
The content of this interview may be accessed at the discretion of Living Archive.
This interview has copyright restrictions, for more information please contact Living Archive.
This interview has copyright restrictions, for more information please contact Living Archive.
This interview has copyright restrictions, for more information please contact Living Archive.
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