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Central Milton Keynes

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Central Milton Keynes is the central area of Milton Keynes, England and a civil parish in its own right. This area is almost[1] the highest point of Milton Keynes and was the site[2] of the Anglo-Saxon Secklow Hundred moot mound (meeting place).

The area lies between Portway (H5, A509) to the north, the West Coast Main Line and A5 to the west, Childs Way (H6) to the south and Marlborough Street (V8, B4034) to the east. It is crossed from north to south by (in west to east order, major roadsonly) Grafton Gate (V6), Witan Gate, Saxon Gate (V7) and Secklow Gate. It is crossed from west to east (in north to south order, major roads only) by Silbury Boulevard, Avebury Boulevard and Midsummer Boulevard. Avebury is the primary spine.

(Campbell Park, stretching from Marlborough Street down to to the Grand Union Canal, is sometimes included in mental maps of the centre, though in fact it is part of a separate civil parish).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Milton Keynes.

East of Saxon Gate: the main retail/service/entertainment district

This area is defined by Marlborough Street (V8) to the north-east, Saxon Gate (V7) to the south-west, Portway (H5, A509) to the north-west and Childs Way (H6) to the south-east. The core retail district is further delimited by Silbury and Avebury Boulevards, with civic and office developments outside the Boulevards.

Queens Court in thecentre:MK

The retail district includes thecentre:mk and Midsummer Place (the covered high streets that are the Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre). The Library, Milton Keynes Borough Council offices and commercial offices are on the north side of the shops; the theatre, art gallery, cinemas, Xscape snowdome, pubs, sports shops and other leisure facilities are on the south side.

Xscape

Main article Xscape

Xscape is the main leisure complex in Central Milton Keynes, consisting of a real snow indoor ski slope, a multiscreen cinema, and a number of shops and restaurants.

Milton Keynes has a 1,400 seat theatre/concert hall (Blonski-Heard, 1999), whose high booking rate allows it to lay claim to the title "Britain's most popular theatre". The theatre has a unusual feature: the ceiling can be lowered closing off the third tier (gallery) to create a more intimate space for smaller scale productions.

Apart from the building itself (exterior surface by Michael Craig-Martin), the municipal (art) gallery (next to the main theatre) does not have a permanent collection. This allows it to host edgy shows to critical acclaim.

West of Saxon Gate, east of Grafton Gate: the main business district

This area is also delimited by Portway and Childs Way. Saxon Gate separates it from the north-east area and the West Coast Main Line railway marks its south-western edge. Grafton Street (V6) bisects it. The domed ecumenical Church of Christ the Cornerstone, law courts and police station are in the business district, which has a number of notable buildings including CBX, The Hub:MK and the remarkable purpose-built Indian restaurant beside the small linear park that provides its core.

Ecumenical Church of Christ the Cornerstone

Ecumenical church

This ecumenical church is shared by the major Christian denominations, to serve the office workers and the small resident population. (There are many denominational places of worship throughout the city at large).

The Hub:MK

The Hub:MK is a 13 story development nearing completion. The complex includes a Jury's Inn hotel and a number of residential and office towers. Its height makes it the third tallest building in Milton Keynes, beaten only by the 14 story Xscape and the 17 story Mellish Court in Bletchley. The complex is visible from the western boundary of the city. On 11 April 2006 13 stories of scaffolding on the side of the Jury's Inn collapsed while a number of construction workers were on it. The collapse was described as being like "a falling pack of cards" (BBC News Report). One construction worker died in hospital from the accident a few days after and several others were injured. The event made headline BBC news.

West of Grafton Gate: the station district

Milton Keynes Central and Station Square

South of Grafton street lies Milton Keynes Central railway station (an inter-city stop on the West Coast Main Line) and the National Hockey Stadium. This area has further retail outlets and restaurants.

Civil parish

Central Milton Keynes is a civil parish, bordering (clockwise from north) Great Linford, Campbell Park, Loughton, and Bradwell. The parish was created in 2001, and had a population of 1,272 according to the 2001 census[3].

See also

References

  1. ^ Oakhill, at the western border with Aylesbury Vale, is slightly higher.
  2. ^ http://www.mkweb.co.uk/parks-and-open-space/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=22138
  3. ^ http://www.mkweb.co.uk/statistics/documents/Profiles%5FA%2DL%281%29%2Epdf 1.6MB PDF Parishes A-L
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