1967 was a good year for me as my eldest daughter as born on the 2nd January, The news that a new city was going to be built in this area was accepted as wait and see what happened, and over the years it has progressed beyond all our imagining what once were fields and farmland has become housing estates, schools and industrial sights. The city grew gradually and soon larger estates ate up many villages. Arial view looking from City Centre to New Bradwell. Football field. showing in middle the houses showing to the right and below are mostly new build. Newport Rd (Home) I was born in New Bradwell which is on the north boundary of the now new city on the 11th May 1942, I now live on the same road but on the opposite side although I have moved during my life. As the village is on the boundary nothing much has changed, the village was built to supply housing for workers of Wolverton Works. My father was one of these workers he was a coach painter and Painted the gold lines on the royal coach he was searched when leaving for any gold he might have concealed .He worked for forty years there and was presented with a clock in appreciation of his work there. So I grew up, in a community that stayed where they were for most of their lives not moving as we do now, everyone knew everyone else and looked out for each other. Shopping was done at the local shops and the weekly market at Wolverton. There were at that time four butchers, the Co-op (still there) but larger with a butchery, fish and veg, drapery, as well as the grocery department, at least three other grocery stores and a dairy, Post office and of course six public houses and two Working Mens clubs. so we were able to buy every thing we needed in the village. I married in 1962 and we brought a house in the village my three children attended the local school. View of the High Street showing Little Streets before demolition in 1974 We decided as we had a large house we would convert some of the bedrooms to accommodate the new workers on Milton Keynes City and I was kept busy cooking breakfast for up to one dozen men cleaning and washing .I was secretary of St. James’s Church and we formed a committee to welcome new comers to our area. The rectory lost part of its garden to make way for the road to the new estates of Kingsfold and Crispin, which was the first change in our immediate surroundings. Many things have changed since the first mention of the city. Gone are the field where we gathered blackberries, in their place are now housing estates and factory units. I did say that New Bradwell hadn’t changed much but on looking back I can see many changes. Where there was a village of roads and streets where everyone knew everyone else, now there is a quicker turnover of houses coming on the market no one staying in one place for long. Photo new High St showing new houses Gone are the local shops all that remain are the Co-op and paper shop, gradually shops have closed and mostly fast food shops are opening. Gone is the Baptist and Methodist Churches and have been amalgamated with St.James Church.. New Estates have been built on the allotments bringing many new people to the village Has Milton Keynes improved our lives! Who can say? Certainly we enjoy some of the amenities the new town has supplied. What is the overall benefit of the new town? Perhaps the closure of most of the Wolverton Works would have had a enormous effect to the whole structure of the village, many jobs disappeared which would have been a catastrophe in the old structure of the village, but with new industry’s appearing most of the workers found alternative employment. Large super markets appeared which again change the village for good. Most of the little shops disappeared, and our shopping is done mainly at the super markets. Which has also provided employment for many local people. The building of the City Centre has brought even more changes gone are the occasional trips to London and Northampton as the centre provides all the large shops under one roof. We now have many forms of entertainment to suit all ages, lots of new eating establishments and parks and lakes. And taking every thing as a whole I think the good points out weigh the bad .Yes some of the estates are better than others. Yes we have more crime. Yes we have more traffic, but. We are part of a large new city now and should leave the old ways behind a move on to a brighter future