LOCAL HISTORY

Pic: Paul Lindsay The new galleries at Milton Keynes Museum

A passport to the new town

The Museum is fortunate to be offered lots of historical bits and pieces that help us to accurately tell the story of Milton Keynes, but sometimes it is the smallest items that prove to be the richest of deliveries.

We were thrilled to be gifted a Passport to Milton Keynes information pack by local resident Wendy Carpenter recently, which throws a light on the blossoming new town in 1979.

The packs were given to residents on their 18th birthday, introducing them to the delights of new town living with a range of leaflets exploring services, facilities and opportunities in the area.

In an introductory letter, Albert Eley, the Mayor of Milton Keynes wrote: 'The leaflets are designed to show you the immensely varied opportunities to develop new skills and make new friends, whether you have grown up in the Borough or are relatively new to the area.

They are an invitation to you to become personally involved in those aspects which appeal to you most, perhaps helping to run local organisations and societies.

There are many ways in which new voters can enjoy and influence life in Milton Keynes, making it more pleasant for us all...'

In 1979, there was no multiplex cinema, no ski-slope, no vast office blocks and if you did want to hook up with your pals, you would have organised things without the ease of mobile phones and social media.

But no-one will have missed mobile phones, because they weren't a factor in 1970s living.

Back then, things were much simpler, but MK was already making its own way, and writing its own headlines.

In 1979, the centre:mk opened its doors, and the glass mall marked a new era in shopping locally. The complex was the longest shopping centre in Europe, and catered for all your requirements under the one roof – what a novelty!

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was on hand to officially open the building.

Royalty visited too; HM the Queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh when she opened the council's new civic offices.

But our passport guide was issued at the start of the year, and so those launches were yet to happen.

The 'Milton Keynes February Festival' wasn't the snappiest of event titles, and it offered a range of 'polite' music, with opportunities to see Milton Keynes Chamber Orchestra, a production of La Traviata by Opera For All, and two shows by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

If you wanted something with plenty of colour and pop, Showaddywaddy was not to be missed at Bletchley Leisure Centre. Tickets then were £3. If you want to go and see them singing Under The Moon of Love today, you'll need to shell out an average of £25.

If you wanted to book tickets, you didn't head online and tap in your preferences – instead you would fill out the form and send it back with your payment – in the form of a cheque or postal order.

Aside from the festival, sharp movers might have enjoyed stepping out with the North Bucks Scottish Country Dance Society, and proof that you can never have too much of a good thing; the Milton Keynes Scottish Country Dance Society was up and running too.

Harry Secombe visited, (for younger readers, he was one of the Goons – a very popular and zany radio show and a well known baritone) with support from the Band of the Royal Artillery, but there was no mention of the punk movement or the New Wave artists still sweeping the country.

As an incentive to get involved in MK events, the passport pack came with a voucher entitling the bearer to a ticket up to the value of £1.25 for a concert or play – to be redeemed within six months of issue.

Sport fans were in luck though, with basketball, martial arts, swimming and rugby all on the menu, and if your interests lay elsewhere, Milton Keynes had its own Soldier and Wargaming Club, Archaeological Society and Flower Arranging Club.

An impressive A-Z guide to Leisure was also part of the package received by new voters and provided a fascinating snapshot as to what was happening, from adult education to the intriguingly titled woodcraft folk.

Under M for Museums, the Stacey Hill Collection, which would become Milton Keynes Museum, is listed, and the annual Folk on the Green musical event in Stony Stratford was as popular then as it is today.

Anyone wanting to hit the hard things would be able to seek direction from the Marshall School of Drumming in Bletchley. Yep, the Father of Loud responsible for the iconic amplifiers once had a shop in the town as well, in addition to the factory.

If you 'fancied a swift half' in 1979, there were 55 public houses across the new town from which to choose.

Superman was the big screen smash at the start of the year, but with The Point not even thought of, back then a night at the cinema involved visiting one of our charming town picture houses – The Electra in Newport Pagnell, or the Studio Cinema in Bletchley.

“I think it came in the post,” Wendy remembered of this info bundle, “Back then, it was a night out at the local working men's club or the pictures,” that people looked forward to, Wendy said.

Not that Wendy made the most of her free voucher: “I married young and had small children, so was busy with that...”

As Wendy was now an adult and allowed to vote, there was a handy guide included in the super little pack of information explaining what the Borough Council, MK Development Corporation and Bucks County Council were responsible for; breaking down everything from housing and planning to parking and rates, for those who remember that precursor to the Council Tax of today.

One other illustrated document delivered a 'Who's who in local government' in bite-sized pieces – which plenty of people would find useful today! The artist was Eugene Fisk who wrote several illustrated books about Milton Keynes buildings and people.

The illustrations included one chap holding a placard saying, 'Milton Keynes is dying for a hospital,' although it would be another five years before we got one, and another demanded, 'A new hotel for Milton Keynes.'

Of course the town centre now has so many, that one has to wonder if people book up to stay here purely so they can sightsee the other hotels!

> Milton Keynes Museum is YOUR Museum and we are always looking to preserve local history for future generations. Your stories are our stories. We had never seen one of these passport packs which we are thrilled to have taken into our collection.

Once complete, the passport will be one of many artefacts celebrating the new town of Milton Keynes, in our New Gallery.

Perhaps you have other items of similar interest?

Please make contact by messaging us on FB @mkmuseum or email press@mkmuseum.org.uk

Showaddywaddy played the February Festival in Bletchley, in 1979

Some of the illustrations in the passport pack

Pic: Living Archive Milton Keynes Museum is one of the best interactive museums, a perfect outing for all ages, staffed by friendly volunteers, and highly recommended by visitors on TripAdvisor. This feature was written by Milton Keynes Museum. Find out more about forthcoming events and see our opening times at: miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk