View source for Wolverton

{{Short description|Town in Milton Keynes, England}}
{{about|Wolverton in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire}}
{{distinguish|Wolverhampton|Wolferton}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Wolverton
| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q276274|display=inline,title}}
| population = 12,492
| population_ref = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011]], civil parish)<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id = E04012197|title=Wolverton and Greenleys CP|access-date=1 October 2019 }}</ref>
| os_grid_reference = SP816410
| civil_parish = [[Wolverton and Greenleys]]
| unitary_england = [[City of Milton Keynes|Milton Keynes]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Buckinghamshire]]
| region = South East England
| country = England
| post_town = MILTON KEYNES
| postcode_area = MK
| postcode_district = MK12
| dial_code = 01908
| constituency_westminster = [[Milton Keynes North (UK Parliament constituency)|Milton Keynes North]]
| pushpin_map = United Kingdom Milton Keynes
| pushpin_map_caption = Mapping © [[OpenStreetMap]]
| static_image_name = Anson Road Wolverton - geograph.org.uk - 173118.jpg
| static_image_caption = Anson Road, Wolverton
}}

'''Wolverton''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ʊ|l|v|ər|t|ən}} {{respell|WUUL|vər|tən}}) is a constituent town of [[Milton Keynes]], England. It is located in the north-west of the city, beside the [[West Coast Main Line]], the [[Grand Union Canal]] and the [[river Great Ouse]]. It is the administrative seat of [[Wolverton and Greenleys]] [[civil parish]].

It is one of the places in [[History of Buckinghamshire|historic Buckinghamshire]] that went into the [[History of Milton Keynes#1960s plans for a new city in North Buckinghamshire, 1967 designation of Milton Keynes|foundation of Milton Keynes in 1967]].

The village recorded in [[Domesday Book|Domesday]] is known today as [[#Old Wolverton|Old Wolverton]] but, because of [[Enclosure#Tudor enclosures|peasant clearances]] in the early 17th century, only field markings remain of the medieval settlement. Modern Wolverton is a new settlement founded in the early 19th century as a [[railway town]], with its centre relocated about {{cvt|1|km|mi|1}} to the southeast.

==History==

===Old Wolverton===
[[File:Holy Trinity, Old Wolverton, Bucks - geograph.org.uk - 333043.jpg|thumb|Holy Trinity church]]
The town name is an [[Old English language]] word, and means 'Wulfhere's settlement'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Key to English place names: Wolverton |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Buckinghamshire/Wolverton |publisher=Institute for Name-Studies, [[University of Nottingham]] |access-date=28 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220228114129/http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Buckinghamshire/Wolverton |archive-date=28 February 2022 }}</ref> It was recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Wluerintone''. The original Wolverton was a [[medieval]] settlement just north and west of today's town. This site is now known as '''Old Wolverton''', although the medieval village is all but gone. The [[ridge and furrow]] pattern of agriculture can still be seen in the nearby fields.

[[image:The Site of Old Wolverton in Buckinghamshire.jpg|right|thumb|A [[lidar]] view of Old Wolverton.]]

The site of an Anglo-Saxon building has been dated to the 400s at Wolverton Mill, with further buildings coming into use in the 600s and early 700s.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Thorne |first1=A |last2=Chapman |first2=A |title=Anglo-Saxon and medieval settlement at the former Post Office Training Establishment, Wolverton Mill, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Excavations 2004 |url=https://www.mola.org.uk/anglo-saxon-and-medieval-settlement-former-post-office-training-establishment-wolverton-mill-milton |access-date=8 May 2023 |website=Museum of London Archaeology |publisher=Northamptonshire Archaeology |publication-date=2011 |archive-date=8 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508171609/https://www.mola.org.uk/anglo-saxon-and-medieval-settlement-former-post-office-training-establishment-wolverton-mill-milton |url-status=live }}</ref> An Anglo-Saxon cemetery dated to the 600s was discovered in Wolverton and is the largest discovered in Buckinghamshire containing 83 people.<ref>{{cite book |title=Wulfhere's People: a conversion-period Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Wolverton, Milton Keynes. |first1=A J |last1=Hancock |first2=R J |last2=Zeepvat |publisher=Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society |series=Monograph Series |date=2018 |number=11 |isbn=9780995717749}} reviewed in {{Cite journal |last=Hills |first=Catherine |date=24 October 2019 |title=''Wulfhere's People: a conversion-period Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Wolverton, Milton Keynes.'' By A J Hancock and R J Zeepvat. (Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society Monograph Series no. 11. isbn9780995717749. Np.) |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquaries-journal/article/abs/wulfheres-people-a-conversionperiod-anglosaxon-cemetery-at-wolverton-milton-keynes-by-a-j-hancock-and-r-j-zeepvat-pp-x-144-246-ills-7-tables-buckinghamshire-archaeological-society-monograph-series-no-11-isbn9780995717749-np/69A7C987077DCABB6A20C6A087D57075 |journal=The Antiquaries Journal |volume=99 |pages=451 |doi=10.1017/S0003581519000301 |issn=0003-5815 |access-date=8 May 2023 |archive-date=7 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907064112/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquaries-journal/article/abs/wulfheres-people-a-conversionperiod-anglosaxon-cemetery-at-wolverton-milton-keynes-by-a-j-hancock-and-r-j-zeepvat-pp-x-144-246-ills-7-tables-buckinghamshire-archaeological-society-monograph-series-no-11-isbn9780995717749-np/69A7C987077DCABB6A20C6A087D57075 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The 12th century [[Holy Trinity Church, Wolverton|Church of the Holy Trinity]] (rebuilt in 1819) still sits next to the [[Normans|Norman]] [[Motte and Bailey]] site.<ref name=vch>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/bucks/vol4/pp505-509 |chapter=Parishes : Wolverton |series=[[Victoria History of the Counties of England]] |title=A History of the County of Buckingham |volume=4 |date=1927 |page=505{{ndash}}509 |editor=William Page |publisher=[[Constable & Robinson|Constable & Co. Ltd.]] |location=London |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-date=22 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122094741/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/bucks/vol4/pp505-509 |url-status=live }}</ref> Only the earth mound remains of the Norman castle, though the Saxon tower still stands as central to the rebuilt church, clad in the early 19th century 'Anglo-Norman' style. Next door to the church is a house built in 1729 which later became the vicarage; the front door has stonework from the nearby, demolished manor house of the 16th century including the [[Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville#Family|de Longueville family]] coat of arms, and pieces from the earlier church building. A [[talbot (dog)]], another symbol of the family, once graced the side entrance which now marks the boundary between the ground floor of the house and its downstairs toilet.

The manor of Wolverton was held by the de Wolverton family until the mid-fourteenth century.<ref name=vch /> Sir John de Wolverton died in 1349 leaving an infant son, Ralph, who died in 1351, and two daughters.<ref>Post-Mortem Inquisitions; National / Archives; C 135/112/2 (1351/52) & C 135/121/16 (1353/54). The first mentions the death of Ralph & the second Joan, as daughter & heiress of John, son of John</ref> The elder daughter Margaret or Margery, married [[John le Hunt]], [[Lord Chief Justice of Ireland]], and had, in turn, one daughter, Joan le Hunt, who married John Longueville of [[Billing, Northamptonshire]].<ref>[[George Baker (topographer)|George Baker]] ''History of Northamptonshire'' Vol. II 1826 p.241</ref> They had at least one son, John, through whom Wolverton passed by inheritance to the Longueville/Longville family.<ref name=vch/>

Of the historic village itself, only field patterns marking a [[deserted village]] remain, along with two village ponds. The desertion of Old Wolverton was due to [[enclosure]] of the large [[Open field system|strip cultivation]] fields into small "closes" by the local landlords, the Longville family, who turned [[arable land]] over to [[pasture]]. By 1654, the family had completely enclosed the parish. With the end of the [[feudalism|feudal system]], the peasants had lost their land and [[tillage]]/[[grazing rights]] and were forced to find other work or starve. Thus Old Wolverton was reduced from about thirty peasant families in the mid-16th century to almost none, within the space of a century.<ref>[[Milton Keynes Parks Trust]] information point on site.</ref><ref name=vch />

The newer area, built about {{cvt|1|km}} to the southeast for the railways in the 19th century, assumed the Wolverton name.

===Canal village===
The [[Grand Union Canal]] passes around the northern and eastern edges of the modern town. The canal originally crossed the [[River Great Ouse]] by descending 10 metres to the river by nine locks, crossing the river on the level and ascending by eight [[Lock (water transport)|locks]] on the other side. This was time-consuming for navigators and subject to disruption in times of flood.

===Railway town===
{{main|Wolverton railway works|Wolverton railway station}}
[[File:Wolverton Carriage Works geograph-2219108.jpg|thumb|Wolverton carriage works]]
In 1838, Wolverton was established as the site of the [[Wolverton railway works|locomotive repair shop]] at the midpoint of the [[London and Birmingham Railway]] then under construction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=London & Birmingham Railway{{snd}}Part 1 |url=http://www.railalbum.co.uk/early-railways/london-birmingham-railway-1.htm |access-date=13 July 2020 |website=Rail Album |archive-date=19 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200119225606/http://www.railalbum.co.uk/early-railways/london-birmingham-railway-1.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1846 the {{nowrap|L & B}} became part of the [[London and North Western Railway]], who subsequently{{when|date=May 2019}} decided that locomotives would be built and repaired at [[Crewe]]. The last locomotives at Wolverton were built in 1863 and repaired until 1877,{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} after which it concentrated on carriages including railway-owned road vehicles. The Works has been the home of the [[Royal Train]] fleet.<ref>For the Royal Train see [http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/mkm/works.html this article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907064113/http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/mkm/works.html |date=7 September 2024 }} at the site of the MK Museum</ref> During the [[Second World War]], the Works built parts for Lee–Enfield rifles, bomber plane timber frames, [[Hawker Typhoon]] wings, [[Airspeed Horsa|Horsa Gliders]], and ambulances.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} Like many older industrial sites, camouflage paint from the period can still be seen on the factory buildings. A [[pillbox (military)|pillbox]] remains opposite the Works Wall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Corner of Radcliffe Street and Stratford Road |website=Google Maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/@52.0630556,-0.8104594,3a,75y,209.75h,76.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLuSQNNhZWPqZ3_r_1GEWNQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 |access-date=28 February 2022 |archive-date=28 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228191827/https://www.google.com/maps/@52.0630556,-0.8104594,3a,75y,209.75h,76.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLuSQNNhZWPqZ3_r_1GEWNQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The railway company built some 200 houses for its workers by 1844 along with schools, a church and a market.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} L&NW also invited [[George McCorquodale]] to establish what became a substantial printing works in the town.<ref name="DMK">{{cite web |title=McCorquodale Printing Company, Wolverton |url=http://www.discovermiltonkeynes.co.uk/uploads/1/0/3/9/10393340/made_in_mk_panels_v2_page_06.pdf |website=Discover Milton Keynes |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319213626/http://www.discovermiltonkeynes.co.uk/uploads/1/0/3/9/10393340/made_in_mk_panels_v2_page_06.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Church of St George the Martyr====
A new [[Anglican]] parish church was built in 1843 to serve the new town centre: like the Church of the Holy Trinity in Old Wolverton, it is a [[listed building]] rated a II*.<ref name=II* />

====Historic football ground====
The football ground beside the railway works and the station was home to the works team and subsequently to [[Wolverton A.F.C.|Wolverton Town]] football club. The stand, built in 1899, is believed to be the oldest covered football stand in the world. It was set to be demolished by September 2006 because its owners wished to redevelop the site for housing and a community park.<ref>{{cite news |date=20 January 2006 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2006/01/20/wolverton_stand_200106_feature.shtml |title=Save Our Stand? |access-date=21 November 2022 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-date=21 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121152726/https://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2006/01/20/wolverton_stand_200106_feature.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The development went ahead and a replica stand now sits on the original site to mark the significance of the original construction, painted green as it used to be.

====The Wolverton Agora====
The Agora Centre was built by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation in 1978 to replace the old market hall on Creed Street. The Agora Centre was known for its shops as well as regular roller-disco events throughout the 1980s.

The building was either loved or hated by residents who either viewed the building as a community asset or as a blight on the town that split the town in two (due to the size of the site). The building was often called a "spaceship" and, when redevelopment plans were released, a "farewell" ceremony was held for the building at the 2019 Wolverton Lantern Festival where the "Agoran" aliens (represented by remote-controlled robots) returned to the Agora and shut the shutters for the final time.

The Agora Centre was demolished in 2022 and is due to be replaced with a development that reinstates the original Victorian road structure and plans to include 86 new properties and 8 shops.

Another Agora Centre is currently open for business in [[Bletchley]]'s high street, Queensway.

===Listed buildings and structures===
{{as of|2021}}, Wolverton and Greenleys civil parish has two scheduled monuments<ref>Wolverton castle, deserted village and monastic grange. {{LBE|1013660|title=Motte and bailey castle, deserted village and monastic grange at Old Wolverton |location=Buckinghamshire|lbe-no-cat=true|no-ref=true|ds=Scheduled monument}};<br />
the [[Iron Trunk Aqueduct]] (Grand Union over River Ouse). {{LBE|1006934|title=Wolverton iron trunk aqueduct |location=Buckinghamshire|lbe-no-cat=true|no-ref=true|ds=Scheduled monument }}</ref> and two Grade II* [[listed building]]s.<ref name=II*>[[Holy Trinity Church, Wolverton|Holy Trinity Church, Old Wolverton]]. ({{LBE|1125323|title=CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY |location=Buckinghamshire |lbe-no-cat=true|no-ref=true}});<br /> 
Church of St George the Martyr ({{LBE|1125328|title=CHURCH OF ST GEORGE THE MARTYR |location=Buckinghamshire|lbe-no-cat=true|no-ref=true}});<br /> 
Stephenson's railway bridge over the Grand Union ({{LBE|1246107|title=RAILWAY BRIDGE (171C) GRAND UNION CANAL |location=Buckinghamshire|lbe-no-cat=true|no-ref=true}})</ref>
There are a further 38 Grade II listed buildings or objects in the parish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search the list |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/results/?searchType=NHLE+Simple&search=Wolverton+and+Greenleys |publisher=English Heritage |access-date=28 February 2022 |archive-date=7 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907064114/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/results/?searchType=NHLE+Simple&search=Wolverton+and+Greenleys |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Green spaces==
[[File:Yes this is Milton Keynes - geograph.org.uk - 446314.jpg|thumb|Ouse Valley Park]]
Wolverton was built with a park (Victoria Park) with a cricket ground, an expanse of allotments for the country people who became railway works employees, and access to the footpaths to the north and south. An extensive section of the [[River Great Ouse]] flood plain to the north of Wolverton has been excavated for sand and gravel and the resulting area developed into a nature reserve of flood-tolerant trees, called the Flood Plain Forest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Floodplain forest |url=https://www.theparkstrust.com/parks/floodplain-forest-nature-reserve |publisher=[[Milton Keynes Parks Trust]] |access-date=20 February 2022 |archive-date=25 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325162506/https://www.theparkstrust.com/parks/floodplain-forest-nature-reserve/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Secret Garden===
In 1999 a group of Wolverton residents clubbed together to persuade [[Railtrack]] to sell to the Town Council a piece of derelict land for £1. The council then leased the land to the residents' group for a garden to be created. This piece of land, which sits alongside the Grand Union Canal, has been turned into a small park known locally as the “Secret Garden”, something the residents felt was missing from the largely industrial area. It is maintained by volunteers and hosts outdoor music events in the summer months. It is open to all throughout the year.

Previously the garden was the site of several [[townhouse]]s built in the early [[Victorian era]] for the railways. One of the houses was the residence of the station master for Wolverton. Now the foundations and cellars of two of these houses have been excavated and form a feature in the “Secret Garden”.<ref>[http://www.wolvertonsecretgarden.co.uk.btck.co.uk/News Site history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929062035/http://www.wolvertonsecretgarden.co.uk.btck.co.uk/News |date=29 September 2015 }} {{snd}} Wolverton Secret Garden Society</ref>

==Education==
The town has a secondary school (the [[Radcliffe School]]), two primary schools (Bushfield and Wyvern) and a [[special school]] (Slated Row).

==Transport==
===Road===
<gallery style="float:right" perrow="2" heights="240" widths="170" caption="′Reaching Forward′ ([[Martin Heron]], 2012), at the Grand Union">
Reaching Forward by Martin Heron, in Wolverton, England, August 2024 (2).jpg
Reaching Forward by Martin Heron, in Wolverton, England, August 2024 (1).jpg
</gallery>

Running through the town (and effectively serving as its high street) is '''Stratford Road''', which runs westwards towards [[Stony Stratford]] and eastwards towards [[Newport Pagnell]] (and is also known as '''Newport Road''' or '''Wolverton Road''' on parts of its route). The town is also served by some major [[Milton Keynes grid road system|grid roads]], such as Grafton Street (V6), which runs southwards towards [[Central Milton Keynes]] and [[Bletchley]], and Monks Way (H3, A422), which runs eastwards towards [[Newport Pagnell]] and [[Bedford]].

For accessing national routes, the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] (towards [[Towcester]] or [[Dunstable]]), the [[A422 road|A422]] westbound (towards [[Buckingham]]) and the [[A508 road|A508]] (towards [[Northampton]]) meet about {{convert|2|miles}} to the west of the town, at a roundabout just north of [[Old Stratford]].

===Rail===
{{main|Wolverton railway station}} 
The town is home to [[Wolverton railway station|a railway station]] on the [[West Coast Main Line]], though only local stopping trains call there. Intercity services stop at [[Milton Keynes Central]], about {{convert|3|mi}} away.

A "toy town" wooden ticket office that stood on the railway bridge, facing out onto Stratford Road, with steps leading down to the platform was actually the third location for a station in Wolverton. The original temporary stop was on the embankment above Wolverton Park,<ref name="wsah">{{cite web |url=http://www.mkheritage.org.uk/archive/wsah/hood/docs/aqueductbook1.html |author1=Geoffrey Ealden |author2=Anna McEvoy |author3=Julia Newman |author4=Andra Roach |author5=Peter Smith |publisher=Wolverton Society for Arts and Heritage and Milton Keynes Heritage Association |title=Wolverton: From Aqueduct to Viaduct |access-date=7 December 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220230358/http://www.mkheritage.org.uk/archive/wsah/hood/docs/aqueductbook1.html |archive-date=20 February 2022 }}</ref><ref name="mapley">[http://www.mapley.org/history.htm Mapley family history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118002522/http://www.mapley.org/history.htm |date=18 January 2016 }} – Accessed 7 December 2007</ref> a larger station and refreshment rooms were soon built at a location behind what is now Glyn Square.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.livingarchive.org.uk/content/local-history/areas/wolverton/wolvertons-second-station |title=Wolverton's Second Station |publisher=Living Archive |location=Milton Keynes |access-date=6 September 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite map |author=Ordnance Survey |title=OS Six-inch England and Wales, 1842–1952 |map=Buckinghamshire IX (includes: Castlethorpe; Cosgrove; Old Stratford; Wolverton.) |map-url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102340097 |year=1885 |scale=1:10,560 |publisher=National Library of Scotland |access-date=6 September 2020 }}</ref> In the 1880s the main line was re-routed to the east to allow for expansion and the current station site has been in use since.<ref name=wsah /> The wooden station stood here for over 100 years, however [[Milton Keynes Council]] did not nominate it to be a [[listed building]] and [[British Rail]] demolished it in 1991, putting a "temporary" unit on platform one instead.<ref name=wsah />

Since then, passengers must use stairways connecting an overhead open walkway to access the other three platforms of the station, making them inaccessible to passengers with mobility impairments. The Council's 'Regeneration Strategy for Wolverton'<ref>[http://cmis.milton-keynes.gov.uk/CmisWebPublic/Binary.ashx?Document=10058 WOLVERTON REGENERATION STRATEGY 30 MARCH 2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222003132/http://cmis.milton-keynes.gov.uk/CmisWebPublic/Binary.ashx?Document=10058 |date=22 February 2014 }}{{spaced ndash}}[[Milton Keynes (borough)|Milton Keynes Council]]</ref> aimed to build a new station in the original position on the road bridge over the railway. But the new station was built at the platform level, starting in the summer of 2011 and completed in the summer of 2012.<ref name=Citizen2012>{{cite news |url=http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/local/mayor-reveals-plaque-at-wolverton-train-station-1-3996531 |title=Mayor reveals plaque at Wolverton train station |work=[[Milton Keynes Citizen]] |date=28 June 2012 |access-date=20 February 2022 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112645/http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/local/mayor-reveals-plaque-at-wolverton-train-station-1-3996531 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Bus===
Wolverton is MK's main northern interchange point for cross-city and rural bus services. The town is served by [[Arriva]] bus numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, M5 and [[Stagecoach Group]] bus number 83.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/highways-and-transport-hub/bus-and-taxi/bus-timetables-maps-and-travel-updates |title=Bus and Taxi, Bus Timetables, Maps and Travel Updates |work=[[Milton Keynes City Council]] |access-date=5 February 2023 |archive-date=7 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507113728/https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/highways-and-transport-hub/bus-and-taxi/bus-timetables-maps-and-travel-updates |url-status=live }}</ref>

Arriva's main bus garage is at Colts Holm Road, Old Wolverton.

MK City Council also operates an on demand bus service known as "MK Connect", which serves the whole MK unitary authority area, including Wolverton.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://city.ridewithvia.com/mk-connect |title=On-Demand Rideshare in Milton Keynes powered by Via |work=Via |access-date=29 December 2023 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101153710/https://city.ridewithvia.com/mk-connect |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Civil parish==
Wolverton formed a [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] within the [[Wolverton Urban District|Stratford and Wolverton Rural District]] from 1894 to 1919, which also contained the parishes of [[Calverton, Milton Keynes|Calverton]], [[Stony Stratford]] East and Stony Stratford West. The parishes had previously been part of the [[History of local government districts in Buckinghamshire#List of districts 1835–1894|Potterspury Rural Sanitary District]] until it was disbanded in 1894. In 1919 these parishes, combined with [[New Bradwell]], became part of the 'Stratford and Wolverton Urban District' (renamed the 'Wolverton Urban District' in 1920). This urban district would remain in existence until 1974 when it became part of the then District of Milton Keynes.

In 1961 the parish of Wolverton had a population of 13,113.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10095670/cube/TOT_POP |title=Population statistics Wolverton CP/AP through time |publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]] |access-date=20 March 2024 }}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished and became an [[unparished area]] of the Milton Keynes district.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/north%20bucks.html |title=North Bucks Registration District |publisher=UKBMD |access-date=20 March 2024 |archive-date=23 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223110433/https://ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/north%20bucks.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Today, Wolverton is the larger element of the modern parish of [[Wolverton and Greenleys]].

==Sport in Wolverton==
The town's sports clubs include
* Wolverton Town Cricket Club: the club plays in Divisions 2 and 6 of The Oxford Times Cherwell League and play their home matches at the Cricket Ground on Osborne Street.
* Wolverton Town F.C., an amateur football club
* Wolverton Tennis Club
* Wolverton Town Bowls Club
* Wolverton Park Bowls Club
* Wolverton Pool & Sports Centre – The new centre is on the site of the former 'Wolverton [[Lido (swimming pool)|Lido]]', an open-air pool open during the summer months.

== Twin town ==
* [[Ploegsteert]], Belgium. It was declared a [[Town twinning|sister city]] of Wolverton in 2006; this was partly initiated through the finding of letters from a 16-year-old soldier from Wolverton named Albert French. He is buried in [[Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Cemetery]] at Comines-Warneton, just outside the village of [[Ploegsteert]].

== See also ==
{{Commons category}}
* [[Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway]]
* [[History of Milton Keynes]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=36&fk_files=90446 "''Rides on Railways'' by Samuel Sidney"] at [[Project Gutenberg]]. See pages 36 to 43 for a contemporary account (and critique) of the early years of the new railway town and the Works.
* [http://www.livingarchive.org.uk/hidden/ Wolverton Words at the Living Archive project] : [[Accent (dialect)|Accent]]s in Wolverton/[[New Bradwell]] and how they have changed between the generations, [[playground game]]s, and memories of older Wolvertonians, as collected by Year{{nbsp}}7 children at [http://www.bushfieldschool.net Bushfield Middle School]
* [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10199359 ''A Vision of Britain'' – Wolverton Urban District]
* Historic mapping
** {{cite map |author=Ordnance Survey |title=OS 25-inch England and Wales, 1842–1952 |map=Buckinghamshire IX.11) |map-url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/104180600 |year=1925 |scale=1:2,500 |publisher=National Library of Scotland}} (east end of Stony Stratford to west end of Wolverton, including Wolverton Mill)
** {{cite map |author=Ordnance Survey |title=OS 25-inch England and Wales, 1842–1952 |map=Buckinghamshire IX.12) |map-url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/104180606 |year=1925 |scale=1:2,500 |publisher=National Library of Scotland}} (east end of Wolverton to Stantonbury, including New Bradwell)

{{Buckinghamshire}}
{{River Great Ouse}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wolverton| ]]
[[Category:Populated places on the River Great Ouse]]
[[Category:Railway towns in England]]
[[Category:Towns in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Milton Keynes]]