Woburn Sands
| Woburn Sands | |
| Buckinghamshire | |
|---|---|
 Woburn Sands High Street | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP927360 |
| Location: | 52°-0’54"N, -0°38’56"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Milton Keynes |
| Postcode: | MK17 |
| Dialling code: | 01908 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Milton Keynes Central Bedfordshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North East Milton Keynes |
Woburn Sands is a village in Buckinghamshire, southeast of Milton Keynes and near the village of Wavendon which sits at the edge of that town. The county boundary between Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire runs through Woburn Sands. The meandering county boundary separates the town from the sleepy Bedfordshire parishes of with Aspley Guise and Aspley Heath.
History
The earliest evidence of settlement is an Iron Age hill fort dating from around 500BC, called Danesborough Camp which is located to the southwest of the present town. Later when the settlement had developed into a hamlet it was part of the parish of Wavendon.
The village name was originally Hogsty End, one of Wavendon's four 'ends' (along with Church End, Cross End and Lower End) but by Victorian times, this un-picturesque name had fallen out of favour, and Woburn Sands had taken over as the accepted name. There is a local story that a schoolmaster was unable to attract business to his "Hogsty End Academy", and was one of the first to promote the use of the new name, but in fact it had been in use before this. The modern place name is related to nearby Woburn in Bedfordshire, and to the sandy local soil resulting from its proximity to the Greensand Ridge, an escarpment of Greensand.
The town had a reputation as a health spa because of the micro-climate, and people would come from far and wide to "take the airs". Several convalescent homes were built locally.
Modern Woburn Sands
Modern Woburn Sands contains many amenities, details of which are available on a local website.[1] It is also a reasonably well-known mountain biking destination, with car-parks at the top of Church Road.
Woburn Sands railway station serves the town, on the Bletchley-Bedford Marston Vale Line.
The population is small (2,246 according to the 2001 census) and it is known as a village even if the parish council insist it is a town. Its population continues to grow though under the influence of Milton Keynes as brownfield developments grow (notably the former Nampak/Plysu Plastics factory, now known as "Parklands").
Modern Woburn Sands is a very lively place attracting youndg families, filling the schools.
Outside links
- Woburn Sands Town Council
- Woburn Sands local history site
- The Hogsty End Handbook local community magazine
- Cyclone Mountain Bike Club - MTB around local forest trails
- Woburn Sands Folk Festival