Newport Pagnell

Newport Pagnell is a town in England. It is in the borough of Milton Keynes.

History

The town was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Neuport, which is an Old English word meaning New Market Town. At that time it was fairly new, having been founded by Norman invaders. The suffix "Pagnell" came later, when the manor passed into the hands of the Pagnell (Paynel) family.

At one time Newport Pagnell was one of the largest towns in the County of Buckinghamshire but today the new town of Milton Keynes has made it much less important.

Tickford Bridge, over the River Ouze, was built in 1810. It is the only iron bridge in Britain that still carries main road traffic. This is the oldest iron bridge in the world that is still in constant use. There is a plaque near the footbridge on the side that gives details of its history and construction. A large set of sluice gates used to control downstream flooding of the River Great Ouse is near the bridge.

Since 1954, Tickford Street in Newport Pagnell has been the home of the Aston Martin site, where all Aston Martin cars were built, until the recent opening of the new Ford Motor Company luxury division plant for Aston Martin built at Gaydon, Warwickshire.

The modern civil parish of Newport Pagnell stops at the M1, but the ecclesiastical parish extends to include Broughton and Caldecote. The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul.

Other websites

• The unofficial town website with historical pictures, pictures of the town carnival and a message board for locals and ex pats to keep in touch