Woburn, Bedfordshire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Woburn
St Mary's parish church in Woburn
Woburn
Population	933 (2011)
OS grid reference	SP949331
Civil parish	Woburn
Unitary authority	Central Bedfordshire
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MILTON KEYNES
Postcode district	MK17
Dialling code	01525
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Mid Bedfordshire
List of places UK England Bedfordshire 51°59′18″N 0°37′10″W / 51.98826°N 0.61942°W / 51.98826; -0.61942

Woburn (/ˈwoʊbərn/) is a small town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Milton Keynes. In 2011, about 933 people lived there. The name "Woburn" means "twisted or crooked stream." The town is well-known for Woburn Abbey and Woburn Safari Park.

History of Woburn

Woburn Town Hall

Woburn was first mentioned in records in the year 969. It also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a big survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror.

A famous place in Woburn is Woburn Abbey. It was first built as a monastery by Cistercian monks in 1145. Later, in 1538, during a time called the dissolution of the monasteries (when King Henry VIII closed many monasteries), the abbey was given to the first Earl of Bedford.

Fires and Rebuilding

Woburn has been burned down and rebuilt three times!

• The first time was due to a medieval chimney fire. Many houses had thatched roofs and were built very close together, which made the fire spread easily.
• The second time was during the English Civil War. Soldiers called Cavaliers burned down a large part of the town.
• The third major fire happened in 1724. After this fire, much of Woburn was rebuilt in the Georgian style, which you can still see today.

Woburn's Importance as a Travel Stop

In the 1800s, Woburn was a very important stop for travelers. It was on a main road called a turnpike that connected London, Newport Pagnell, and Northampton. The town had 27 inns, which were like hotels and restaurants for travelers. It even had the first 24-hour post office outside of London!

However, Woburn's importance changed when new ways to travel were built. The West Coast Main Line (a major railway), the Grand Union canal, and the Varsity Line (another railway) all bypassed Woburn. This meant fewer travelers came through the town. Because of this, the population dropped from 2,100 people in 1851 to about 700 a century later.

Important Buildings

Woburn Town Hall was finished in 1830. It was designed by a famous architect named Edward Blore.

A new church, St Mary's parish church, was completed in Woburn in 1868. It has a crypt underneath, which is an underground room. It was originally meant to be a burial place for the Dukes of Bedford and their family. However, the dukes continued to use an older burial place. Today, the crypt is used for events and meetings. You can still see the opening where coffins would have been lowered!

Woburn Cottage Hospital was started in 1898 by Mary, the Duchess of Bedford. This hospital helped people in the area until at least 1935.

Woburn Old Fire Station, built in 1947

Even though Woburn burned down three times, the first permanent fire station was only built in 1823. It was located in front of the Tudor School. In 1947, the fire station moved to a new building on Leighton Street. Today, there is a modern fire station on London Road.

Sports and Fun Activities

Woburn has its own lido, which is an outdoor swimming pool. There are also many places for walks and cycling on the Woburn Estate and local roads. Woburn is also on the routes of two walking and cycling paths: the Greensand Ridge Walk and the Greensand Cycle Way.

Woburn Golf Club is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Woburn. It is a very famous golf course and has hosted the Women's British Open golf tournament eleven times between 1984 and 2019.

Woburn's Climate

Woburn has an oceanic climate, which is typical for most of the United Kingdom. This means it has mild winters and cool summers, with rain throughout the year.

There is a Met Office weather station in Woburn that records weather information. The highest temperature ever recorded there was 39.6°C (103.3°F) in July 2022. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -20.6°C (-5.1°F) on February 25, 1947. This was the coldest temperature ever reported in England in February! In 2010, the temperature dropped to -16.3°C (2.7°F).

See also

In Spanish: Woburn (Bedfordshire) para niños