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'Olney' is a small market town in the Borough of Milton Keynes and ceremonial Buckinghamshire, England, with a population of around 6,000 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse, very close to the borders with Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire and equidistant from Northampton, Bedford and Milton Keynes itself. It has easy access to the M1 at Junction 14 (approximately seven miles) and with fast and frequent train links to London from Milton Keynes Central or Bedford (each approximately twelve miles distant).
It is perhaps best known for the Olney Pancake Race and for the Olney Hymns by William Cowper and John Newton.

Contents

History

The Olney Pancake Race

Description

Population

Trivia

References

History

First mentioned as ''Ollanege'' in 932,^[1] the town has a history as a lace-making centre, and as the place where the ''Olney Hymns'' were written. John Newton, author of the hymn ''Amazing Grace'' was curate of Olney and is buried here. His guest was William Cowper (English poet and hymnodist (1731 – 1800)) and the town hosts the ''Cowper and Newton museum'' dedicated to them. The museum was Williams Cowper's actual house. Newton was succeeded as curate here by the biblical commentator Thomas Scott (1747-1821).

The Olney Pancake Race

Since 1445, a pancake race has been run in the town every Pancake Day. Tradition records that back in 1445, on Shrove Tuesday the "Shriving Bell" rang out to signal the start of the Shriving church service. On hearing the bell a local housewife, who had been busy cooking pancakes in anticipation of the beginning of Lent, ran to the church, frying pan still in hand, still in her apron and headscarf. The women of Olney recreate this race every Shrove Tuesday (better known outside of the United Kingdom as "Mardi Gras" or Fat Tuesday) by running from the market place to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. The traditional prize is a kiss from the verger. In modern times, Olney competes with the town of Liberal, Kansas in the United States for the fastest time in either town and winner of the "International Pancake Race". There is also a children's race, run by children from the local schools. The children have to run a distance of approx. 20 metres. This competition has been run every year since 1950.

Description

The town is neatly divided by the A509 road and the wide High Street adds to the charm of this historic market town. Market day is Thursday with traders selling fruit and vegetables and other foodstuffs as well as clothing and hardware. A farmer's market also takes place on the first Sunday each month. In recent years Olney has become a popular destination for Sunday afternoon shoppers, with its plethora of antique shops punctuated by other high-end boutique shopping opportunities.
As Olney continues to expand (with new housing estates and its 3rd school due for completion in 2007) the contentious issue of a by-pass to re-route the busy A509 may continue to be an issue for the residents of the town, as are the various wind farm sites proposed in the locality.

Population

At the 2001 Census, the population of the parish was recorded^[2] as 6,000.

Trivia

★ Although Olney is in the Borough of Milton Keynes and the MK postal area, it uses the Bedford dialling code (01234).

References

1. Oxford Dictionary of Placenames (ed. A.D. Mills and Adrian Room, 2002, Oxford University Press)
2. http://www.mkweb.co.uk/statistics/documents/Population%5FBulletin%5F2005%2D6%2Epdf page 22