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Volunteers from The Friends of Great Linford Manor Park were out in force at the 2025 Heritage Open Day on September 20th, offering history walks, a talk in St. Andrew’s Church, fun activities for children and an important message concerning the deterioration of the beloved Almshouses in the park. Save the AlmshousesA display set up in front of the Almshouses drew a steady stream of visitors concerned to hear that the Almshouses, as well as the Great Barn, Pavilions and Radcliffe Building, are facing an uncertain future. We had some great conversations with members of the public, handed out leaflets and gained new members, with our focus being the need for emergency funding to stabilise the deteriorating fabric of the Almshouses.  Our display highlighting our concerns for the future of the estate buildings. As part of our outreach, we produced a leaflet which provided visitors with a short summary of the situation and encouraged them to join the Friends group. The leaflet explains that the estate buildings need a sustainable plan for their future use, and that delays in securing and allocating funding for emergency repairs put the Almhouses at risk.  Leaflet given out at the 2025 Heritage Open Day. Pictures of the AlmshousesThe following selection of photographs demonstrates the fragile state of the Almshouses, both internally and externally.  Supports holding up an Almshouse roof.  Signs of damp.  Facia board rotting and tiles covered with vegetation.  Rear of almshouses showing damage to roof.  Rear of almshouses showing damage to roof.  A recently collapsed garden wall. Heritage Open Day activitiesAlongside raising public awareness about the estate buildings, the Friends ran several events and activities throughout the afternoon. Walk for Bucks VisionA well-received history walk was provided under the auspices of Bucks Vision, a charity whose "mission is to make a positive difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes." We provided our regular walk with the addition of descriptive and tactile aspects for the participants.  Bucks Vision walk participants in front of the Old Rectory, whose owners kindly allowed access to their gardens for the Heritage Open Day. In total, we conducted four history walks on the day, three of which were led by guides in historic costume.  Our village school teacher, Andrew White, leads a history walk. From our marquee, kindly provided by The Parks Trust, we offered quill writing, Georgian costume colouring sheets, and a selection of reproduction historic photographs and documents about the village.  Visitors examine local history documents. Our costumed volunteers were on hand throughout the day, including our school-master, and lord and lady of the manor.  Our village school-master. Alongside our costumed characters, we also deployed our newly arrived tabards featuring the Friends of Great Linford Manor Park logo on front and back, continuing our mission to make the Friends a highly recognisable presence in the park and wider community.  John Gosling delivered a talk, A brief history of Great Linford, one of a number of talks offered throughout the day, both in St. Andrew's Church and in the talks tent in the manor grounds.  John Gosling delivers his talk, A brief history of Great Linford. Other partners in the parkThe day could not have been the success it was without the involvement of a great many other stakeholders, participants and partners, first and foremost The Parks Trust, who organised, managed and promoted the day to their usual high standard. The turnout, despite the threat of rain (which eventually arrived toward the end of the afternoon), was considerable, and people appeared to have been well satisfied by the wide variety of attractions on offer.
The following is a far from comprehensive list of the many other things to see and do during the afternoon. Over in the talk tent, Doug Stuckey of Bucks Archaeological Society delivered a presentation on the HaHa excavated in the park, and David Wolfson spoke on the subject of MK Canals: Fenny to Wolverton. Special thanks to St. Andrew's Church, for once again providing a wonderful space to share the history of the park, as well as a copious supply of tea, coffee and cake to visitors, the proceeds of which go to good causes. Lace makers Wendy and Ros were on hand throughout the afternoon to show people this fascinating craft, and to demonstrate how important it once was to the economy of the village, while the team from Electra Community Boat provided a canal history display and invited members of the public to share their own memories and memorabilia. In the park, Deborah Jones ran popular demonstrations in the art of willow weaving, and it was lovely to welcome back Milton Keynes Arts Centre, much missed after their departure earlier in the year from The Great Barn. They provided an activity, making nature prints from leaves. Finally, but certainly not least, an enormous thank-you to the volunteer members of The Friends of Great Linford Manor Park, who always put such effort and enthusiasm into promoting the park. The friends will be continuing their efforts to find a solution to preserve the estate buildings for future generations, and if you would like to add your voice to the debate, please do consider joining for free. You can read more about the Friends of Great Linford Manor park here, and join online. The Friends Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 23rd. There is a change of venue this year, to the Marsh Drive Community Centre, MK14 5HH. What3word reference: undulation.triangles.shampoos. Please arrive for 6.45pm to get seated and help yourself to tea, coffee and biscuits before a prompt start at 7pm.
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 Previous Heritage Open Day. Located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Great Linford Manor Park was the home of successive Lords of the Manor since medieval times and was recently restored by The Parks Trust. Visitors can now stroll around the Georgian gardens, admiring features such as the cascading ponds, Wilderness and HaHa. This year’s 2025 Heritage Open Day offers an afternoon of fun walks, talks and activities within the grounds of this stunning park. For the 2025 Heritage Open Day, held from 12pm to 5pm, on Saturday, September 20th, you can rub shoulders with the Lord and Lady of the Manor, the Astrological Doctor and the School Master, as well as other costumed characters. Walks will be conducted around the park grounds by knowledgeable guides who will explain the fascinating history of the area. Talks on a variety of subjects will also be held in St. Andrew’s Church and a marquee within the park grounds. There will be live music throughout the afternoon, and a variety of food and craft stalls to browse. Here are just some of the highlights of the day. Venue: St. Andrew’s Church12th-century St. Andrew's Church is the perfect setting for visitors to learn about the history of Great Linford, and tea, coffee and cakes will be served all afternoon. So, pull up a pew and enjoy the following talks and activities. 1 - 2 pm. Talk: Discovering the Newport Pagnell Canal Roger Butler tells the story of this lost Buckinghamshire canal and explores its remains. 3.15 - 4.15 pm. Talk: A brief history of Great Linford John Gosling delves into the history of Great Linford, its notable residents and events. Includes many historic images. 12.00 - 4.30 pm: Down Memory Lane with Electra Boat Canal history display from Electra Boat, and a drop-in session from 2.30 pm, at which you are invited to share your canal memories. Guided history walksJoin the knowledgeable guides from The Friends of Great Linford Manor Park for informative walks around the park. Walks depart at 12.30 pm, 2 pm and 3.30 pm, and last one hour. Meet at the Parklands car park, by the twin Pavilions. Venue: The AlmshousesMeet the lacemakers Lacemaking was an important cottage industry in the village. Meet the lacemakers and learn about this fascinating craft. Willow weaving workshop Deb Jones provides a workshop on this ancient craft. The Friends of Great Linford Manor Park Children can try their hand at writing with a traditional quill and ink in front of the old village school, or do some colouring with one of our Georgian character sheets. You can also view copies of historic photographs and documents from the village and learn about what the Friends do to maintain, protect and promote the park. Venue: Talks Tent12.15 - 12.45 pm: MK Canals, from Fenny to Wolverton
David Wolfson, Chair of MK Canals, presents a talk on canals in Milton Keynes. 2.15 - 2.45 pm: The HaHa excavations at Great Linford Doug Stuckey of Bucks Archaeological Society delivers a talk on the recently completed HaHa excavations. 4.15 - 5 pm: The Myths and Legends of the Skies Talk by Bucks Astronomy on the constellations and what they represent. There's lots more to see and do. Full details can be found on the Parks Trust 2025 Heritage Open Day page. With the sun shining brightly, and in collaboration with their always supportive partners in the local community, the Friends of Great Linford Manor Park joined in a highly successful Heritage Open Day on September 14th, 2024. Here are some highlights of the activities offered on the day. History Walks around Great Linford Manor ParkThe history walks organised by the Friends proved particularly popular with visitors to the park, with at least 60 persons attending across the three sessions on offer.  A history walk setting off into the grounds of Great Linford Manor Park. As a special feature of the Heritage Open Day this year, walk participants were treated to a visit from Francis Uthwatt, the lady of the manor in the mid to late 18th century. As can be seen from the next picture, Francis (played here by costume maker extraordinaire Julie Ireland) was not the only person in the park in a wonderful costume.  It was delightful to capture this portrait of Lady Uthwatt meeting two special visitors to the park, who came dressed in traditional Chinese attire. Lace-making heritage at Great LinfordAlso in costume were Wendy and Ros, who were on hand in St. Andrew’s Church to demonstrate the art of lace-making, once an important cottage industry in the village. Wendy also brought along her extensive research into the hundreds of women and girls who had once plied the trade in the village.  Lacemaker Wendy awaits visitors in St. Andrew’s church, the tools of her trade laid out before her. Milton Keynes Arts Centre activities Milton Keynes Arts Centre was kept busy hosting a variety of fun activities for all ages, most notably offering visitors the opportunity to experience what it was like to have their photograph taken in the Victorian era. This was linked to the presence in the village in the late 1800s of a commercial photographer named Henry Bartholomew.  A couple have their photograph taken with a Victorian box camera in the Arts Centre garden. Photo credit: Milton Keynes Arts Centre.  An exhibition of original photographs taken by Henry Bartholomew was on display in the Arts Centre. Additionally, the Arts Centre hosted several craft sessions, one to make a thaumatrope, and another to create instruments such as drums and mini banjos from everyday household objects. Participants in the latter activity were then invited to compose a piece of music inspired by the history of Great Linford Manor Park. Great Linford village history talk at St. Andrew'sA new addition to the Heritage Open Day offering this year was a well-attended talk held in the historic venue of St. Andrew’s Church. Well-fortified with tea and cake supplied by the church canteen, some 70 persons listened to an hour-long illustrated talk, covering not just the manor park, but also the history of the village High Street.  The well-attended illustrated talk on the history of Great Linford, presented by John Gosling. Picture credit: Sue Maccabe. Looking ahead to 2025 Heritage Open Day eventsEvents this year were very well received by members of the public, and an equally successful Heritage Open Day is eagerly anticipated for 2025. To keep up to date with local history activities in the park, which is located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, please join the Friends of Great Linford Manor Park Facebook group.
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