We Love MK

How many of these local facts did you know?  Try and slip them into the conversation next time you're having a beer in All Bar One!

 

• ?The phrase Cock and Bull Story originates from the two pubs of those names in Stony Stratford. The "cock horse" in the rhyme "ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross" derives from horses hired from the Cock Inn.
• The world's first operational computer was developed at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes.
• The UK's first multi-plex cinema opened at The Point in 1985 - it's now the Odeon.
• The UK's first motorway service station was at Newport Pagnell in Milton Keynes Borough.
• The first drive-through fast food outlet opened in the UK was in Milton Keynes
• Midsummer Boulevard in Central Milton Keynes is so called because the sun rises and sets at each end on Midsummer Day.
• Key sequences of Superman IV were filmed in Milton Keynes.
• thecentre:mk was the first covered shopping mall in the UK.
• Olney, in the borough of Milton Keynes, is believed to be the place where the origins of the pancake racing tradition on Shrove Tuesday can be found.
• Milton Keynes has one of the largest collections of contemporary sculpture in the country including works by Elisabeth Frink DBE, Wendy Taylor CBE, John Clinch,Philomena Davis, Andre Wallace, Philip Jackson, Stephen Gregory and Ronald Rae.
• The Wren-style 'Church of Christ the Cornerstone' in Central Milton Keynes is Britain's first purpose-built ecumenical city church.

 

UPDATE!

Thanks to our listener Gareth Lewis who has emailed us some additions for this list...

Originally there were supposed to be two sunrises on Midsummer's Day on Midsummer Boulevard; one in the East over Campbell Park, and a second reflected precisely on the centre of the mirrored glass of Milton Keynes Central rail station, so that it rises in the doors of the main entrance. It hasn't happened since Midsummer Place shopping centre was built and cut out the light, but did it ever happen? Any photos would be awesome.

Also, the station was supposed to be the UN HQ in Superman 4, and The Point staged the UK premiere, the only UK premiere not to take place in Leicester Square, still I think.

Being the first multiplex was a big deal. Some say it saved the UK film industry.

I also believe MK has a larger geographical area than Birmingham, so is only London bigger?