Yesterday was MKFM's 5th birthday on 106.3FM, so we thought we'd continue the celebrations by looking at some random facts about the budding city that we call home.
The Borough of Milton Keynes has plenty of rich history, with Newport Pagnell being home to the world-famous Aston Martin cars and Olney the home of poet John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace.
These are pretty well-known facts about the city, but Milton Keynes is full of even more surprises. Whether you're an MK native or new to the area, why not brush up on your knowledge and find out five things you probably didn't know...
Snoop Dogg wanted food from a local Indian restaurant to be delivered by helicopter
And yes, we mean the Snoop Doggy Dogg. In the early 2000s, the American rapper was at a London club when he fancied a curry. Instead of ordering from the closest takeaway, Snoop Dogg requested a helicopter (yes - a helicopter) to be sent to the Four Pillars in Olney.
Naz Uddin, co-owner of the Four Pillars, said that Snoop heard of the restaurant when former I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here contestant Fran Cosgrove recommended it.
Snoop and his pals ended up ordering over £3,000 worth of food for twenty people.
In the end, for reasons undisclosed, the helicopter never took off the ground and a limousine ended up transporting the food 56 miles to London.
Surely that is a good enough reason to get a takeaway tonight? If it's good enough for Snoop Doggy Dog, then go on!
Milton Keynes is home to the first UK McDonald's outside of London
McDonald's opened in the centre:mk in 1979, being the very first to open in the UK outside of the capital. It opened at the same time as the shopping centre when Margaret Thatcher officially opened the doors to centre:mk.
Since then, millions of burgers have been flipped and plenty of Big Mac's sold to people from far and wide. Who would've thought that fast forward 40 years, we would have eight McDonald's restaurants in Milton Keynes alone!
The Roman Villa at Bancroft was discovered by a dog walker
Dog walkers seem to discover everything, don't they? It was discovered by Ray Bellchambers, a member of the Milton Keynes Development Corporation Board, in the early 1970's. He was out walking his dog after an exceptionally heavy rainstorm.
The villa was excavated throughout the following 15 years and is now one of the most extensively excavated Roman villas in Britain. The archaeological dig revealed an underfloor heating system with a limestone open hearth, a bath suite, colonnaded verandas and porch, an ornamental walled garden with fish pond and a summer house.
A mosaic floor excavated from the Villa, was mounted on a wall overlooking Queens’ Court in Central Milton Keynes in September 1977.
You can discover the Roman Villa by visiting Bancroft in North Loughton Valley Park. Let us know what you think!
Infamous highwayman Dick Turpin is said to have visited Ye Olde Swan at Woughton-On-The-Green
It is reported that infamous highwayman Dick Turpin stayed at the pub and left a large stone - called Turpin's Stone - outside the front of the building. This stone is said to have been used by him to quickly mount his horse when he had to rush to flee.
This is now reported as one of the most haunted places in Milton Keynes, and as the tale goes the stone itself is 'cursed' and if it is moved then bad things will happen to the person who moved it.
The legend says that this theory was tested by a 'skeptical customer' who was later involved in a car accident.
Other paranormal activity at the pub includes reports of bread flying from kitchen shelves, a jug landing the right way up in front of customers and staked chairs found to be replaced on the floor.
Aside from this, it has been reported that the pub has an old tunnel underneath it which leads from the cellar to St Mary’s Church. It is believed that the tunnel was used by monks escaping from King Henry VIII’s reformation.
The first public infinity pool opened in Milton Keynes
When you think of infinity pools, do you picture sunshine? Maybe a rooftop pool in Dubai? Spain? Vegas? Well, it has been reported that the first public infinity pool actually opened in our city.
It is said to have been designed by architect Stuart Mosscrop and was in Queen's Court in the centre:mk. The granite edge bath allegedly attracted controversy for its expensive design and was closed in 2010, soon after completion.
Would you like to share a fun fact about Milton Keynes with us? Email news@mkfm.com for a chance to be featured in a future article.
