Willen - Milton Keynes
Posted by: 
Norfolk12
N 52° 03.666 W 000° 43.206
30U E 656293 N 5770286
Willen was a small sleepy village now engulfed by the New Town of Milton Keynes.
Waymark Code: WM4K4F
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/02/2008
Views: 47
Willen is a district of Milton Keynes, England and is also one of the ancient villages of Buckinghamshire to have been included in the designated area of the New City in the 1960s. The original village is now a small but important part of the larger district that contains it and to which it gives its name.
The church at the far end of the lake was designed by Robert Hooke
The Peace Pagoda (Stupa)
The tiny parish church (1680) at Willen contains the only unaltered building by the architect and physicist Robert Hooke still in existence, and is a classic of the early English Baroque period.
Further around the lake, there is a Buddhist Temple/monastery and a large stupa, a Peace Pagoda built in 1980 by the Monks and Nuns of the Nipponzan-Myohoji. It was the first to be built in the western hemisphere. There is a grass labyrinth nearby.
Willen Lake
Main article: Balancing lake at Willen Lake, There is a large balancing lake to capture flash floods before they cause problems down stream. The north basin is a wild-life sanctuary and a favourite of migrating aquatic birds. The south basin is for leisure use, favoured by wind surfers and dinghy sailors. The circuit of the lakes is a favoured "fun run".
Overlooking the lake, Willen Hospice provides specialist care for people whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment (also known as specialist palliative care).
History
The village was recorded in manorial records of 1189 as Wily. The name Willen is probably from Anglo-Saxon or Old English meaning (at the) 'willows': the River Ouzel meanders through land ideal for willows.
The parish church was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. It is reputed to be the point where several major ley lines converge . The district is also home to Willen Cricket Club formed in the mid 1990s and Willen Juniors FC who both play at Willen Fields on Portland Drive.
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