Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes (pronounced{{fn|1}} {{IPA|}}) is a purpose-built, high technology city in the south east of England approximately 50 miles (80km) north of London and mid-way between Oxford and Cambridge. Although legally still a town (since city status in the United Kingdom is only possible through grant of Royal Charter), it was designed to be, and behaves as, a full city. Its administration is through the Borough of Milton Keynes, a unitary authority, of which it is the dominant part. (The Borough contains other towns in addition to Milton Keynes itself.)

Culture

Milton Keynes has a 750 seat theatre/concert hall, whose high booking rate allows it to lay claim to the title "Britain's most popular theatre". (The theatre has a unusual feature: the third tier (gallery) can be lifted up into the ceiling to create a more intimate space for smaller scale productions.)

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Apart from the building itself (exterior surface by Michael Craig-Martin), the city art gallery (next to the main theatre) does not have a permanent collection. This allows it to host edgy shows to critical acclaim.

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In Wavendon, on the south-east edge of the city, The Stables provides a venue for jazz (especially), blues, folk, rock, classical, pop and world music and is closely associated with jazz artists Cleo Laine and John Dankworth. The venue also hosts an annual summer camp for musical kids.

Related Topics:
Wavendon - Cleo Laine - John Dankworth - Summer camp

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Near Loughton and Furzton, the open air National Bowl is a venue for large scale rock (and classical) concerts. Famous names to have played there include Queen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, Oasis, and Greenday. Queen have released a DVD of their 1982 appearance at the Bowl entitled 'On Fire: Live at the Bowl'.

Related Topics:
National Bowl - Queen - David Bowie - Michael Jackson - Metallica - Bon Jovi - Robbie Williams - Oasis - Greenday

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Another music venue, very popular with teenagers, is The Pitz in Woughton Centre. It usually features a mixture of punk, alternative rock, and heavy metal.

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There are two museums, the Bletchley Park museum of wartime cryptography and the Milton Keynes Museum (including the "Stacey Hill Collection" of rural life that existed before the foundation of the new city).

Related Topics:
Museum - Bletchley Park

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