Old Stratford


Old Stratford is a village in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The population of the village at the 2011 Census was 1,935. The 'Stratford' part of the village name is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means 'ford on a Roman road'. The Roman road in this sense is the Watling Street that runs through the middle of the village.

Location

The village lies immediately north of where the Watling Street crossed the River Great Ouse; just south of this crossing point is the town of Stony Stratford in Milton Keynes.. The Ouse forms the boundary of the civil parish with that of Stony Stratford and also that between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. Originally located on the junction of the A5, the A422 and the A508, these roads now bypass the village on its northern edge.

History

The Buckingham Arm of the Grand Union Canal passed through the village but has been disused since 1964. There remains a "Wharf Lane" and signs of the path of the old canal through the village towards Buckingham.

Facilities

The village has a few local facilities, and relies on Stony Stratford and Milton Keynes for a broader range of shops as well as for its medical, financial and other professional needs.
There is a primary school part of Northamptonshire County Council local education authority. The nearest secondary school is in Deanshanger.

Administration

The village has a parish council, which also administers the nearby village of Passenham.
The village is administered by South Northamptonshire District Council, based in Towcester and also Northamptonshire County Council.

The "Stony Stratford" Hoard

The Stony Stratford Hoard was actually found in the parish of Old Stratford, across the River Ouse from Stony Stratford. It is not known where it originally came from or how it got there.