In the early 1950's, Bletchley was a quiet place to live, with a slower pace of life than it has nowadays. Very few people owned a car and public transport was minimal - most people got around town on foot or by bicycle.
Mrs. Eileen Attwell, who moved to Bletchley from London remembers those days.
There was a popular cycle shop on the then Bletchley Road, called Baldreys , which must have had a healthy business at that time.
Although there were some buses running, they did not travel any great distance. There were two routes: Fenny Stratford - Bletchley - Old Bletchley - Newton Longville and Fenny Stratford - Water Eaton - Bletchley - Old Bletchley. Residents of Fenny Stratford, however, could get as far afield as Woburn or Stony Stratford!
One of Bletchley's ubiquitous bicycles!
Bletchley Buses passing under a newly built viaduct in the early 1960's.
Many Londoners who moved to Bletchley during the 'overspill' years wanted to return to London regularly to visit their friends and family. Trains were fairly expensive, but Mr. and Mrs Attwell would catch the workman's train at the crack of dawn as that was much cheaper. Beryl and Sean Wiseman who moved to the Lakes Estate in 1971 recall doing the same thing some 20 years later.
People fortunate enough to own cars in the 1950's had to dispay a parking light if they were parked on the street at night. This was a legal requirement that persisted for some years and those who failed to show a light were fined.
During the 1960's, road traffic gradually increased as private car ownership became more common. In 1967, Bletchley appointed its first six traffic wardens. Road layouts changed over the years, particularly around Central Bletchley. The ring road that was proposed in 1967 came into being as the Brunel Shopping arcade was built in the 1970's. Bletchley residents continue to use this road, although in greater numbers, today.
Buckingham Road - approaching the then Shoulder of Mutton (now the Three Trees) on the left. Traffic-free in the 1950's.
