Willen Leisure

Sport for the workers

Newport Pagnell Football Club team of 1902-03. The rules for many of the big team sports were agreed in the late 19th century. Newport Pagnell had some very enthusiastic supporters that sometimes got into fights with the opposition. It is said that on one occasion the team wagon was pushed into the river.
These schoolboys from around 1910 are enjoying swimming at the Willen Rd. bathing place in Newport Pagnell. A safe area was dug out of the main river channel and opened on 21st June, 1887. Many of the boys shown in the school and choir photos from Willen at the time would have come here to swim.
Photographs from the Mike Pratt collection.