South End |
Milton Bryan, Bedfordshire |
Brief Outline: The village of Milton Bryan is as nice a village as you are likely to find in the surrounding area. It has everything you would expect, a pub, cricket club and some dreamy thatched cottages. But it isn't the collection of overwhelmingly large houses that draw people to Milton Bryan. Its the fact that part of the settlement is officially ranked by the ASDA Board as a bonafide South End. Part settlements are a notorious breed. Many claim to hold the title but few can stand up with evidence to prove it. In a way this only adds to the joy in discovering some signs proudly directing you to the South End as you enter Milton Bryan. True there are no signs telling you exactly where the South End begins but then Milton Bryan is strangely lacking in signs itself. However things really get interesting when you go down the road which is officially called South End (although unusually for a road it doesn't have a sign). A picturesque pond sits in this cul-de-sac with many a species of duck gracing its surface. With a bench overlooking the pond you will wish you could spend your whole summer in South End. But never fear, you can do just that. Further down the road is a B&B called Town Farm. Some canny entrepreneur has spotted that this is the perfect location from which to visit all the nearby Southends. Its rumoured that the Town in the name references the glorious town of Southend-on-Sea. Historically known as Middleton, the Bryan element was taken from the family name of the manor house occupants to distinguish the village from other similarly named settlements nearby (such as Milton Keynes). However this was surely unnecessary. With it's high MRKIPLING Percentage, South End makes Milton Bryan stand out even in this relatively South End abundant area. |
||||||
Map: |
||||||
Photos: |
||||||
Things To Do:
|