On the January 23 1967, a Designation Order from the government decreed that the new town of Milton Keynes should be built on over 20,000 acres of land in North Bucks.
The new town was to encompass the existing towns of Bletchley, Stony Stratford and Wolverton, as well as other smaller villages. In fact, it was named after one of the smallest settlements - Milton Keynes Village.
A newly-formed Milton Keynes Development Corporation employed the most forward-thinking architects and planners to design our grid road system and housing laid out in grid squares.
These grid square would house their own semi-autonomous community and each community would have its own local centre and often a school.
Thousands of people from all ver the UK came to settle in the brand new houses on brand new estate to watch the new city being built around them.
Today, some of these estates are in need of major regeneration while others have mellowed and improved over time. Today, as part of our weekly nostalgia series, we take a look back at those exciting early days of MK.
1.
The first new area to be built was Lakes Estate, pictured looking smart in the 1970s. Building began in 1968 and lasted until 1975. The area was designed to house an 'overspill' of people from London and was built under a funding agreement between Bletchley Urban District Council and the Greater London Council (GLC). Parts of the estate such as Serpentine Court are now decrepit and are due to be demolished and replaced.Photo: Photo: Living Archive
2.
Netherfield, with its terraced flat-roofed houses, was one of the earliest completed rental housing grid squares in Milton Keynes. Built between 1972 and 1977, its1,043 houses formed the largest rental scheme in the city. The first houses were available in 1974 and by 1981 2,650 people had moved in, making it the fourth largest new housing community in Milton Keynes. Today the estate is badly in need of regeneration.Photo: Living Archive
3.
Stantonbury was stepped in history and got its name from the Old English term for 'fortified building by a farm on stony ground '. It once housed the manor of Stantone, which was recorded in the Domesday book. The estate was built with a large and ultra progressive secondary school, known at the time at Stantonbury Campus. The school later changed hands and today, after a major government and Ofsted concerns, is due to be taken over by private academy trust.Photo: Living Archive
4.
The estate of Fishermead started in 1973. The first schemes took the form of three storey terraces with flat roofs backing onto generous landscaped squares but, as development progressed, other designs were explored. Built right next to the city centre, the estate was at the heart of MK. Today it is another area in need of regeneration.Photo: Living Archive