The striking Milton Keynes Peace Pagoda sits at the western edge of Willen Lake.
It was built in 1980 by monks and nuns from the Nipponzan Myohoji, a small Japanese Buddhist order. A group from the community live in the nearby monastery.
The members are dedicated to chanting and and drumming for world peace and social justice, especially in relation to nuclear disarmament
The MK pagoda made history as the first of its kind to be built in the Western hemisphere. It actually enshrines highly scared relics of Lord Buddha presented from other countries and tells the story of his life.
Read more about the Peace Pagoda here.
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In April 2012 there was a tragedy at the Peace Pagoda. Much respected monk the Reverend Seiji Handa was killed when he was run over by his lawnmower while mowing the lawns around the temple. An inquest heard he fell beneath the blades of the tractor mower and died instantly.
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Every year there is a floating lantern ceremony at the Peace Pagoda to commemorate the devastating event at Hiroshima in 1945.
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Near the Peace Pagoda is apiece of landscape architecture called the Willen Labyrinth. The turf maze based on an enlarged version of the Saffron Walden Rosicrucian Maze. At its centre is an oak tree and in each of the four lobes is a bronze face designed by sculptor Tim Minett. The maze unifies the faces in peace and places them in the context of dominant nature, symbolised by the oak tree. Photo: The Parks Trust
