The London & Birmingham Railway Company founded Wolverton in 1838. The company needed a stopping point midway between the two cities which could be used for locomotive fuelling and repair. The passengers were equally in need of a respite at that stage in the journey. Initially the area was referred to as "Wolverton Station" and was described as The London & Birmingham's "grand central station and locomotive depot". The busy refreshment rooms became famous.
The location of the Grand Union Canal was another advantage for free movement of goods. However, there were early tensions between The Canal and Railway Companies that on one occasion had to be settled in court.
Wolverton was the first purpose built Railway town on a green-field site, where everything had to be built from scratch. It was the "Milton Keynes" of the time where workers moved there from other areas. Their new homes and employment were provided by The Railway Company. The Company provided education and leisure facilities and laid out the Town on a classic grid system. Conditions were considered good and allotments were an essential part of The Town. The early locomotive repair depot also continued to expand until Wolverton Works filled a large area. It became The Southern Headquarters of the LNWR Railway and the famous Victorian engineer McConnell designed "The Bloomer" locomotive there.
For many years Wolverton Works was famous for building railway carriages and always showed a high level of craftsmanship. It now concentrates on carriage repair but has been a continuous Railway Works since 1838. People are still intrigued as to what is behind the large Victorian wall!
Wolverton is a compact Town of redbrick terrace houses with wide service alleyways behind the back gardens. There are many buildings and structures built by The Railway Company that are well worth viewing. The Town has a pleasant informative museum based in a listed Victorian farmhouse. The Museum has many interesting special events throughout the year and is continually growing and evolving. Wolverton is home to The Living Archive Project, who are based at The Old Bath House. They combine social and oral history with art and drama projects and have an interesting range of publications. Wolverton Lantern Festival is a popular Christmas Community event. It includes a street procession with home made withy (willow) and tissue candle-lit lanterns in a variety of shapes. This is followed by carol singing with Wolverton Town Band in the Square.
