Olney History – The Society was founded in 1997 by a group of like-minded people determined to keep Olney history alive for all generations of people in the town and those who have since moved away from Olney.

OLNEY IN THE POST WW2 PERIOD 1945 – 1960 (Revised Aug 2022)

What was Olney like immediately after WW2? 

 This subject is featured as a major article accessed via the following links to its two parts:

ELEMENTS OF OLNEY LIFE

OLNEY’S LEISURE PURSUITS

An annex to Part 1 is added to indicate some of the significant national influences on Olney life in that period.

The ODHS is acutely aware that the more recent periods of Olney’s history since the end of WW2 have yet to be written. The completion of this task is becoming increasingly urgent as the town’s culture has been dramatically transformed during this period, particularly by the proximity of the city of Milton Keynes and the M1 motorway. Moreover Olney’s current population who have experienced this cultural change are in the best position to record it for posterity! Anyone interested in making a contribution?

THE OLNEY FLORAL FIESTA 1965 – 2006

Olney’s Fiesta Floral Fiesta was conceived in 1965 and the first procession took place in the same year. It soon developed into a popular annual event and proudly celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1989. The last Floral Fiesta was held in 2006. Be sure to check out the extensive gallery of photos.

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A SELECTION OF OLNEY POSTCARDS

The selection  is drawn from a private collection of post cards. The postcards were collected over many years, the majority of which, have survived the rigours of Royal Mail.  The dates superimposed on each image are those on the post mark, and not necessarily the dates when the cards were originally printed.

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THE RECENT  (APRIL 2021) OLNEY MARKET PLACE (AUDIO) HERITAGE  TRAIL 

No. 32 Market Place – c. Spring 1889

This trail features:
a light introduction to the history of Olney Market Place for the period from 1800 to the present,
a superior set of voiceovers addressing the Market Place and a selection of the surrounding buildings and their residents,
a presentation optimised for smartphones which works well for tablets and laptops,
image collections that can be viewed enlarged whilst listening to the audio presentations,
minimal walking and may be suitable for people with limited mobility (it can even be viewed in your home of course).
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This Olney Market Place trail should be considered as complementary to the Olney High Street trail launched in September 2020 as it possesses similar features. (See immediately below.)

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OLNEY HIGH STREET (AUDIO) HERITAGE TRAIL 

Olney High Street – Heritage Trail (Smartphone/Audio Version)

This (September 2020) Olney Heritage trail has all the attributes of the new Olney Market Place (audio) Heritage trail. (See immediately above.) It also has a superior set of audio voiceovers.

After presenting a light history of Olney’s notoriously wide High Street stretching from the Market Place in the south to the Knoll at its north end, the trail continues by addressing a selection of the surrounding buildings and their residents.

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OTHER SIGNIFICANT LATEST ADDITIONS 

Chronolological History of Olney

Click this link for a ‘potted’ or summary of Olney’s history followed by a more detailed chronological history of Olney in six sections. 

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Are you aware of the ‘Coat of Arms’, ‘Badge’ or ‘Crest’ of the town of Olney? 

Check out their status using this link.