Willen Road Bathing Place

The text on the plaque reads - In this stretch of the river Lovat thousands of Newport Pagnell school children learned to swim, over a period of 60 years. They were encouraged by Mr Orson Bull and successive headmasters of the Bury Street schools. They received a certificate and a silver threepenny piece on swimming across the river. Many progressed to the Newport Pagnell swimming club which won trophies in competition with London and Provincial clubs in the early 1900s. One of the members of the 1901 championship team was Harry Middleton. Who, after making his fortune in Canada, gave shares and money to build a new open air swimming pool in Tickford Street in 1957.