About Olney - Olney HistoryFrom Roman times, through to Saxon times, mentions in the Domesday Book and The Battle of Olney in 1643... Olney really is an historic town. Lace making, along with shoemaking had its part to play in Olney's history in the 18th and 19th Century. Then, Olney was a poor community hit by outbreaks of cholera and smallpox. Olney now is famous for the pancake race established many hundreds of years ago, and for its connections to the slave trader turned abolitionist John Newton and the poet William Cowper. |
| People have lived in Olney from Roman times and it was mentioned in a Charter of 979 AD as Ollanege & the Doomesday Book as Olnei. The Battle of Olney was in 1643 and the town once suffered a great fire. See full details... | | |
| | Thousands attended 2009's “Dickens of a Christmas” to enjoy the entertainers, food, stalls and festive cheer.
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| | Celebrating two great men who lived in Olney: the leading 18th Century poet & letter writer William Cowper and his friend, John Newton who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace". Closes during the winter. See full details... | | |
| | You can still see traces of the history of lace making in Olney in some of the buildings dotted around the town... and there is still lace making in Olney. See full details... | | |
| | Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul is where slave trader turned abolitionist John Newton – author of the hymn Amazing Grace – served as curate. Stained glass windows commemorate his conversion during a storm at sea. See full details... | | |
| | | | What Olney's world famous for...the ORIGINAL pancake race. It has been running since 1445. There are many stories as to how it began... See full details... | | |
| | The Roll of Honour website is a fascinating tribute to the soldiers in Buckinghamshire who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. It recalls the people whose names are on the memorials. See full details... | | |
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