Bletchley is the largest of the older towns incorporated in the new town of Milton Keynes. It lies in the south-west corner closest to London. West Bletchley is used to describe that area of Bletchley to the west of the main railway line. It includes the original village of Bletchley. It has just attained parish status. Previousy there was a Neighbourhood Council which served the same purpose but was not a statutary body. Now it has, the parish electorate of 16,142 will be the largest in Milton Keynes. Its population of 21,639 also makes it the most concentrated residential area in Milton Keynes.

 Although Romano-British remains have been excavated, Bletchley is basically Saxon in origin, the name meaning Blecca's meadow (or ley implying a forest clearing). Although in medieval times it was part of the manor of Water Eaton, its church established it as the ecclesiastical centre just as Fenny Stratford on Watling Street between Water Eaton and Simpson became the commercial centre. Far Bletchley became separate because it was held by a different landlord from what is now Old Bletchley. Fenny Stratford parish was established later and then split by the railway. The western half of Fenny known as Denbigh is also in West Bletchley. Thus Bletchley consisted of the three parishes of Bletchley, Water Eaton and Fenny Stratford. The latter included what is now Central Bletchley. West Bletchley consists of Old Bletchley, Far Bletchley and Denbigh. For more history Click Here.

Dating from the Roman Watling Street, Bletchley has long had a role as a transport nexus from the era of the stage coach, the Grand Union Canal and Stephenson's railway which for some time terminated at Denbigh. It is partly the transport factor that led to the code breaking centre at Bletchley Park (on the London mainline halfway between Oxford and Cambridge) during the Second World War. It is claimed that Bletchley Park not only shortened the Second World War but was arguably the birthplace of the modern computer.

West Bletchley lies within the unitary authority of Milton Keynes and the south-west Milton Keynes constituency. It is currently divided into two wards for Milton Keynes Council elections. Click Here for political representation.

Although overshadowed for some time by Milton Keynes, there are now plans for regeneration focused on an innovation centre in Bletchley Park. There is also an SRB regeneration project for Fenny Stratford and Water Eaton (Bletchley to the east of the railway line). Although mainly residential, West Bletchley has some commercial development including the station and offices for Cable & Wireless and Ericson and an Abbey National Computer Centre. Compared with Milton Keynes as a whole, the proportion of skilled manual workers is higher but with lower proportions of unskilled and partly skilled on the one hand and professional and managerial on the other. Generally  unemployment rates among West Bletchley residents have been lower (i.e. better) than the surrounding area. However, since the south-west segment of Milton Keynes has been the least successful in attracting employment, this has involved some degree of commuting both within the new town and further afield (e.g. London). This option is only available to the more skilled. Click Here for economic strategy.
 

West Bletchley also has some of the lowest property prices within one hour commuting distance of central London. The current proportion of owner occupation of 71% is average for Milton Keynes. Developed throughout the post-war period and earlier, West Bletchley is more typical of the traditional suburb in having a larger proportion of semi-detatched houses and fewer terraced or detached houses than the borough as a whole. In some areas, houses of each type tend to be larger than those in the new town. Old Bletchley in particular has varied housing but unusually for Milton Keynes (and most modern urban areas), large gardens in proportion to the houses, being over one acre in some cases. Old Bletchley is in the area closest to the railway station, Bletchley Park and Milton Keynes College's Bletchley Campus.

The average age is greater than that for Milton Keynes as a whole, the profile being closer to that for the country as a whole. However, the proportion of pensioners and those at school age is similar to that for the borough. The concentration is in the late forties and fifty plus to sixty age groups, approaching rather than at retirement. In the older parts of Bletchley, particularly, residents tend to move less often than those in the surrounding area. When members of a family move it is often within the immediate neighbourhood. It is yet to be seen how long this stability will be preserved for further generations against the need to commute to work and the facilities available in the new town.

There are two shopping areas with community facilities along Whaddon Way and various individual shops serving the different areas. There are two G.P. surgeries one dentist, one comprehensive school, a number of Primary & Middle or Combined schools and one private preparatory school. Click Here for more information. There are Cof E, Methodist, Baptist and Catholic Churches. The police and fire stations are close to the Railway Station. There are tennis courts and bowling greens in Rickley Park, a golf course at Windmill Hill with various amateur football pitches including those adjoining Tattenhoe Lane, Sherwood Drive and Church Green Road.
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