Willen
From Freepedia
Willen is an area of the city of Milton Keynes, England. It is located to the north of the city and is one of the ancient villages of Buckinghamshire to have been included in the designated area of the New City in the 1960s.
There is a fine church by Robert Hooke. Nearby, there is a Buddhist Temple and a large stupa (known locally as the Peace Pagoda), built in 1980 by the Monks and Nuns of the Nipponzan-Myōhōji and was the first to be built in the western hemisphere.
There is a large balancing lake to capture flash floods before they cause problems down stream. The north basin is a wild-life sanctuary and a favourite of migrating acquatic birds. The south basin is for leisure use, favoured by wind surfers and dinghy sailors. The circuit of the lakes is a favoured "fun run".
Overlooking the lake, Willen Hospice provides specialist care for people whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment (also known as specialist palliative care).
History
The village was recorded in manorial records of 1189 as Wily. The name Willen is probably from Anglo-saxon or old English meaning (at the) 'willows': the River Ouzel meanders through land ideal for willows.
The tiny Parish Church (1680) at Willen contains the only unaltered building by the architect and physicist Robert Hooke still in existence, and is a classic of the early English Baroque period. It was dedicated to St Mary Magdalen. It is reputed to be the point where several major ley lines converge.
