Places to visit, things to do

Olney is most famous for holding the annual Pancake race on Shrove Tuesday.  No one’s quite sure when or how the race started  -  it’s thought to date back to 1445. After a lapse during the 2nd World War it was revived in 1948 by the Vicar of Olney. When he called for volunteers, 13 runners appeared on Shrove Tuesday. Since then, Olney is visited every Shrove Tuesday by an ever increasing number of people from all over the world.

Olney also has historical connections with the poet William Cowper and the hymn writer John Newton who devoted his later life to the anti slavery movement. Both lived in Olney between 1768 and 1786 — John Newton became curate in 1764. Together they wrote the "Olney Hymns"  - Amazing Grace being the most famous. The Olney Hymns are commemorated in the Cowper Newton museum over in the Market Place.

Olney was once a centre of lace making. Flemish Protestants brought lace making to England during the 1560s. Many of the immigrants were lace makers, who moved out of the overcrowded ports and began to settle into areas now regarded as the historic centres for the craft of lace making – this included Olney, Newport Pagnell and Buckingham. There are a number of interesting places to visit around the town which are connected to lace making.

One of Olney's features is its High Street  -  one of the widest in England. Unlike many market towns, Olney has a variety of independent shops. At the moment, there are no large retail outlets dominating the town.

Finally, one of Olney's most popular events is ‘Dickens of a Christmas.' The whole town takes part in a Victorian themed day with live entertainment and other festive events. This usually takes place on the first Sunday in December.For further details look at the visitolney.com web site