In 1860 the Radcliffe Trust finally backed off from their hard-line position of no further expansion in Wolverton. The railway industry was growing rapidly and the original 22 acres was insufficient to contain the workshops and housing and amenities. In 1854, the Railway Board had to resort to the creation of New Bradwell because they could gent additional land released by the Radcliffe Trust.
This plan here shows the beginnings of the westwards expansion. The area in green north of the Stratford Road opened up another field for works expansion, backing onto Bury Street. bury Street and Gas Street were still used for residential purposes at this time, although the other residential streets on the north side had already been torn down in the 1850s.
The green area south of the Stratford Road shows the land occupied by the new housing development that started in 1860, that is the Stratford Road and Church Street as far west as the Cambridge Street back alley. This remained the western edge of Wolvertonuntil the 1890s.
The plan was drawn up because the LNWR wished to further expand their workshops. This area is marked in red. Notice how the land skirts some farm buildings and possibly some cottages. These are probably the remnants of an 18th century farm. Indeed earlier maps show a track going over a canal bridge to the Old Wolverton Road. That became redundant after the Stratford Road was built in 1844 so the bridge was probably taken down.