[1] It grew during the Middle Ages to become an important local centre, but declined during the Black Death when, amongst others, its prior William of Loughton died.

Many of the medieval trackways converging on the abbey became rights of way and bridleways and subsequently became part of the Milton Keynes redway system (a network of shared paths).

[5] Today, Bradwell Abbey is home to the Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre (an urban studies centre),[6] providing a workspace, library and guidance for visiting international town planners and students who wish to study the development of Milton Keynes.

It also hosts school visits to see its medieval buildings – the chapel is Grade I listed[7] – its fish ponds and its physic garden, and how they have changed since then.

Formally, it is in the Bradwell grid-square, but this square is split into three parts by the railway line (on an embankment) and the A5 (in a cutting).