Woburn (/ˈwoʊbərn/, meaning twisted or crooked stream)[1] is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Milton Keynes and 3 miles (5 km) south of junction 13 of the M1 motorway.

The abbey was founded by Cistercian monks in 1145 and granted to the first Earl of Bedford in 1538 after the dissolution of the monasteries.

The town may have been called "Woburne Chapell" in Medieval times, in order to distinguish it from the abbey.

A medieval chimney fire spread owing to the prevalence of thatched roofs and closely built houses.

It was equipped with a crypt beneath, which was originally intended as the burial place of the Dukes of Bedford and their family.

[9] Despite burning down three times in its history, the first permanent fire station was only recorded in 1823, situated in front of the Tudor School.