Stony Stratford
‘Jewel in the Crown’ of Milton Keynes
Located on the Roman Road Watling Street and the site of an ancient ford, for hundreds of years this historic market town has offered hospitality to the road weary traveller. Travellers today will find to their delight many fine hostelries, restaurants and places of interest, nestling in this place of good cheer.
The Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival – now known as ‘Classic Stony’, has grown in stature over the years and now attracts an incredibly varied display of vehicles from concourse to ‘well used’.
Run in partnership with Stony Stratford Business Association, as part of ‘Stony Live week’, this is an informal gathering of classic and vintage cars and motorcycles. The Market Square stage will host Live music throughout the day.
The event runs from 9:30am until 4.00pm. Spectators are free but the event is run in aid of Willen Hospice so there will be opportunities to donate to this incredibly worthy cause.
The event’s historic success has now drawn the good people of Stony, restaurateur, shopkeeper and publican alike to throw open their doors and join the revelry. So come and join us, wander the displays, take in the sights, have a picnic by the river and enjoy the day.
We look forward to seeing you there.
NEWS SNIPPET:
Classic Stony 2025 – Sunday June 1st –
STOP PRESS… Spitfire flypast confirmed!
Classic Stony will be held Sunday 1st June 2025 and – great news – this year we have managed to secure a flypast of a WW2 Spitfire courtesy of our very generous friends at the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The time of the flypast has to be confirmed and is of course subject to weather conditions on the day.
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Classic Stony 2024 – Sunday June 2nd –
STOP PRESS Lancaster bomber flypast just confirmed!
Plans are coming together for our ‘what will be’ our 15th meeting and were all beavering away in the background.
Firstly designing a new 2024 version of event logo, pulling in the team of our lovely volunteers together – Marshals etc – briefing the new people for all the tasks/jobs, talking to all the Stony Stratford retailers and residents, checking and updating the signage, creating new posters, emailers, designing and printing the collectors rally plaque (available if you book a space in the Market Square – terms and conditions do apply), creating the limited edition enamel badge (5 week production time), organising the market square ticketing, updating the website, organising road closures… I could go on.
One notable highlight is we have also managed to secure a Lancaster flypast again, a really lovely addition to the event – subject to weather conditions etc – anyway … it’s all coming together. Updates and news will be sent to our mailing list in due course – if you dont happen to be on the list already – you can join our mailing by completing the mini form at the bottom of this page. (you can unsubscribe at any time).
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Classic Stony 2023 Event Summary
A big ‘thank you’ to all those of you that supported us yet again, what a massive turnout, some incredible vehicles, brilliant weather, culminating in the superb Fly-Past by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro Lancaster bomber, absolutely amazing. Plus a new event record, all due to your superb generosity and support we raised a record £7,850.00 for our chosen charity – ‘Willen Hospice’. 
Partly, of course due to our fantastic event sponsors. Just as a side note, This years events (both Vintage and Classic Stony’s) managed to raise an amazing £14,250… as we said fantastic!
You should know plans are already underway for our new years day meeting ‘Vintage Stony’ 2024! click here for more information
Marshals Required
We’re calling out for volunteers, we are actively looking for individuals to help us with the marshalling on the day, (No Experience Required) without whom there would not be an event at all, so pretty important!
If you are interested, and can spare some time then please get in touch, initially via our email at [email protected], It really would be most appreciated.
Photo Gallery
Classic Stony and Vintage Stony over the years
To view pictures from previous Stony Stratford events please go to the following:
What the press say.
Visitor Information
Visitors to the event are requested to please use the public car parks. An Information leaflet can be obtained from the Information tent on the Market Square.
Google Maps provides greater detail of the area and a helpful route finder. Alternatively, you can set your sat-nav destination to the Market Square, Stony Stratford MK11 1BE (note: this is the Show Area, car parking is situated nearby so please use this location only as a guide). If you have Mobility issues, difficulty in parking, please let us in advance and we will do our best to accommodate etc
A warm welcome awaits you in all of Stony Stratford’s restaurants, coffee shops and watering holes.
Find Us
(click to enlarge)
Find Us (MK11 1BE) on Google Maps
DURING THE DAY
Vistors might be interested to know there is award presentation in the market Square at 2.30
This year they will be in the following categories:
- Cherished Choice Award
- Best Saloon
- Best Motorcycle
- Best of British
- Best Sports car
- Ladies Choice Award
- Best of Show
Displaying your Vehicle
The ‘general rule of thumb’ is that all display vehicles should be 25 years old or older i.e. 2000 or earlier.
‘Supercars’ and other interesting/unusual vehicles are also welcome.
If you are uncertain as to whether or not your vehicle is ‘eligible’, please contact us at [email protected] – we will be pleased to hear from you.
CHOICES
You basically have some choices
Drive up and display – on the day ‘ALL vehicles cars and motorcycles‘ – suggested minimum donation £5 on the day (vehicles must be registered before Jan 2000)
or
Book– reserve your ‘car‘ spot – suggested minimum donation £11.55 ic Eventbrite fees in advance. (vehicles must be registered before Jan 85).
PLEASE NOTE this is now non-refundable donation with proceeds going to Willen Hospice
see below
DRIVE UP AND DISPLAY
This is exactly that – arrive on the day.
Cars Park in either Cofferidge Close or the High Street.
‘Motorcycles’ – marshals should be hand to assist/direct (ALL vehicles should be 25 years old or older i.e. before Jan 2000) – Click on the maps below for ‘guide’.
• One of our volunteer marshals will be on hand to greet and direct you on arrival. They will
politely ask for your £5 donation (on behalf of Willen Hospice) and direct you to the available spaces.
Perhaps a good time to consider buying a Classic Stony Limited Edition enamel badge – only 100 made so ‘when they’re gone they’re gone’ – or a collector’s rally plaque, potentially available after midday, again very limited numbers.
SEE GUIDE BELOW
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- Motorcycles
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- Drive up and display – Cars
BOOKING NOW OPEN
- BOOKING FOR (Market Square)
(all funds go directly to Willen Hospice as before).
Individuals that have booked will be will be be able to download their ‘all important event pass’ - – Verified bookings will entitle you to a collectors 2025 Classic Stony rally plaque (Please collect this on the day, from the information tent on the Market Square, we would ask you to take your Classic Stony eventbrite pass as proof of entitlement).
- – Booking will be open to owners of cars or vehicles that require a car sized space (minimum donation £10 + Eventbrite management fee – actual total to pay £11.55, no refunds or transfers sorry ).
- – Limited spaces and all vehicles must be registered before January 1985. (these details to be finalised)
On the day – as per last year
Pre-booked (link to booking site- ‘eventbrite.co.uk’) vehicles are to head for the Market Square
There is NO REQUIREMENT for motorcycles to book a space just head for the Market Square; our volunteer marshals will be on hand to assist.
PLEASE NOTE To take advantage of your reservation we request you arrive at the Market Square between 9.30am and 10.30am, after this time we may have to release unused spaces to our drive up and display visitors. SEE GUIDE BELOW.
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- Pre-Booked cars
TRAILERS
If you are bringing a vehicle on a trailer, please get in touch ([email protected]) as an early arrival is strongly recommend (pre 9:30). We do have an off-site trailer park, although there are other car parks in the town.
CLUBS
If you represent an enthusiast group or car club, please get in touch so we can ‘try’ and allocate you spaces together ([email protected]).
SAFTY AND SECURITY
As with all open and public spaces, the public could well put in an appearance, they usually do at some point, Please be EXTRA VIGILANT when arriving parking and leaving – Spectators/visitors (including other drivers) can be easily distracted by the spectacle of it all. Just remember, were all only one step away from a accident
It also makes sense to keep an eye on your vehicle and possessions, as the team (all volunteers) cannot be held liable or responsible for any claim. Thank you for your co-operation and understanding.
We look forward to seeing you all there on the day!
MOBILITY ISSUES?
If you have mobility issues, difficulty in parking, please let us in advance and we will do our best to accommodate.
Awards
This year they will be in the following categories:
- Cherished Choice Award
- Best Saloon
- Best Motorcycle
- Best of British
- Best Sports car
- Ladies Choice Award
- Best of Show
The presentations will be at 2.30pm in the Market Square
Back in the day
Across the years, from June 2009’s inaugural summer ‘Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival’ (as it was known then) and January 2010’s inaugural sister event ‘Vintage Stony’ (held on New Year’s Day), the two festivals have attracted literally hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts to the town.
Both events are organised entirely by a local committee of enthusiasts who are willing to give up their time to ensure that the Festivals take place year on year and in so doing not only are able to bring great enjoyment to all those who attend, but also help to raise over £110,000 in sponsorship and charitable donations from businesses and the general public that is given to a local charity.
But how did this all start? How did Stony Stratford, a small Buckinghamshire town famous for its two pubs, the Cock and the Bull, from where the saying a ‘Cock and Bull Story’ originates from – referring to a rather far-fetched story with very dubious credibility – come to run not just one but two automotive extravaganzas!
As with all these things it started with a simple conversation, but this conversation wasn’t any Cock and Bull story. In this case it was early during 2009 at a local Stony Stratford Business Association meeting between Ray Cobley and Andrew Freestone, both members of the Association, both classic car enthusiasts and like the rest of the Association committee members looking for ways to bring more people to the local area.
The conversation quickly turned to the idea of a classic car meeting in the town as a way of creating a unique event that would help the historic town thrive again. So later that year after a lot of work by Ray, Andrew, and many others that the two persuaded to help them, the first Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival was held in the Market Square. And what a success it was! Attracting a very respectable 150 cars and hundreds of onlookers and enthusiasts the entirely free Festival was an instant hit, superbly blending in with the character of the town.
Meanwhile in the village of Adstock, in the middle of rural Buckinghamshire, members of the Vintage and Sports Car (VSCC) club were meeting every New Year’s Day to show off their pre-1945 cars. The only problem was their meeting was getting far too popular and the small village was being regularly overrun causing all sorts of traffic problems, so unfortunately it had to be brought to a close.
As a vintage car owner himself, Ray couldn’t bear to see the Adstock meeting stop (Ray owns a very nice pre-war Humber) so in what must have been a moment of desperation (or madness) he agreed to work with fellow VSCC member Andy Bush to start a similar event in Stony Stafford, knowing that the town would welcome the event in the same way as it had the Summer classic car event.
From 2010 therefore, amazingly Stony Stratford became host to two free annual automotive street festivals, one focused on classic cars held in early June and one primarily for vintage cars on New Year’s Day, although an early decision was made to accept motorcycles and where space allowed classic cars alongside the vintage cars. Furthermore from the outset everyone agreed that both events would be used to raise money for the local charity in nearby Milton Keynes, namely the Willen Hospice Trust.
Above: Vintage Stony 2013, always popular, visit our Flickr Gallery by clicking here: GALLERY
Behind both festivals a committee had been formed to work with Ray, Andrew and Andy to help with all of the organisation of the car (and now bike) enthusiasts plus the multitude of matters to do with traffic management, signage, trophies, liaison with the local businesses, etc. Tragically Andrew succumbed to illness in January 2014, but the Festival still remembers his significant contribution during the early years of its history through the annual award of the Andrew Freestone Memorial Trophy and indeed much of the Festivals’ marketing materials, plus much more beside, is still organised by his brother Stuart.
Since its first events both the events have never looked back, growing in size each year and taking over the whole town, they even now attract a flyover by the WW2 memorial flight. Today, under the chairmanship of local MGA owner David Storer the committee is able to efficiently organise both events year on year – although something always catches the committee out! Very deliberately the committee have tried to keep both events casual and friendly and have worked very hard to make them look informal and not to be taken too seriously. The events are run by enthusiasts and for enthusiasts, so that is why you won’t see any major automotive companies making their presence felt at either event – although there have been approaches.
By adopting the informal approach, the Festivals have been able to take a more relaxed view as to what might be considered as a classic car (although generally only pre-1941 cars are allowed in the market square during Vintage Stony). If someone wants to turn up in a Back-to-the-Future DeLorean or dress as a Woki from the Star Wars film or even in a pink Cadillac then why not, everyone will enjoy seeing them!
Today both events attract well over 500 cars and bikes each and providing the weather holds hundreds of thousands come to see amazing examples of automobilia and also enjoy the day in Stony Stratford.
So Ray and Andrew’s conversation did the job! A conversation that might have just turned into another Cock and Bull Story actually turned into an amazing event in the town that everyone can enjoy… and long may it continue for at least another 15 years!
Above : The first event poster, 2009
Below: Andrew Freestone and Ray Cobley, regarded by many as the founders of the ‘Classic Stony’ meeting (the summer event then known as ‘The Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival’); they did of course pull in a lot of help. Soon after they were joined by Andy Bush and between them they orchestrated/organised ‘Vintage Stony’, the New Year’s Day meeting, focusing on pre-war vehicles.
Below: Andy Bush ‘co-conspirator’ of Vintage Stony’ welcomes an exhibitor to one of the New Year’s Day Vintage Stony meetings.
It has to be said, Andrew, Ray and Andy all played pivotal roles in publicising and organising both meetings going forward for many many years, but without the team of volunteers behind them there simply wouldn’t be any events.
Above: Images of the first ever Stony Stratford Classic Car Festival, June 9th 2009
