Coningsby
Encyclopedia
Coningsby is a village in the East Lindsey
district of Lincolnshire
, England.
'konungr' meaning 'King' with an Old Norse
suffix 'by' meaning 'the settlement of' which gives Coningsby the meaning 'The Settlement of the King'. Coningsby lies 8 miles (13 km) south of Horncastle on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford
road, with the Lincolnshire Wolds
to the west and the Fens to the east. The B1192 Kirton
to Woodhall Spa
road passes through the town. At its western end it meets the village of Tattershall
, demarcated by the River Bain
. A railway line once passed through the village which opened on 1 July 1913 and closed on 5 July 1970. The Coldham Road Industrial Estate now occupies the site of the Former Railway Station. The Line was officially known as 'The Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway' though it was universally known by the local people and the railway workers as 'The New Line'.
's CE
Primary School is on School Lane. The secondary modern school
, the Gartree Community School, is just outside the Coningsby boundary in Tattershall, near the A153. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
provides sixth form education with enrollment open to pupils graduating from both Gartree and other Secondary Modern Schools.
The nearest FE college is in Boston
. In late March 2008, renovation on the Tattershall/Coningsby Library included a small learning centre provided by Boston College
.
, ‘St Michael's
’ with its unique one-handed clock face. One of the few in the country (there is another at St Andrew's in Holt, Norfolk
), it is claimed by the Coningsby Parish Council to be the largest of its kind in the world. The face is painted directly onto the wall of the tower and was probably installed in the 17th century. It is 16.5 feet in diameter and its hand is nearly 9 feet long. The driving weights are large stones and the pendulum
is so long that it swings only once every two seconds. The pendulum is not actually attached to the clock; it is some distance away, linked by a long connecting rod. There are only three wheels in the timekeeping mechanism but it keeps excellent time and needs winding once a day. The tower on which the clock face is painted is quite unusual in that it is on the outside of the building. There is an arched passage under the tower which is part of a public footpath from the [A153] High Street to the School on School lane, through the churchyard.
, one of the Royal Air Force
’s most important stations, home of No. XI Squadron
, No. 3 Squadron
, No. XVII Squadron
and No. 29 Squadron
. The base is part of Britain’s
heritage, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
formed in 1957 to commemorate the Royal Air Force's major battle honours, with a Lancaster
, five Spitfires
, two Hurricanes
and a Dakota
. These aircraft still fly and can be seen at air shows during summer.
From 1950 RAF Coningsby was home to three squadrons of Washingtons, the RAF name for the American
B29 bombers, and for the first 18 months these were maintained by National Service
technicians whose conscription was extended to 24 months because of their particular skills.
East Lindsey
East Lindsey is a local government district in Lincolnshire, England. The council is based in Manby near Louth, and other major settlements in the district include Alford, Spilsby, Mablethorpe, Skegness, Horncastle and Chapel St Leonards....
district of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England.
Geography
Taking its name from the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
'konungr' meaning 'King' with an Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
suffix 'by' meaning 'the settlement of' which gives Coningsby the meaning 'The Settlement of the King'. Coningsby lies 8 miles (13 km) south of Horncastle on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
road, with the Lincolnshire Wolds
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a range of hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and the highest area of land in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent...
to the west and the Fens to the east. The B1192 Kirton
Kirton, Lincolnshire
Kirton, or Kirton in Holland is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Boston, in Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Kirton is on the A16, B1397 and B1192 south of Boston, near Frampton and Sutterton. Several satellite villages and hamlets take their name from Kirton, including Kirton...
to Woodhall Spa
Woodhall Spa
Woodhall Spa is a civil parish and village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England within a wooded area on the Southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, about south-west of Horncastle and about east-south-east of Lincoln...
road passes through the town. At its western end it meets the village of Tattershall
Tattershall
Tattershall is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, located on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford road, east of the point where that road crosses the River Witham. At its eastern end, Tattershall adjoins the village of Coningsby, to the north of the village...
, demarcated by the River Bain
River Bain
The River Bain is a river in Lincolnshire, England, and a tributary of the River Witham.The Bain rises in the Lincolnshire Wolds at Ludford, a village on The Viking Way long-distance footpath, and flows through or past the villages of Burgh on Bain, Biscathorpe, Donington on Bain, Goulceby with...
. A railway line once passed through the village which opened on 1 July 1913 and closed on 5 July 1970. The Coldham Road Industrial Estate now occupies the site of the Former Railway Station. The Line was officially known as 'The Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway' though it was universally known by the local people and the railway workers as 'The New Line'.
Education
Coningsby St MichaelSt Michael
St Michael was a brand that was owned and used by Marks & Spencer from 1928 until 2000.-History:The brand was introduced by Simon Marks in 1928, after his father and co-founder of Marks & Spencer, Michael Marks. By 1950, virtually all goods were sold under the St Michael brand...
's CE
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Primary School is on School Lane. The secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
, the Gartree Community School, is just outside the Coningsby boundary in Tattershall, near the A153. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle, is a selective, co-educational, foundation status Grammar School and Sixth Form College in the market town of Horncastle, Lincolnshire. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth's gained joint specialist status for science and mathematics inpartnership with Banovallum...
provides sixth form education with enrollment open to pupils graduating from both Gartree and other Secondary Modern Schools.
The nearest FE college is in Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
. In late March 2008, renovation on the Tattershall/Coningsby Library included a small learning centre provided by Boston College
Boston College, Lincolnshire
Boston College is a predominantly further education college in Boston in Lincolnshire, England. It is a Centre of Vocational Excellence for Early Years Care.-History:...
.
Parish church
Coningsby is overseen by the tower of its 15th century parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, ‘St Michael's
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
’ with its unique one-handed clock face. One of the few in the country (there is another at St Andrew's in Holt, Norfolk
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
), it is claimed by the Coningsby Parish Council to be the largest of its kind in the world. The face is painted directly onto the wall of the tower and was probably installed in the 17th century. It is 16.5 feet in diameter and its hand is nearly 9 feet long. The driving weights are large stones and the pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
is so long that it swings only once every two seconds. The pendulum is not actually attached to the clock; it is some distance away, linked by a long connecting rod. There are only three wheels in the timekeeping mechanism but it keeps excellent time and needs winding once a day. The tower on which the clock face is painted is quite unusual in that it is on the outside of the building. There is an arched passage under the tower which is part of a public footpath from the [A153] High Street to the School on School lane, through the churchyard.
Amenities
Public houses include the Black Swan and the White Bull, both on High Street, and also the Lea Gate Inn on Leagate Road (B1192).RAF Coningsby
Half a mile (1 km) to the south of the village lies RAF ConingsbyRAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
, one of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
’s most important stations, home of No. XI Squadron
No. XI Squadron RAF
No. 11 or XI Squadron is a Royal Air Force fighter squadron. The squadron operated the Tornado F3 until 2005 when it was disbanded. It was reactivated in 2006 to operate the Typhoon F2, receiving its first aircraft on 9 October 2006....
, No. 3 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron RAF
No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
, No. XVII Squadron
No. XVII Squadron RAF
No. 17 Squadron is an active squadron of the Royal Air Force and the Operational Evaluation Unit for the Typhoon T.1 and F.2.-History:...
and No. 29 Squadron
No. 29 Squadron RAF
No. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Operational Conversion Unit for the RAF's newest fighter.-Service in World War I:This unit was...
. The base is part of Britain’s
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heritage, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
formed in 1957 to commemorate the Royal Air Force's major battle honours, with a Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
, five Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, two Hurricanes
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
and a Dakota
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
. These aircraft still fly and can be seen at air shows during summer.
From 1950 RAF Coningsby was home to three squadrons of Washingtons, the RAF name for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
B29 bombers, and for the first 18 months these were maintained by National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
technicians whose conscription was extended to 24 months because of their particular skills.
External links
- Coningsby Town Council
- "St Michael & All Angels, Coningsby", geograph.org.uk
- "River Bain, Coningsby", geograph.org.uk
- "Railway Bridge at Coningsby", geograph.org.uk