Finningley
Encyclopedia
Finningley is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
, in South Yorkshire
, England
. Historically
part of Nottinghamshire
, Finningley lies along the A614 road
, about six miles from the centre of Doncaster
, at 53°29′N 0°59′W, and at an elevation of around seven metres above sea level
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,442. The parish church of Holy Trinity is Norman, with a 13th century chancel.
Finningley is known for its airport
, formerly RAF Finningley
. The base housed a 'V' force
of Vulcan bomber
s during the Cold War
, and for 35 years it hosted a regular air show
which, by the 1990s, was the largest one-day military air show in the country. However, the end of the Cold War led to the base being closed in April 1996, with the air show dying with it.
The 2741 metre long runway, currently the second longest in the north of England
, was sufficiently large to take even Concorde
, and in the period after the closure of the RAF
base there were several campaigns to turn Finningley into a commercial airport for the unserved South Yorkshire region (as well as Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire
and the East Riding of Yorkshire
).
Plans for the conversion were finally approved in 2003, with the first flights in April 2005. It is anticipated that the airport, renamed Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
, will reach maximum capacity by 2014. Planning permission for a new railway station to serve it was recently granted - the former station
serving it and the village having closed back in 1961.
Leon Motors, a bus company based in Finningley, operates buses in Doncaster. Formed in 1922, it was taken over by MASS of North Anston during 2004.
Finningley is also home to a famous Motocross venue called Doncaster Moto Parc which attracts riders from all over the country.
Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire in Yorkshire and the Humber Region of England.In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley....
, in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
part of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, Finningley lies along the A614 road
A614 road
The A614 is a main road in England running through the counties of Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire.Beginning at Redhill, near Calverton in Nottinghamshire at a roundabout with the A60, the road meets the A6097 at a junction which looks like a roundabout but...
, about six miles from the centre of Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, at 53°29′N 0°59′W, and at an elevation of around seven metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,442. The parish church of Holy Trinity is Norman, with a 13th century chancel.
Finningley is known for its airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, formerly RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley
RAF Finningley is a former Royal Air Force station at Finningley, South Yorkshire, partly within the traditional county boundaries of Nottinghamshire and partly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now wholly within the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster....
. The base housed a 'V' force
V bomber
The term V bomber was used for the Royal Air Force aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V-force or Bomber Command Main Force...
of Vulcan bomber
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
s during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and for 35 years it hosted a regular air show
Air show
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
which, by the 1990s, was the largest one-day military air show in the country. However, the end of the Cold War led to the base being closed in April 1996, with the air show dying with it.
The 2741 metre long runway, currently the second longest in the north of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was sufficiently large to take even Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
, and in the period after the closure of the RAF
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...
base there were several campaigns to turn Finningley into a commercial airport for the unserved South Yorkshire region (as well as Nottinghamshire, 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...
and the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
).
Plans for the conversion were finally approved in 2003, with the first flights in April 2005. It is anticipated that the airport, renamed Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster within South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies southeast of Doncaster and east of Sheffield.The airport is operated by Peel...
, will reach maximum capacity by 2014. Planning permission for a new railway station to serve it was recently granted - the former station
Finningley railway station
Finningley railway station was a railway station built to serve the villages of Finningley and Blaxton, South Yorkshire, England.- History :...
serving it and the village having closed back in 1961.
Leon Motors, a bus company based in Finningley, operates buses in Doncaster. Formed in 1922, it was taken over by MASS of North Anston during 2004.
Finningley is also home to a famous Motocross venue called Doncaster Moto Parc which attracts riders from all over the country.