Honington, Suffolk
Encyclopedia
Honington is a small village
in the county of Suffolk
in England
, located near the county's border with Norfolk
border. The village lies on the River Blackbourn, approximately 8 miles from Bury St Edmunds and 6 miles from Thetford
, Norfolk.
The village is probably best known for its RAF
base RAF Honington
and for being the birthplace of poet
Robert Bloomfield
.
Honington is bordered to the north-east by Sapiston
, to the north-west by Fakenham Magna
, to the north by Euston
, to the east by Bardwell
, to the south-west by Troston
, and to the south by Ixworth Thorpe
.
Also near two Joint RAF
/USAF
Bases RAF Lakenheath
and RAF Mildenhall
, was born in Honington 1766. The peasant poet is most noted for his first poem for his famous poem The Farmers Boy.
The local lord of the manor was the Duke of Grafton in neighbouring Euston. The first Duke of Grafton
, previously Earl of Euston, was Henry Fitzroy, the son of King Charles II
. The third Duke of Grafton
was briefly Prime Minister. The current Duke of Grafton
is the 12th.
RAF Honington opened on May 3, 1937, as one of six operational airfields within No 3 Group Bomber Command. In 1994 flying operations stopped and the Honington Air Traffic Control Zone ceased to exist in preparation for Honington becoming home of the RAF Regiment.
The parishes of Sapiston and Honington were combined in 1972 and, although Sapiston's church is redundant, occasional services are still held there.
Village Life & Folk Remembered a book by Syd Thurlow was written detailing many local stories about Honington & Sapiston.
. In common with much of the surrounding area, Sapiston and Honington were used for part of the series, in particular the episode "Dads Army Things that go Bump in the Night".
David Croft the co-writer of Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo!
, Are You Being Served?
, Hi-de-Hi!
, etc. lives in Honington.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in 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...
, located near the county's border with Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
border. The village lies on the River Blackbourn, approximately 8 miles from Bury St Edmunds and 6 miles from Thetford
Thetford
Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just south of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , has a population of 21,588.-History:...
, Norfolk.
The village is probably best known for its 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 RAF Honington
RAF Honington
RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regiment depot and home to the Joint CBRN Regiment.-RAF use:...
and for being the birthplace of poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Robert Bloomfield
Robert Bloomfield
Robert Bloomfield was an English labouring class poet whose work is appreciated in the context of other self-educated writers such as Stephen Duck, Mary Collier and John Clare.-Life:...
.
Honington is bordered to the north-east by Sapiston
Sapiston
Sapiston is a small village in the county of Suffolk in England, UK located near the Suffolk-Norfolk border. It is in northern Suffolk lying on the river Blackbourn...
, to the north-west by Fakenham Magna
Fakenham Magna
Fakenham Magna is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the A1088 around eight miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds and four miles south-east of Thetford, in 2005 its population was 160....
, to the north by Euston
Euston, Suffolk
Euston is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the A1088 around two miles south of Thetford, in 2005 its population was 130....
, to the east by Bardwell
Bardwell, Suffolk
Bardwell is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk, England.- History and Amenities :The Domesday Book records the population of Bardwell in 1086 to be 86.The River Blackbourne passes about half a mile west of the village...
, to the south-west by Troston
Troston
Troston is a village in the English county of Suffolk.It is around five miles north-north-east of Bury St Edmunds. Its parish church contains rare mediaeval wall paintings including dragon-slaying and the Martyrdom of St Edmund...
, and to the south by Ixworth Thorpe
Ixworth Thorpe
Ixworth Thorpe is a small village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the A1088 around a mile north-west of sister village Ixworth and five miles north-east of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 60....
.
Also near two Joint 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...
/USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Bases RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Lakenheath, is a Royal Air Force military airbase near Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel...
and RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
History
The village's most famous past resident, Robert BloomfieldRobert Bloomfield
Robert Bloomfield was an English labouring class poet whose work is appreciated in the context of other self-educated writers such as Stephen Duck, Mary Collier and John Clare.-Life:...
, was born in Honington 1766. The peasant poet is most noted for his first poem for his famous poem The Farmers Boy.
The local lord of the manor was the Duke of Grafton in neighbouring Euston. The first Duke of Grafton
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton KG was the illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine....
, previously Earl of Euston, was Henry Fitzroy, the son of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. The third Duke of Grafton
Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC , styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era...
was briefly Prime Minister. The current Duke of Grafton
Henry FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton
Henry Oliver Charles FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton is an English peer. He inherited the Dukedom of Grafton from his grandfather, the 11th Duke, on 7 April 2011.-Biography:...
is the 12th.
RAF Honington opened on May 3, 1937, as one of six operational airfields within No 3 Group Bomber Command. In 1994 flying operations stopped and the Honington Air Traffic Control Zone ceased to exist in preparation for Honington becoming home of the RAF Regiment.
The parishes of Sapiston and Honington were combined in 1972 and, although Sapiston's church is redundant, occasional services are still held there.
Village Life & Folk Remembered a book by Syd Thurlow was written detailing many local stories about Honington & Sapiston.
Dad's Army
This sleepy part of Suffolk proved to be an ideal filming location for the 1970s British TV show Dad's ArmyDad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
. In common with much of the surrounding area, Sapiston and Honington were used for part of the series, in particular the episode "Dads Army Things that go Bump in the Night".
David Croft the co-writer of Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
, Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
, Hi-de-Hi!
Hi-de-Hi!
Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom that aired on the BBC from 1980-1988. It was set in a holiday camp during the 1950s and 1960s and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who had written Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum. The title was the phrase used to greet the campers and in early episodes...
, etc. lives in Honington.
External links
- Pages including Honington from:
- "The Farmers Boy"