Baginton


Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry / West Midlands county. With a population of 801, Baginton village is 4 miles south of central Coventry, 4.5 miles northeast of Kenilworth and 7 miles north of Leamington Spa. The population had reduced slightly to 755 at the 2011 Census. The Lucy Price playing field is situated centrally in the village.

Geography and administration

, the Lunt Roman Fort and the ancient "Baginton oak" tree are within the village, whilst the Midland Air Museum is just outside Baginton.
The road from Baginton to southern Coventry passes over the River Sowe near an old mill, which now is inhabited by a restaurant and hotel called The Old Mill.
Baginton is often misspelt / mispronounced as 'Bagington'.

History

The Domesday Book records that in the 11th century Baginton consisted of 15 households and a mill.

Coventry Airport

Baginton is the site of Coventry Airport, which lies just southeast of the village.
First opened in 1936 as Baginton Aerodrome, it has been used for general aviation, flight training and commercial freight and passenger flights. It had a grass surface for aeroplanes to land and take off. With the Second World War it became a fighter airfield. By October 1941, No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron was located at Baginton.
The Midland Air Museum on Rowley Road is adjacent to the northern boundary of Coventry Airport.

Landmarks

Lunt Fort

The remains of the ancient Roman Lunt Fort have been found in Baginton on the north side of the village. Parts of the fort were reconstructed in the 1970s, and it has become a popular site for school visits, as well as holding activity days during the summer.

Church of St John the Baptist

The Church of St John the Baptist is situated in the old part of Baginton. A scenic footpath starts near the church and leads to Stoneleigh.

Baginton Castle and Fish Ponds

was imprisoned at Baginton Castle following his son Harry Hotspur's defeat at the Battle of Shrewsbury. The ruin that can be seen is of a late fourteenth-century house, but it is not well known due to its location in an area of woodland on private land. If Baginton Castle did exist here before this house, there is no sign of its ruins.
Baginton Castle and Fish Ponds constitute a Scheduled Monument. The vestiges of the castle are a Grade II listed building. The site was opened to the public in 2009.

Baginton oak tree

Baginton is the site of an old oak tree which is often called the Baginton oak. It is about 300–350 years old and is thought to be one of the oldest trees in Warwickshire. A nearby public house is called The Oak.

Gallery