Baginton

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Baginton
latitude= 52.370
longitude= -1.49
civil_parish= Baginton
population = 801 (2001)
shire_district= Warwick
shire_county= Warwickshire
region= West Midlands
constituency_westminster= Rugby and Kenilworth
post_town= KENILWORTH
postcode_district = CV8
postcode_area= CV
dial_code= 024
os_grid_reference= SP3474
hide_services = yes
static_

static_image_caption= "View along Coventry Road, Baginton showing buildings about three miles away in Coventry City centre on the horizon." Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county.cite book|title = AA Street by Street. Coventry Rugby| publisher = AA Publishing | page = p53–4|edition = 2nd edition (May 2003)| isbn = 0749539739] With a population of 801 (2001 Census), Baginton village is four miles (6.5 km) south of Coventry city centre and seven miles (11 km) north of Leamington Spa. The Lucy Price playing field is situated centrally in the village.

Geography and administration

Coventry Airport (built 1936), the Lunt Roman Fort and the ancient "Baginton oak" tree are within the village, whilst the Midland Air Museum and Coventry Railway Centre are just outside Baginton.

The road from Baginton to South Coventry passes over the River Sowe near an old mill.

History

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

Coventry Airport

Baginton is home to Coventry Airport, which lies just southeast of the village. The Midland Air Museum on Rowley Road is adjacent to the southern border of Coventry Airport.

Landmarks

Lunt Fort

The remains of the ancient Roman Lunt Fort have been found in Baginton on the south 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

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 prior to this house, there is no sign of its ruins. The area was fenced off in 2006, and now the ruins and former Fish Ponds can can be viewed by arrangement with the local farmer who owns the land.

Baginton Castle and Fish Ponds are Ancient Scheduled Monuments (Numbers: 21540-1 and 21540-2).

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".

There is also an old proverb about a boy called Elliott who sits under the tree when he has to contemplate decisions.

Gallery

References

*"Domesday Book"
*Dugdale, Sir W. 1730 The Antiquities of Warwickshire, 2nd Ed. (ed. W. Thomas), London
*Edwards, J.H. 1953 'Baginton Castle Excavations', Trans. Birm. Warwicks. Arch. Soc., 69 (1951), 44-49.
*Smith, W. 1829 A New and Complete History of the County of Warwick, Birmingham