Hedon
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Hedon is a town and civil parish in Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately five miles east of Kingston upon Hull city centre. It lies to the north of the A1033 road at the crossroads of the B1240 & B1362 roads. It is particularly noted for St Augustine's Church, known as the 'King of Holderness'.
According to the 2001 UK census, Hedon parish had a population of 6,322.
Hedon is not mentioned in the Domesday Book which leads to the belief that it is a new town created by the Normans as a port. Hedon was at its most prosperous in the 12th and 13th centuries and at one time was the 11th largest port in England. The decline of the port came with the development of the port of Hull and the building of larger ships which were unable to get down the small river to Hedon.
Hedon was given its first charter by Henry II in 1158 and was granted improved ones by King John in 1200 and Henry III in 1248 and 1272. Edward III granted the most important charter which gave the town the right to elect a mayor.
The town was a parliamentary borough until it was disenfranchised under the Reform Act 1832. It still enjoyed its borough status granted by its charters until 1974 when it was removed in a reorganisation of local government.
To the west of the town, there used to be a racecourse which boasted the longest 'straight' in the country at the time. After popularity waned, it was developed into an aerodrome in 1910. This was closed in both World Wars 1 & 2 but many famous pilots including Amy Johnson landed there. After the Second World War it was developed into a speedway track for a short time but is now home to cattle.
The Hull & Holderness Railway opened in 1854 which ran from Victoria Dock in Hull to Withernsea going through Hedon. The station was built to the north of the town and it proved a vital part of Hedon's transport system for a century. In 1964, Hedon lost the railway line when British Railways appointed Lord Beeching to stop losses and decided to close all branch lines that weren't making a profit.
Hedon became the subject of national media attention in August 2000 when a freak mini-tornado in the Humber estuary caused flash floods and even hailstones to drop on parts of the town.
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