| Honington | |
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Honington
Honington shown within Suffolk |
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| Population | 1,247 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TL911746 |
| District | St Edmundsbury |
| Shire county | Suffolk |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BURY ST EDMUNDS |
| Postcode district | IP31 |
| Dialling code | 01284 |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Bury St Edmunds |
| List of places: UK • England • Suffolk | |
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
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The village's most famous past resident, Robert Bloomfield, was born in Honington 1766.[2] The peasant poet is most noted for his first poem for his famous poem The Farmers Boy.[2]
The local lord of the manor was the Duke of Grafton in neighbouring Euston.[3] 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.
This sleepy part of Suffolk proved to be an ideal filming location for the 1970s British TV show Dad's Army. 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.