Coningsby

Coningsby is the most populous parish in the electoral ward of Coningsby and Tattershall. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 Census was 6,943.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/coningsby-and-tattershall-e05005563#sthash.L0LGVw2y.dpbs|title=Coningsby and Tattershall ward population 2011|access-date=18 August 2015}}

File:Road Bridge over the River Bain, Coningsby - geograph.org.uk - 106253.jpg ]]

The town takes its name from the Old Norse konungr meaning "King" and the Old Norse noun by meaning "settlement", which gives "settlement of the King".{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of British Place Names|first1= A.D.|last1= Mills|publisher=Oxford University Press| location=Oxford| orig-year= first published 1991|date=2011|edition=First edition revised 2011|isbn=9780199609086|page=128 }} Coningsby is about {{convert|7|mi|km|0}} south of Horncastle on the A153 Horncastle to Sleaford road, with the Lincolnshire Wolds to the east and the Fens to the west. The B1192 Kirton to Woodhall Spa road passes through the town. At the town's western end it is separated from the village of Tattershall by the River Bain.

The Kirkstead and Little Steeping Railway passing through the town opened on 1 July 1913 but closed on 5 July 1970. The former Coningsby railway station has been demolished and nothing remains except for the station master's house.{{cite web |title=Disused Stations: Coningsby Station |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/coningsby/index.shtml |website=www.disused-stations.org.uk |access-date=6 September 2021}}

A temperature of {{convert|40.3|C|F}}, which is the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, occurred on 19 July 2022 at Coningsby.{{cite web|url=https://www.ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=03391&ano=2022&mes=7&day=20&hora=12&min=0&ndays=30|title=03391: Coningsby Royal Air Force Base (United Kingdom) |author= |date=19 July 2022 |website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET|access-date=20 July 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62217282 |title=UK heatwave sees temperatures above 40C for first time |last1=Andersson |first1=Jasmine|last2=Faulkner |first2=Doug |date= 19 July 2022 |website=bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC|access-date= 19 July 2022 |quote=}}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = RAF Coningsby (1991–2020)

| Jan high C = 7.3

| Feb high C = 8.1

| Mar high C = 10.7

| Apr high C = 13.6

| May high C = 16.8

| Jun high C = 19.6

| Jul high C = 22.2

| Aug high C = 22.1

| Sep high C = 19.0

| Oct high C = 14.7

| Nov high C = 10.3

| Dec high C = 7.5

| year high C = 14.4

| Jan low C = 1.2

| Feb low C = 1.3

| Mar low C = 2.7

| Apr low C = 4.7

| May low C = 7.5

| Jun low C = 10.4

| Jul low C = 12.4

| Aug low C = 12.3

| Sep low C = 10.2

| Oct low C = 7.4

| Nov low C = 3.8

| Dec low C = 1.5

| year low C = 6.3

| rain colour = green

| Jan rain mm = 47.6

| Feb rain mm = 37.8

| Mar rain mm = 34.8

| Apr rain mm = 40.2

| May rain mm = 45.8

| Jun rain mm = 57.0

| Jul rain mm = 54.8

| Aug rain mm = 58.7

| Sep rain mm = 51.4

| Oct rain mm = 59.5

| Nov rain mm = 56.0

| Dec rain mm = 50.4

| year rain mm = 594.1

| unit rain days = 1 mm

| Jan rain days = 10.2

| Feb rain days = 9.3

| Mar rain days = 8.2

| Apr rain days = 8.3

| May rain days = 8.5

| Jun rain days = 9.3

| Jul rain days = 9.2

| Aug rain days = 9.2

| Sep rain days = 8.3

| Oct rain days = 9.9

| Nov rain days = 11.6

| Dec rain days = 11.0

| year rain days = 112.9

| source 1 = Met Office{{cite web

|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcryh17qz

|title = Coningsby (Lincolnshire) UK climate averages – Met Office

|publisher = Met Office

|access-date = 21 July 2024}}

}}

[http://www.coningsbyprimary.co.uk/ Coningsby St Michael's C of E Primary School] is on School Lane. The secondary school is Barnes Wallis Academy, the [http://www.gartree.lincs.sch.uk/ Gartree Community School], is just outside the Coningsby boundary in Tattershall, near the A153. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School provides sixth form education to pupils graduating from Gartree and other secondary modern schools.

RAF Coningsby Nursery and Kids Club provides childcare for military personnel and the community.

The nearest further education college is in Boston. In late March 2008, renovation of the Tattershall/Coningsby Library included a small learning centre provided by Boston College.{{citation needed|date=July 2011}}

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and ITV Yorkshire. Television signals are received from the Belmont TV transmitter, {{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Belmont|title=Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=19 October 2023}} BBC East Midlands and ITV Central can also be received from the Waltham TV transmitter.{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Waltham|title= Full Freeview on the Waltham (Leicestershire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=19 October 2023}}

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Lincolnshire on 94.9 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire on 102.2 FM, and Hits Radio Lincolnshire which broadcasts on DAB.{{cite web |url=https://lincolnshire.org/radio-lincolnshire-find-your-local-station/|title=Radio Lincolnshire – Find Your Local Station |date=18 February 2015 |access-date=19 October 2023}}

Lincolnshire Echo is the town's local newspaper.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-emids/lincolnshire-echo/|title=Lincolnshire Echo|date=17 September 2013|website=British Papers|accessdate=19 October 2023}}

File:St. Michael's Coningsby - geograph.org.uk - 2824737.jpg

Coningsby is overlooked by the tower of its 15th-century parish church, St Michael's, with its one-handed clock face. The face is painted directly onto the wall of the tower and was probably installed in the 17th century. It is {{convert|16+1/2|ft|m|abbr=off}} in diameter and its hand is nearly {{convert|9|ft|m|abbr=off}} long. The driving weights are large stones and its pendulum swings once every two seconds. The pendulum is not attached to the clock but some distance away, linked by a connecting rod. There are three wheels in the timekeeping mechanism, which needs winding once a day. The tower on which the clock face is painted is on the outside of the building. There is an arched passage under the tower which is part of a public footpath from the A153 High Street to the school in School Lane, through the churchyard.

There is also a canonical sundial, dating from the 12th century, on the south wall of the church.

{{clear left}}

In 1730, Britain's youngest Poet Laureate, Laurence Eusden who was appointed aged thirty, was buried in the church where he had been Rector.DNB at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Eusden,_Laurence_(DNB00) Wikisource] Two decades later another poet, John Dyer, was appointed as Rector and while living in the village completed his poem "The Fleece". He died there of consumption (tuberculosis) in 1757, and was buried without memorial in the church chancel.[https://books.google.com/books?id=EXWBWr5MRs4C&q=Conningsby&pg=RA1-PA18 The Poetical Works of Mark Akenside and John Dyer, ed. Rev. Robert Aris Willmott (1855)] England international footballer Beaumont Jarrett was curate there from 1878 to 1882.{{acad|JRT873BG|name=Beaumont Jarrett}}

Public houses include the Black Swan, The Castle Inn and the White Bull, are all on High Street, and the Lea Gate Inn on Leagate Road (B1192).

File:Typhoon, RAF Coningsby - geograph.org.uk - 737223.jpg fighter jet of No.3 Squadron takes off in February 2008]]

{{main|RAF Coningsby}}

Half a mile (1 km) to the south of the town is RAF Coningsby, one of the Royal Air Force's most important stations, home of No. 3 Squadron, No. XI Squadron, No. 29 Squadron and No.41 (R) Squadron

The airfield houses part of Britain's heritage, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight formed in 1957 to commemorate the Royal Air Force's major battle honours, with a Lancaster, five Spitfires, two Hurricanes and a Dakota. These aircraft still fly and can be seen at air shows during summer, as well as at events of national importance or RAF significance.[http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/ "Welcome to RAF BBMF"], RAF BBMF. Retrieved 9 July 2013

From 1950{{Until when|date=May 2024}} RAF Coningsby was home to three squadrons of Washingtons, the RAF name for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and for the first 18 months these were maintained by National Service technicians whose conscription was extended to 24 months because of their particular skills.{{citation needed|date=July 2011}}

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Pellcroft Engineering Ltd, in Coningsby, is a company selling agricultural fans.{{cite web|title=Pellcroft Engineering Limited|url=http://www.pellcroft.com/about.htm|website=pellcroft.com|access-date=1 April 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706140323/http://www.pellcroft.com/about.htm|archive-date=6 July 2016}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{commons category-inline|Coningsby}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070403001336/http://www.coningsbyparishcouncil.co.uk/ Coningsby Town Council]
• [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/430008 "St Michael & All Angels, Coningsby"], Geograph.org.uk
• [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/429916 "River Bain, Coningsby"], Geograph.org.uk
• [https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/102197 "Railway Bridge at Coningsby"], Geograph.org.uk

{{Portal bar|England|United Kingdom}}

{{Lincolnshire|state=collapsed}}

{{East Lindsey (district)}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Towns in Lincolnshire

Category:Civil parishes in Lincolnshire

Category:East Lindsey District

Category:River Witham

Category:Coningsby