Conington, Huntingdonshire facts for kids

Village sign in Conington

Quick facts for kids Conington
Conington
Population	209 (2011)
OS grid reference	TL176860
District	Huntingdonshire
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Peterborough
Postcode district	PE7
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	North West Cambridgeshire
List of places UK England Cambridgeshire 52°27′30″N 0°16′12″W / 52.45831°N 0.27°W / 52.45831; -0.27

Conington is a small village in Cambridgeshire, England. It is also known as Conington All Saints. The village is about 6 miles (10 km) south of Peterborough. It is close to the A1(M) motorway. This motorway follows the route of an ancient Roman road called Ermine Street. Conington is located within Huntingdonshire, which was once an important historic area in England.

Village History

Conington was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. This was a famous survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror. In the Domesday Book, Conington was called Coninctune. It was part of the Normancross area in Huntingdonshire.

In 1086, Conington had one main estate. The rent paid for this land was £9 a year. The Domesday Book also recorded that there were 27 households in Conington. This means about 94 to 135 people lived there at the time. There were also 15 areas of land for farming. Plus, there were about 40 acres (16 hectares) of meadowland. The village already had a church and a priest.

A special title, the Cotton Baronetcy, was created for Robert Bruce Cotton in 1611. He was a famous historian. He also served in the English Parliament. Henrietta Maria Bowdler, a well-known writer and editor, was born in Conington in 1750.

Conington in World War II

During the Second World War, Conington was next to RAF Glatton. This was a Royal Air Force base built in 1943. It was used by the US Army Air Forces. The 457th Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived there in January 1944.

These airmen flew large planes called Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Their planes had a special "triangle U" symbol painted on their tails. The 457th Bomb Group flew missions from RAF Glatton until April 1945. They completed 237 combat missions. Today, there is a memorial to the 457th Bomb Group in All Saints' Church in Conington.

How Conington is Governed

Conington is a civil parish. This means it has its own elected council, called a parish council. This council has five members. They help manage local matters for the village.

Conington was part of Huntingdonshire until 1965. Then it became part of a new area called Huntingdon and Peterborough. In 1974, Conington became part of Cambridgeshire. The Huntingdonshire District Council is the next level of local government.

Conington is part of the Sawtry district ward. It has two councillors on the district council. It also has one councillor on the county council. For national elections, Conington is part of the North West Cambridgeshire area. Shailesh Vara has been the Member of Parliament for this area since 2005. He belongs to the Conservative Party.

Population Information

Conington's Population Over Time

The population of Conington has changed over the years. The first official count, called a UK census, was in 1801. At that time, 154 people lived in Conington. The population grew to 319 people by 1851.

Here is a table showing the population of Conington from 1911 to 2011:

All these numbers come from the Historic Census figures Cambridgeshire to 2011 report. In 2011, Conington covered an area of about 3,173 acres (1,284 hectares). This means the population density was about 42 people per square mile (16 people per square kilometer).

Railway Crossings

Conington is known for its nearby level crossings. These are places where a railway line crosses a road. The crossings and train sidings in Conington have had several railway accidents.

One notable accident was the Connington South rail crash in 1967. Another incident happened on October 16, 1948. A former Mayor of Peterborough, Arthur Mellows, was involved in an accident at Connington North level crossing. Earlier that year, on March 1, 1948, a train hit a lorry at Connington North. The Connington North level crossing is 68 miles and 28 chains from King's Cross station. This crossing has three railway lines.