Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Duxford

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OS grid reference
  
TL481461

Country
  
England

Post town
  
Cambridge

Local time
  
Wednesday 11:06 AM

District
  
South Cambridgeshire

UK parliament constituency
  
South Cambridgeshire

Region
  
East

Sovereign state
  
United Kingdom

Shire county
  
Cambridgeshire

Dialling code
  
01223

Number of airports
  
1

Duxford httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Population
  
1,836  2,099 (2011 Census)

Weather
  
12°C, Wind W at 16 km/h, 91% Humidity

Duxford imperial war museum part1 largest aviation museum in britan


Duxford is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Cambridge. It is part of the Hundred Parishes area.

Contents

Map of Duxford, Cambridge, UK

Boeing b 17 flying fortress sally b duxford uk 2016


History

The village formed on the banks of the River Cam, a little below its emergence from the hills of north Essex. One of the more populous settlements in its hundred it was split into two ecclesiastical parishes in medieval times until they were united in 1874.

Originally known as Duxworth and listed as Dukeswrthe in the 10th century, and Dochesuuorde in the Domesday Book the village's name comes from "Worth (enclosure) of a man called Duc".

Churches

From medieval times the village was unusual in possessing two parish churches, each with a separate incumbent - these were St John's Church and St Peter's Church, only the latter of which still functions as a church. To the north of the village close to the Royston to Newmarket road lies Duxford Chapel, a 14th-century chantry chapel that was probably part of the Hospital of St John.

A Congregational chapel was built in the late 18th century and licensed in 1794, and at its peak in 1850 had a weekly congregation of 350. The chapel joined with other Congregational churches in uniting with the Presbyterian Church of England in 1972, and has been known as Duxford United Reformed Church since then.

Airfield

Duxford gives its name to RAF Duxford, a former Royal Air Force airfield that was used as a sector station during the Battle of Britain. Duxford Aerodrome was the home of Douglas Bader's Big Wing during that battle. Duxford airfield later became a fighter airfield for the United States Army Air Forces operating P47 Thunderbolt aircraft. In 1972 the Ministry of Defence began to house historically important aircraft in the hangars, which became the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

The airfield was used in the motion picture The Battle of Britain. During that production one of the hangars was blown up to simulate a Luftwaffe bombing raid.

Village life

The village has three remaining pubs – the John Barleycorn, the Plough and the Wheatsheaf. Former pubs include the Three Horseshoes, first recorded in 1786, and the King's Head which opened in the mid-19th century.

References

Duxford Wikipedia