Exning
Encyclopedia
Exning is a village in Suffolk
, England.
It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly 12 miles (19 km) east-northeast of Cambridge
, and 10 miles (16 km) south-south-east of Ely
. The nearest large town is Newmarket.
The most conspicuous building in Exning is the church of St Martin, which is visible from the A14.
Exning is reputed to have been the birthplace of Saint Ethelreda
, to whom the cathedral
at Ely
is dedicated, though this is disputed.
Exning is also reputed to have been the capital of the Iceni
tribe and therefore the home of Queen Boadicea
(Boudicca)(Local Lore).
During the Second World War, the headquarters of No 3 Group of RAF Bomber Command
were located in Exning House. Nearby Newmarket Heath, the northwest corner of which borders on Exning, was used as an airfield for, amongst others, Stirling III Bombers of No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF
. Little evidence remains of this chapter in Exning's history, apart from a single aircraft hangar on Heath Road, Burwell
(near the "One Thousand Guineas Connect" service station on the A14 trunk road) and a memorial plaque on the racecourse.
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England.
It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly 12 miles (19 km) east-northeast of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, and 10 miles (16 km) south-south-east of Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
. The nearest large town is Newmarket.
The most conspicuous building in Exning is the church of St Martin, which is visible from the A14.
Exning is reputed to have been the birthplace of Saint Ethelreda
Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon saint often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey...
, to whom the cathedral
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
at Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
is dedicated, though this is disputed.
Exning is also reputed to have been the capital of the Iceni
Iceni
The Iceni or Eceni were a British tribe who inhabited an area of East Anglia corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD...
tribe and therefore the home of Queen Boadicea
Boudica
Boudica , also known as Boadicea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" was queen of the British Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
(Boudicca)(Local Lore).
During the Second World War, the headquarters of No 3 Group of RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
were located in Exning House. Nearby Newmarket Heath, the northwest corner of which borders on Exning, was used as an airfield for, amongst others, Stirling III Bombers of No. 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF
No. 75 Squadron RAF
No. 75 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated as a bomber unit in World War II, before being transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1945.-First World War, Royal Flying Corps, Home Defence Squadron :...
. Little evidence remains of this chapter in Exning's history, apart from a single aircraft hangar on Heath Road, Burwell
Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell is a large fen-edge village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles north east of Cambridge. It is situated on the south-eastern edge of The Fens, a large area of relatively flat former marshland which lies close to sea level and covers the majority of Cambridgeshire...
(near the "One Thousand Guineas Connect" service station on the A14 trunk road) and a memorial plaque on the racecourse.
See also
- LandwadeLandwadeLandwade is a parish in west Suffolk, England, four miles north of Newmarket. One of the smallest parishes in the county, it is only 1 kilometre from north to south and at most 500m from east to west....
, neighbouring village that was formerly in Cambridgeshire but now amalgamated into Exning parish