Gaydon is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

and village in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, England, situated between

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

and

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...

. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 376, increasing to 446 at the 2011 Census. The village is at the junction of the B4100 (former A41) and B4451 roads, a mile from Junction 12 of the M40 motorway, and is two miles north-east of

Kineton Kineton is a village and civil parish on the River Dene in south-east Warwickshire, England. The village is part of Stratford-on-Avon district, and in the 2001 census it had a population of 2,278, increasing to 2,337 at the 2011 Census. Kine ...

Gaydon village

Gaydon is crossed by only two roads of any importance — the Kineton to

Southam Southam () is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe (called 'The Brook' by many locals), which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's ...

road, which runs in a north-easterly direction, and the

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

and

road which crosses it at right angles. Gaydon has one pub called the Malt Shovel. The Gaydon Inn, which is no longer a pub is due to be redeveloped for housing, stands close to the point of intersection of the two roads. The village centre is situated along a short loop south of the junction. The Gaydon Inn was famous in the 18th century for its association with violent highwaymen. The Malt Shovel pub, together with the adjacent community shop, is located off Church Road and is now the only commercial enterprise in the village. The Manor House on Kineton Road dates back to the 17th century. Although Gaydon has become something of a commuter village because of its proximity to the M40, which was completed in January 1991, it is undergoing a revival by looking back at its roots, agriculture and community spirit. A local village shop opened 24 May 2010 in the centre of the village providing local produce to local residents. The section of the M40 passing Gaydon was considered as the site of a possible motorway service station, with plans first being drawn up in 1986 before being scrapped in 1990, a few months before the motorway's completion.

Motor industry

Close by, on the site of former RAF

V bomber The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Main Force. The three models of strategic ...

base of

RAF Gaydon Royal Air Force Gaydon or more simply RAF Gaydon is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Wellesbourne, Warwickshire and north west of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. RAF Gaydon opened in 1942 and is known for its role during the ...

, is the

Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre The Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre, which is situated north-west of the village of Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, is one of the principal engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover and the location of the headquarters of Land Rover. The site ho ...

, one of the

Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited (also known as JLR), and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover is a ...

engineering centres (another being at the

Whitley plant The Whitley plant, situated in Whitley, Coventry, United Kingdom, is the headquarters and one of the engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover. The facility is a fully integrated design, research and development centre and is used for the design ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

). Alongside is the

British Motor Museum The British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, England holds the world's largest collection of historic British cars, with over 300 cars on display from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. History The creation ...

, home to the largest collection of historic British cars in the world, charting the history of the British car industry from the turn of the 20th century to the present day. Adjacent to the site is the headquarters of

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...

and the village

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire h ...

. Famous James Bond cars including the DBS V12 and the

Aston Martin DB10 The Aston Martin DB10 is a bespoke grand tourer specially developed for the ''James Bond'' film ''Spectre'' by the British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin. The car was unveiled by Sam Mendes and Barbara Broccoli, the director and produc ...

have been built here.

Film archive

A disused military base near Gaydon is also home to special vaults housing the highly flammable nitrate film elements of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

BFI National Archive The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was founded as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955, its name became the N ...

, the world's largest archive of film and television.

Nearby places

Lighthorne Lighthorne is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. It is about south of Leamington Spa. The population taken at the 2011 census was 361. Lighthorne is a small village in a valley and is near Moreton Morrell, Kineton and Welles ...

Northend, Warwickshire Northend is a village in southern-eastern Warwickshire, England, located roughly halfway between the town of Banbury and the conurbation of Leamington Spa and Warwick. The population taken at the 2011 census can be found under Burton Dassett. S ...

Radway Radway is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, about north-west of Banbury in neighbouring Oxfordshire. The population taken at the 2011 census had reduced to 238. The village is at the foot of Edge Hill and is notable for the ...

References

External links

Gaydon Village Official Website
*
Another Gaydon village official website
{{authority control Villages in Warwickshire Stratford-on-Avon District