Benington is a village and
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 authorit ...
in the
East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. The largest town in the district is Bishop's Stortford, and the other main towns are Ware, Bunti ...
district of
Hertfordshire, England, about four miles east of
Stevenage and 35 miles north of London.
History
There are two theories regarding the naming of the village. One comes from Saxon times and is derived from the name of the river to the west of the village - the
Beane. The middle syllable 'ing' is common in place names all over south-east England and means 'people', Benington therefore meaning ''The Town of the Beane Folk''.
The second view is that Benington is a corruption of the name 'Belinton' which appears in the Domesday Book. This is thought to mean the town of Bela's people, after the name of the man who led the first group of immigrants to the area.
Population
According to the 2001 census it had a population of 922. At the 2011 Census the population had reduced to 908.
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Economy
The village has a strong farming history, and much of the surrounding countryside is still agricultural.
Transport
The village has an airstrip to the south south west—Position: N51°52.95 W000°07.37
The village is served by a local bus route, number 384, between Stevenage and Hertford, which additionally links it to Walkern, Dane End, and Tonwell.
Local facilities
It has two churches
*Saint Peter's Church of England, a Grade I listed building. The churchyard contains 2 war memorials in the form of a cross (unlisted) and a lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style ch ...
( Grade II listed).
*Benington Methodist Church
There is also a primary school (Benington Church of England Primary School) and two public houses (the Lordship Arms and the Bell). The Bell is a late medieval hall house, listed grade II*
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
The Old Tower is a former Victorian water tower, now converted as a private residence.
Benington Lordship
Benington Lordship is a Georgian manor house which is situated to the west of the village. The grounds surrounding the house stretch over seven acres and also feature the remains of Benington Castle (a Norman motte and bailey castle).
The gardens of Benington Lordship are well known for their snowdrop
''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single sm ...
s and views over the surrounding Hertfordshire countryside. The gardens also feature a Victorian folly, kitchen garden, contemporary sculptures, carp pond, wildlife areas and rose gardens.Bennington Lordship Gardens (2006) "Website Home Page"
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Nature reserve
Benington High Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
References
External links
Benington Village website
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Villages in Hertfordshire
Civil parishes in Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire District