RAF Honiley

Royal Air Force Honiley or RAF Honiley is a former Royal Air Force station located in Wroxall, Warwickshire, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Coventry, England.

The station closed in March 1958, and after being used as a motor vehicle test track, it has been subject to planning permission from the Prodrive Formula One team for development of their Fulcrum test and development facility however this has been cancelled.

From September 2014 the site has been used by Jaguar Land Rover for heritage driving experiences with the location being known as Fen End.

History

Royal Air Force use

Originally called Ramsey, it was renamed RAF Honiley in August 1941, and used by a variety of squadrons defending the Midlands during the Second World War.

Squadrons

Honiley

Honiley is a small village in the civil parish of Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall, in Warwickshire, England. It is 2.5 miles (4 km) from Kenilworth, and 5.5 miles (9 km) from Coventry on the A4177 road. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 62. Honiley was merged with adjoining parishes in 2007 and can now be found under Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall.

History

The Church of England parish church of Saint John the Baptist is a Georgian Baroque building of 1723. It has a nave, apse, and short spire. The interior includes original box pews and a west gallery.

Honiley once had two wells associated with the church. If a man and a woman produced a child out of wedlock the two were to go to village wells (the men to St John's well, the women to Our Lady's well) and bathe. After that they were to crawl to the church to the statue of St John and ask for forgiveness. The village was, for a while at least, a small centre of pilgrimage.

The village has a medieval moat, an hotel and a small business park. A short distance north-east of the village is a vehicle proving ground that was formerly a Royal Air Force station. Opened in May 1941 the station was originally called RAF Ramsey but was renamed RAF Honiley three months later. It ceased to operate in March 1958 and the buildings were demolished in 1960 although new ones have replaced them. Honiley has a VOR station that is a major waypoint for aircraft.