Honiley

Honiley is a small village in the parish of Honiley and Wroxall, in Warwickshire, England. It is 2.5 miles from Kenilworth, and 5.5 miles from Coventry on the A4177. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 156, residing in 64 dwellings.

The village contains a medieval moat, an upmarket hotel and a small business park. A little to the north-east of the village is a vehicle proving ground, which was once a Royal Air Force airfield. Opened in May 1941 the airfield 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 was once famous for its two wells, which both had links to the village church of St. Johns (built 1723). 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.

References

* [http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&X=423000&Y=272000&width=700&height=400&gride=423951.889934334&gridn=272203.611099372&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=freegaz&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&local=&localinfosel=&kw=&in
]
* [http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/60B86011367E0A1080256E3000563442/$file/Honiley+&+Wroxhall.pdf Census information on the Parish of Honiley and Wroxall]
*Smith, B (1990), "Hidden Warwickshire", Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-098-4