Kineton

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Kineton is a village and civil parish in south-east Warwickshire, England, on the River Dene. It is part of Stratford-on-Avon district and had about 2,337 residents in 2011. The village sits roughly 16 kilometres from Banbury, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon. Nearby are Wellesbourne with its historic water mill, Compton Verney House art gallery, the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, the Burton Dassett Hills and the battlefield of Edgehill.

Kineton has a long history. It is mentioned in records from 969 and in the Domesday Book as Kington. Nearby are the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle at Pittern Hill. In the 13th century the village held a market and fairs; the market declined by 1840. During the Civil War, Prince Rupert’s troops looted the area, and King Charles I met Queen Henrietta Maria in Kineton in 1643. During World War II, Kineton was a transit camp for Polish and Czechoslovak troops. A large ammunition depot, DSDA Kineton, lies in the parish and connects to the rail network. RAF Gaydon operated nearby from 1942 to 1977 and today houses the British Motor Museum and Aston Martin/JLR facilities.

In the village, St Peter’s Church stands at the centre, with parts of its building dating back to the 13th–19th centuries. Pittern Hill Mill is an 18th-century stone windmill nearby. Kineton has shops including a Co-op, butcher, bakery, optician and post office, as well as two pubs (The Swan and The Carpenters Arms) and Shukur’s Brasserie. The area also has a Catholic church and a 19th-century Methodist chapel. The local schools are Kineton Church of England Primary School and Kineton High School.

Transport and community life: Kineton is close to the Fosse Way and the M40 motorway, with regular bus services to Stratford-upon-Avon, Banbury and Leamington Spa. The village used to have a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway (1871–1963). Kineton also has an active sports and social scene, including Kineton Sports and Social Club, a cycling group called Kinetonbcycle, and badminton clubs at Kineton High.

A note: the town of Kyneton in Victoria, Australia, was named after Kineton in the 19th century.