Podington is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom. The village is within the electoral ward of Harrold in the Borough of Bedford. Podington lies around 16 km (9.9 mi) northwest of Bedford and is about 2 km (1.2 mi) east of the county border with Northamptonshire. Nearby there is paintballing and Podington Wyevale Garden Centre can be found in the High Street.
Podington is a small picturesque rural village; many of its buildings are stone cottages dating from the 18th century, and some even earlier. Podington was included in the Domesday Book 1086, with a population of 29 households; prominent landowners included Walter of Flanders, Hugh of Flanders and William Peverer.
The community was recorded as "Podintone" and "Potintone" from the 13th century and later as "Puddington". Today it is sometimes spelt (or misspelt) "Poddington". Located around 3 km (1.9 mi) southeast of the village are RAF Podington and Santa Pod Raceway. Hinwick House is found at a crossroads under 1 km (0.62 mi) south of the village.
Church of St Mary is a Grade I listed church in Podington. It became a listed building on 13 July 1964. Some surviving architectural elements date back at least to the early 13th century. A 1912 report about the church indicated that it had a chancel, nave, north aisle, south aisle, south porch and west tower. The south arcade of the nave, the north arcade the chancel and tower were all dated to the 13th century.
Richard Orlebar, the High Sheriff for Bedfordshire and his wife, the culinary writer Diana Astry, were both buried at this church in the 1700s. They had been the owners of Hinwick House.
The church's pipe organ was restored by the 92nd Bomb Group Memorial Association. The 92nd group had been stationed at the RAF Podington airfield during WW II and flew nearly 300 operational missions from that base.
Podington Castle, sometimes known as Puddington Manor Farm, was an 11th-century castle in the civil parish.
It was a Motte and triple bailey castle, surrounded by a moat, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as being owned by Hugh the Fleming. The castle was in ruins prior to the early part of the 17th century, when a new Podington Manor, now referred to as "Old Podington Manor", had been built just forward of its location. The new Podington manor became a farmhouse in 1694, when the owners moved their residence elsewhere.
The extensive earthworks remains of the castle can still be located, on the mound, in the field at the back of Old Podington Manor. Building foundations were still visible as of 1972.
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