St Helen
Swinhope, Lincolnshire
The church contains several interesting memorials to the Alington family, of nearby Swinhope Hall, who for many generations have been associated with the parish.
St Michael & All Angels was until the late 1980s RAF Binbrook.
From 1941 to 1945 the base hosted 460 Squadron RAAF. Over 1100 service personnel lost their lives whilst serving here and the memorial to the fallen is located within the Borookenby Tech Park A commemoration stone on the green outside the church honours everyone who worked on the base in times of peace and war. During the Cold War the base housed the renowned Lightning jet fighters.
RAF Binbrook eventually closed and the village of Brookenby was created when the RAF housing was sold off to private buyers. And so St Michael & All Angels was created to serve the needs of this new village. In 1997 a 28 year lease was granted to convert the sergeants accommodation into a church. The church has the cross and candlestick set that was made at the base during the war. The chapel on the base was dedicated to St Michael and All Angels and the name continues today in the new church. The heritage left from the war is never far away and many pilgrims, former RAF and RAAF families continue to visit.
Of note for film buffs, RAF Binbrook was the location for David Puttnam's Hollywood epic 'Memphis Belle' which was produced in 1989.