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Lying by the banks of the River Witham, south of the present village, is a double moated area enclosing the site of a probable 13th or 14th century manor house. However, if there was a manor house here, it has since been replaced by what appears to be two fishponds. The site has never been excavated, the medieval date is derived from artefacts that have been found on the surface. The features in the adjoining rectangular moat to the north appear to be elements of a 16th century ornamental garden, including a possible walkway and ‘prospect mound’ for observing the view. There are bumps in the area to the west of the dovecote which are thought to represent a later building - Haddington Hall. It is thought that wooden panelling from this building was salvaged for Aubourn Hall when it was demolished in the late 16th century.

The stone dovecote to the north of the moats date from around 1420 or later. It has nesting boxes for 500 birds and would originally have been roofed. Doves were a popular source of food in the middle ages and dovecotes are often found near manor houses.

The Clock Tower, at it is now known, is a Grade II listed building and continues to serve the villages of Aubourn and Haddington as it is surrounded by the graveyard with the village war memorial, which is still being used. The church was part demolished in the 1970’s and the remaining standing structure was saved from total demolition by the weight of public opinion with local residents raising funds to retain the building within the parish. It is at the heart of the two villages and is widely recognised as a local landmark introducing a welcome verticality into an essentially flat landscape and offers an added local interest in there being a magnificent working clock dedicated to the community.

RAF Swinderby 1940 - 1993 was sold in 1994. The technical site is now an industrial estate and the domestic site became the village of Withal St Hughs. The airfield remains and is disused. During the second world war, No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron and No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron operated out of Swinderby. From 1964 until July 1993 RAF Swinderby was the home to RAF basic training for all male enlisted personnel prior to their trade training. Female enlisted personnel training moved from RAF Hereford to RAF Swinderby in 1976. I was one of the fresh faced 18 year olds who undertook my RAF basic training at Swinderby.