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General
Willington lies to the south of the River Ouse on a loop road off the Bedford to Sandy road. It has a population of 760 with the oldest part of the village closest to the loop road. The church of St Lawrence was built in the sixteenth century most likely by Sir John Gostwick who was an official of Cardinal Wolsey and who later held high office under Henry VIII.
Sir John acquired the Manor of Willington in 1529 and built a manor house where Henry VIII was reported to have stayed. The manor has virtually disappeared but the Tudor Dovecote and stables still remain. The dovecote is a massive stone structure with nesting boxes for one thousand five hundred birds and is now managed by The National Trust.
In the Domesday Book the name is given as Wel(i)tone and the name is thought to mean ‘willow-tree farm or settlement’ from the Old English wilign and tun.
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Willington Manor
Though a ghost has never been seen at Willington Manor it has revealed itself in other ways. There have been numerous reported incidents of heavy footsteps being heard and the tinkling of a bell. Dogs are particularly upset by the ghost, especially in the early hours of the morning.
The identity of the ghost is unknown and there appear to be no reasons for the haunting but the skeleton of a man was found bricked up in a wall whilst the house was undergoing reconstruction early in the twentieth century.
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