Binley is a suburb in the east of Coventry, West Midlands, England. Binley evolved from a small mining village on the outskirts of Coventry to a large residential area composing private residences and council-owned properties. It is famous for the Binley Mega Chippy, which is located within Binley.
| Binley | |
|---|---|
 St Bartholomew's Church, Binley, Coventry (pictured February 2007) | |
  Binley Location within the West Midlands | |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Binley is part of the ward of Binley and Willenhall, which had a population of 17,774 at the 2021 census.[1]
Binley is flanked by Willenhall to the south (separated by the Coventry to Rugby railway line), Stoke Aldermoor to the west (separated by Allard Way road), and the Warwickshire village of Binley Woods to the east, which almost joins Binley since the construction of the Eastern Bypass, a B&Q store and a T.G.I. Friday's restaurant between the two areas. The final side is Copsewood, leading to Wyken in one direction, and Stoke the other.
History
editBinley was originally a village, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.[2] Most of the old civil parish of Binley was incorporated into the City of Coventry in 1932,[3] with the remainder being transferred to Baginton and Combe Fields.[4]
The local church of St Bartholomew was built in 1773, at the expanse of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven.[4] It is now grade I listed.[5]
Binley colliery was opened in 1908, and was at one time the most efficient and prosperous colliery in the Warwickshire coalfield, it was modernised in the 1950s, but was closed in 1963.[6] The entrance was on Willenhall Lane. Herald Way industrial estate now occupies the site. Former pit worker cottages still remain along Willenhall Lane and St James Lane.
In the early 1970s, a new housing estate called Ernesford Grange was built adjacent to Binley. Many of the new closes were named after miners who were well known in the community; William McKee, George Robertson, and Sam Gault being examples. Binley grew further in the 1990s with a large housing estate being constructed to the east of the old schools and extending to Brinklow Road (near to Coombe Country Park).
The flight path of the Coventry Airport in the nearby village of Baginton runs just to the east of Binley.
The buildings of the old Binley school became "Lino's Restaurant", which was demolished in 2007 to make way for new housing. The three other Binley schools disappeared in the early 1980s to make way for a large industrial and office complex.
Places
editThe construction of St Bartholomew's Church was funded by Lord Craven. It was consecrated in 1772,[7] with its 200th anniversary being celebrated in 1972. It has a grey slate roof, and its walls consist of light-coloured stone which appear grey after being coloured with a cement wash.[8] The Coombe social club has been serving Binley locals since 1929 and has thousands of members.[9]
Binley Mega Chippy
edit Binley Mega Chippy in 2008 | |
| Company type | Fish and chip shop |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
Area served | Binley, Coventry |
| Products | Fish and chips |
| Owner | Kamal Gandhi |
Number of employees | 7 |
The suburb is the location of the Binley Mega Chippy, a fish and chip shop opened in 2004.[10] In early 2022, users on social networking platforms Twitter and TikTok started sharing ironic memes about the chip shop.[10] A now renowned jingle about the chip shop was created and the venue went viral on the internet.[10][11] A hashtag "#BinleyMegaChippy" was viewed online nearly 235 million times by June 2022.[10][12] Staff and local shoppers admitted their initial confusion about the sudden surge in popularity.[11][10] By May 2022, the venue had become so well known that it received visitors from Scotland, Portugal, and Australia.[13][14]
Proposed railway station
editIn 2023, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) put forward plans to open a new railway station at Binley on the line between Coventry and Rugby named Coventry East (Binley).[15]
References
edit- ^ "Binley and Willenhall Ward in West Midlands". City Population. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "The City of Coventry: The outlying parts of Coventry, Introduction". British History Online. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "The City of Coventry: Introduction". British History Online. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Parishes: Binley". British History Online. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Bartholomew (1076629)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Binley Colliery". Our Warwickshire. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Lewis, Samuel (1831). A Topographical Dictionary of England. S. Lewis & Co. pp. 168.
- ^ Salzman, L. F., ed. (1951). Parishes: Binley, A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 6. British History online. pp. 335–37. Retrieved 11 August 2007.
- ^ "The Coombe Social Club in Coventry, UK". Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Kaur, Jaspreet (27 May 2022). "Locals left baffled after Binley Mega Chippy goes viral on TikTok". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ a b Murray, Jessica (30 May 2022). "West Midlands chip shop becomes TikTok sensation". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ Kaur, Jaspreet (31 May 2022). "Binley Mega Chippy fans can now play Roblox games set in takeaway". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ Dutton, Adam; Kaur, Jaspreet (31 May 2022). "Binley Mega Chippy craze sees diners descend from across UK and world". CoventryLive. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ Murray, Jessica (12 June 2022). "'A gift from God': Binley Mega Chippy owner basks in TikTok fame". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ "Plans mooted for five new railways stations across West Midlands". BBC News. March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.