Where exactly is the middle of England? Many guess the answer is Meriden, near Coventry, where an ancient monument marks the “traditional centre of England”. In fact, the geographic centre of England is in a paddock at Lindley Hall Farm, outside the village of Fenny Drayton, owned by Margaret Farmer (aged 86). We paid a brief visit to the farm this week.

 

The nation’s chief mapping agency, the Ordnance Survey, has calculated the exact centre of England at grid reference SP 35373.66 96143.05 (a point just a couple of hundred metres from Mrs Farmer’s house).

When the BBC visited Mr and Mrs Farmer in 2002 (Mr Farmer has since deceased) the couple said they were “surprised” to learn their farm was special. Mrs Farmer said: “We like it here because it is nice and peaceful and it is good land.” The farm has been in the family for 41 years. It was formerly a dairy farm, but all its animals were destroyed following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. It is now being farmed for sheep, cattle, wheat, oats and barley.

Commenting on the suggestion they should build tearooms and possibly American tourists would come out, Mrs Farmer said “I think we are a bit old for all that”. How refreshing!

However, citizens of Coventry are obviously proud of their status as being the closest city to the centre of England. As proved by this music fan I came across at this weekend’s Godiva Festival, which read: “Coventry- North of London, South of Manchester, Heart of England.”

 

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