Warton is a village on the Fylde in Lancashire, England. The village is west of Preston and south-east of Blackpool. It is located on the banks of the River Ribble, close to its entry into the Irish Sea. It is best known for its airfield, Warton Aerodrome and the associated aircraft manufacturing plant of BAE Systems Military Air & Information. The village is part of the borough of Fylde. History The village is named Wartun or Wartuna in the Domesday Book, and the current spelling is first seen in 1227. In 1835 Warton was a township in the parish of Kirkham. For probate purposes, prior to 1858, Warton was in the Archdeaconry of Richmond, in the Diocese of Chester. In his 1870 Gazetteer, Wilson reports that the chapelry of Warton also included the Freckleton township, and comprised 6,598 acres, with a population 1,325 and 270 houses. The property is described as being "much subdivided". Cotton spinning and the manufacture of sacking, sailcloth, and cordage were the main occupations. There were two churches, both described as "good". There were also two Methodist chapels. Warton Post Mill, one of the last sunk post mills in England, was situated at the end of Mill Lane. All that remains of the former post mill is a circular wooden post that is stabilised by crossed timbers. The mill is thought to have been built in Lincolnshire in about 1695 before being moved to Rufford, Lancashire, in the early-mid 18th century and subsequently to Warton in 1771. It was last wind worked in about 1895. It then deteriorated and the ruin was left standing in the middle of a scrap yard. In June 1999 the substructure was excavated by the Chorley Archaeological Society. The buried cross-trees and the lower ends of the main post and quarterbars were all found to be rotten. In September 1999 three of the quarterbars were destroyed by vandals. The mill was consequently dismantled and stored in the nearby BAE Systems factory. Only the millstone and the old anvil are preserved at the former smithy. It was a Grade II listed building from 1996 until 2019. The mill is reflected in the name of the modern nearby street Post Lane. St Paul's Church The first church, Holy Trinity on Church Road, was built in 1722 and consecrated in 1725. Originally built as a chapel of ease to Kirkham, it eventually became a