Buildwas

Last updated

Buildwas
Buildwas Church.jpg
Buildwas Church
Shropshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Buildwas
Location within Shropshire
Population321 (2011) [1]
OS grid reference SJ641045
Civil parish
  • Buildwas
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Telford
Postcode district TF8
Dialling code 01952
Police West Mercia
Fire Shropshire
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire
52°38′13″N2°31′52″W / 52.637°N 2.531°W / 52.637; -2.531

Buildwas is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England, on the north bank of the River Severn at grid reference SJ641045 . It lies on the B4380 road between Atcham and Ironbridge. The Royal Mail postcodes begin TF6 and TF8.

Contents

Buildwas Primary Academy is situated on the Buildwas bank road. The school has been running since 1855, and has three classes and a nursery.

Buildwas previously had a nine-hole golf course which ran between the River Severn and the site of Ironbridge Power Station. It was open to members of Buildwas Abbey Club.

Village

The village of Buildwas has been recognised since 1086 as the first reference to it was made in the Domesday Book. Buildwas was valued at 45 shillings [2] [3] (£2.25) to the Bishop of Chester, i.e. the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, the local diocesan bishop, in 1086. The value of the manor was the same as in 1066, although it had slipped in the interim period. Its value lay in its location on the River Severn in its woodland, which was useful for agricultural and farming purposes. During this time period, the village had a total population of nine households, three of villeins, five of slaves and one the reeve. Due to this the village only had a total tax assessment of one geld unit which was very small. Buildwas had resources of 200 pigs and a mill which people relied on. The manor was assigned to Buildwas Abbey, originally founded as a Savigniac monastery, in 1135 by Roger de Clinton [4] (1129–1148), Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. The Savigniac houses were later absorbed into the Cistercian order. After the abbey was suppressed in 1536, as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site and much of the property was granted to Edward Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Powis [5]

Buildwas was also the site of a station opened in 1862 on the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway and Severn Valley Railway, although the station was inaccessible to the population and visitors who had to get off further down the line at either Ironbridge or Coalbrookdale. The site was, until recently, occupied by Ironbridge Power Station. However, the station was demolished in stages completed in 2021. [6] with hopes a new railway station to serve Ironbridge Gorge area could be opened near Buildwas. [7]

Based on a study of train journeys and travel times, Michael Cobb argued in 1977 that Buildwas could have been a location setting for the fictional Market Blandings in the writings of P.G. Wodehouse, and the mansion Buildwas Park an original for Blandings Castle. [8] [9]

Occupations

Occupational order of Buildwas for 1881 Occupational Order of Buildwas for 1881.png
Occupational order of Buildwas for 1881

The first census regarding occupational data for the village of Buildwas was taken in 1831 and gives a valuable insight into the village for this time period. The census showed that the biggest employability sector at this time was agricultural labourers, and there were 35 people employed in this field. [10] The second-biggest field was retail and handicrafts, which employed seven people in the village. There was one capitalist or professional person within the village, and the remaining people were farmers and servants. [10]

The 1881 census of the village gave valuable insight into how the population had slowly increased and how the jobs had diversified. Agriculture was still the biggest employment sector with 41 people, but other job fields had grown over the course of fifty years. [10] There were fifteen females and eight males employed in domestic services and offices. There were twelve males employed in the extraction of mineral substances and three people who worked in transport and commerce. There were forty people in the survey who were classified as having an unknown occupation and three male workers in food and lodging.

Population

Population density of Buildwas from 1880 to 1960 Population density in Buildwas.png
Population density of Buildwas from 1880 to 1960

Population change in Buildwas has experienced a great deal of fluctuation since the first census of 1801 was taken. This is because the village had a small population of 258 to begin with, meaning that any change is a lot more visible. [10] In 1811 the population had declined to 226 people but then experienced a gradual increase to 240 people in 1821 and stayed at this level through to 1831. Over the next ten years, the village had experienced a rapid population increase of 33 people in 1841 and in 1851 the population had increased again to 290 people. From 1851 to 1881 there had been a population decrease of eighteen people. During 1881 there was a national population change across the country with an overall decrease of 3% and this change of population was apparent in Buildwas as from 1881 to 1891 there was a population decrease of 31 people. The population increased by 34 people in 1901 and by 1911 the population had increased by 32 people.

Housing

According to the 2001 Census, Buildwas had a total of 134 dwellings. Of these, 42 were categorised as being flats or apartments, 46 detached houses or bungalows, and 46 semi-detached or terraced houses. [11] The average price of property which has been sold in Buildwas was valued at £218,114 [12] which was well above the national average of £161,558 in April 2012. [13]

In June 2018 the Harworth Group announced that it had bought the Ironbridge Power Station site, whose buildings were scheduled for demolition, for an undisclosed sum. Plans for the site included the development of 'several hundred new homes' together with commercial development, leisure uses and significant public open space. [14] An outline planning application for a development including 1,000 new homes and other facilities was submitted to both Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council on 19 December 2019. [15] The plan was initially rejected by Shropshire Council's Southern Planning Committee in August 2021 over a number of issues including the level of guaranteed affordable housing, [16] but was granted in September 2021 after amended proposals were submitted. [17]

Abbey

The preserved remains of a Cistercian abbey lie on the south bank of the River Severn. These include an unusually unaltered 12th-century church, a vaulted and tile-floored chapter house, and a re-opened crypt chapel. [18] The stone abbey buildings were completed mainly during the abbacy of Ranulf, which began around 1155. [19] The income for the abbey came mainly from a large portfolio of properties, concentrated around monastic granges in the surrounding areas of Shropshire and Staffordshire. The site is now cared for by English Heritage. [20]

Bridge

Telford's bridge at Buildwas Buildwas Bridge (Telford's bridge).jpg
Telford's bridge at Buildwas

A brick and stone bridge crossed the Severn from medieval times to the 18th century; in the floods of 1773 and 1795, it was irreparably damaged and finally swept away by severe flooding following an earthquake. [21] After its destruction, Thomas Telford built a cast-iron arch bridge in 1796, which survived subsequent floods until its replacement by a steel Pratt truss in 1905, which itself was replaced in 1992. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironbridge</span> Settlement in Shropshire, England

Ironbridge is a large village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. Located on the bank of the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, it lies in the civil parish of The Gorge. Ironbridge developed beside, and takes its name from, The Iron Bridge, a 100-foot (30 m) cast iron bridge that was built in 1779.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severn Valley Railway</span> Heritage railway in England

The Severn Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England, named after the company that originally built the railway over which it now operates. The 16-mile (26 km) heritage line runs from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn along the Severn Valley for much of its route, and crossing the river on the historic Victoria Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford</span> Town in Shropshire, England

Telford is a town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre of Telford and Wrekin borough, a unitary authority which covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding settlements. The town is inland and near the River Severn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironbridge Gorge</span> Deep river valley in Shropshire, England

The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge, containing the River Severn in Shropshire, England. It was first formed by a glacial overflow from the long drained away Lake Lapworth, at the end of the last ice age. The deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay, which enabled the rapid economic development of the area during the early Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawley</span> Human settlement in England

Dawley is a constituent town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It was originally, in 1963, going to be the main centre of the 'Dawley New Town' plan before it was decided in 1968 to name the new town as 'Telford', after the engineer and road-builder Thomas Telford. Dawley now forms part of Telford whose town centre is north of Dawley itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broseley</span> Market town in Shropshire, England

Broseley is a market town in Shropshire, England, with a population of 4,929 at the 2011 Census and an estimate of 5,022 in 2019. The River Severn flows to its north and east. The first iron bridge in the world was built in 1779 across the Severn, linking Broseley with Coalbrookdale and Madeley. This contributed to the early industrial development in the Ironbridge Gorge, which is now part of a World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Shropshire</span> Overview of rail transport in Shropshire, England

The English county of Shropshire has a fairly large railway network, with 19 National Rail stations on various national lines; there are also a small number of heritage and freight lines, including the famous heritage Severn Valley Railway running along its eastern border with Worcestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford Steam Railway</span> Heritage railway in Shropshire, England

The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeley, Shropshire</span> Human settlement in England

Madeley is a constituent town of Telford and a civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironbridge power stations</span> Two former power stations in Shropshire, England

The Ironbridge power stations refers to a series of two power stations that occupied a site on the banks of the River Severn at Buildwas in Shropshire, England. The Ironbridge B Power Station was operated by E.ON UK but the site is now owned by Haworth Group. The station stands near the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. Originally powered by coal, they were converted to use 100% biomass fuel. Ironbridge B Power Station stopped generating electricity on 20 November 2015, with the decommissioning process continuing into 2017. The main phase of the 27-month demolition process began at 11:00 GMT on 6 December 2019, commencing with the four cooling towers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildwas Abbey</span> Monastery in Shropshire, England

Buildwas Abbey was a Cistercian monastery located on the banks of the River Severn, at Buildwas in Shropshire, England - today about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Ironbridge. Founded by the local bishop in 1135, it was sparsely endowed at the outset but enjoyed several periods of growth and increasing wealth: notably under Abbot Ranulf in the second half of the 12th century and again from the mid-13th century, when large numbers of acquisitions were made from the local landed gentry. Abbots were regularly used as agents by Plantagenet in their attempts to subdue Ireland and Wales and the abbey acquired a daughter house in each country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalport</span> Human settlement in England

Coalport is a village in Shropshire, England. It is located on the River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge, a mile downstream of Ironbridge. It lies predominantly on the north bank of the river; on the other side is Jackfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longdon-on-Tern</span> Human settlement in England

Longdon-Upon-Tern is a village in east central Shropshire, England. It is in the unitary district of Telford and Wrekin, and is approximately 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) east of Shrewsbury and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north-west of Telford. Longdon-Upon-Tern is situated on the River Tern, a tributary of the River Severn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Iron Bridge</span> Bridge across the River Severn in Shropshire, England

The Iron Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge that crosses the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Opened in 1781, it was the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron. Its success inspired the widespread use of cast iron as a structural material, and today the bridge is celebrated as a symbol of the Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackfield</span> Human settlement in England

Jackfield is a village in Shropshire, England, lying on the south bank of River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge, downstream from Ironbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leighton and Eaton Constantine</span> Human settlement in England

Leighton and Eaton Constantine is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It consists of the village of Leighton, together with the smaller villages or hamlets of Eaton Constantine, Upper Longwood and Garmston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightmoor Junction</span>

Lightmoor Junction was a railway junction between Ironbridge Power Station at Buildwas and Madeley Junction in Shropshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildwas railway station</span> Former railway station in Shropshire, England

Buildwas railway station was an isolated junction railway station on the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway and Severn Valley Railway. Opened on 1 February 1862. Although the station served both the Severn Valley Railway and Wellington to Craven Arms Railway, it was an interchange station in open countryside with no passenger access except by rail.

The Wellington to Craven Arms Railway was formed by a group of railway companies that eventually joined the Great Western Railway family, and connected Wellington, Shropshire and Shifnal, with Coalbrookdale, Buildwas, Much Wenlock and a junction near Craven Arms. Its objectives were dominated by the iron, colliery and limestone industries around Coalbrookdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Edward Bridge</span> Railway bridge in Shropshire, England.

The Albert Edward Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, England.

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. Buildwas in the Domesday Book
  3. Domesday text translation at Open Domesday: SHR 1,7.
  4. L. Janauschek. Originum Cisterciensium, p. 104
  5. Victoria County History – Shropshire: House of Cistercian monks: Abbey of Buildwas
  6. Pritchard, Chris (3 September 2021). "Ironbridge Power Station chimney demolished". Shropshire Live. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  7. Hardiman, Deborah (11 October 2018). "Telford Steam Railway consults on Ironbridge Power Station site plan". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  8. Wodehouse, Pelham Grenville; appendices by Richard Usborne; ill. by Ionicus (1977). Sunset at Blandings. London: Chatto & Windus. p. 195. ISBN   0701122374.
  9. Dickins, Gordon (1987). An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire. Shropshire Libraries. pp. 62, 91. ISBN   0-903802-37-6.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Vision of Britain". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  11. "Neighbourhood Statistics". Directgov. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  12. "FindaProperty.com". FindaProperty.com. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  13. "Land Registry". Land Registry. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  14. "Harworth Group Acquires Major Regeneration Site as it Grows its Presence in the Midlands". 19 June 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  15. "Planning Application Submitted". www.ironbridgeregeneration.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  16. Robertson, Dominic (14 August 2021). "People urged to look at 'bigger picture' over Ironbridge Power Station site". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  17. Austin, Sue (20 September 2021). "Major Ironbridge Power Station development approved at third time of asking". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  18. "English Heritage". English Heritage. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  19. Victoria County History – Shropshire: House of Cistercian monks: Abbey of Buildwas
  20. "Visiting Buildwas". Beth Heath. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  21. "Buildwas Bridge and the Severn Earthquake of 1773". revolutionaryplayers.org.uk. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  22. "Buildwas Bridge, site of". engineering timelines. Retrieved 7 May 2017.