Westbury, Shropshire

Westbury

St Mary's church in Westbury.
Westbury is located in the West of Shropshire in the West Midlands
Westbury
Westbury shown within Shropshire
Area 15 sq mi (39 km2) [1]
Population 1,352 [2]
• Density 90/sq mi (35/km2)
OS grid reference SJ355094
Civil parish
  • Westbury
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town SHREWSBURY
Postcode district SY5
Dialling code 01743
Police West Mercia
Fire Shropshire
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
UK Parliament

Westbury is a village and parish in Shropshire, England. It includes the settlements of Caus Forest, Lake, Marche, Newtown, Stoney Stretton, Vennington, Wallop, Westbury, Whitton, Winsley and Yockleton. It lies 8 miles west of the town of Shrewsbury, very close to the Wales-England border. It is located at 135m altitude. It had a population of 1,352 according to the 2011 census.[2] In 2005, Westbury parish expanded with the annexation of half of the former Wollaston parish.

It is situated on the B4386 road which travels from Shrewsbury to Montgomery.

The village has a primary school (St Mary's CE Aided), a Royal Mail Post Office, a Marstons Pub called 'The Lion', a medical practice surgery, and a cemetery on Hinwood Road.

History

Straight line scatter graph showing population statistics over time
Total Population of Westbury Civil Parish, Shropshire, as reported by the Census of Population from 1881 to 2011.
Pie chart showing males aged 20 & over, in 9 occupational categories in 1831.[3]

During the Roman settlement of Britain it was an outpost of Wroxeter. In about 1848, a piece of lead was found with markings of the name of the Roman Emperor Aurelian.[4] About a mile from Westbury lie the scant ruins of Caus Castle, which was originally used as a border stronghold.[4] The castle was built in the late 11th century.[5]

In 1870–72, Westbury was described by John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales like this:

"WESTBURY, a township and a parish in Atcham district, Salop. The township lies on the Shrewsbury and Welshpool railway, 11½ miles W by S of Shrewsbury; contains a village of its own name; and has a post-office under Shrewsbury, and a r[ailway]. station. Real property, £6,174; of which £200 are in mines. Pop[ulation]. in 1851, 1,497; in 1861, 1,655. Houses, 298. The property is not much divided. The parish includes Minsterley chapelry, and forms a sub-district. Acres, 11,274. Rated property in 1869, £16,158. Pop., 2,545. Houses, 476. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Hereford. Value, £766. Patron, R. Cholmondeley, Esq. The church is good. The p[erpetual]. curacy of Minsterley is a separate benefice. There are dissenting chapels, an endowed school with £30 a year, and charities £44."[6]

In 1831 the dominating occupation was working in agriculture and farming.[3] There were no manufacturing jobs in 1831.[3] In 2001 there were 80, which decreased to 52 in 2011.[7][8] Several coal and lead mines were being worked near Shrewsbury and Westbury at the former time. Many collieries were closed by 1921, with the last closing in 1941.[9]

Two Prisoner of War (POW) camps were located about 7 miles North of Westbury during WW2.[10] The nearest in Nesscliffe was a "pre-existing camp serving an ordnance depot. [It is] presently used by the army as Nesscliffe Training Camp".[11]

Council houses in Westbury

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Westbury (Parish): Population Density, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Westbury (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, A Vision of Britain through Time. "Westbury CP/AP through time. Males aged 20 & over, in 9 occupational categories in 1831". Industry Statistics. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 Hinson, Colin. "The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland". GENUKI. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Caus Castle near Westbury, Shropshire, England. "Caus Castle".
  6. ↑ Wilson, John Marius (1870–72). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Westbury: A. Fullarton & Co. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Westbury (Parish): Industry of Employment 2001". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Westbury (Parish): Industry, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Shropshire Mines. "Shrewsbury Coalfield". Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Shropshire History. "Shropshire Prisoner of War Camps". Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Google. "POW camps mapped". Fusion Tables. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  12. ↑ 1911 Census of England and Wales, form at National Archives AncestryLibrary.com.
  13. ↑ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, 1948. Kelly's. p. 458. Earliest mention of Whitton Hall as home.
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