Cross Houses
Encyclopedia
Cross Houses is a village in Shropshire
, England
, the largest village in the Parish of Berrington
. It is located on the A458 road
, 4 miles SE of Shrewsbury
. It was once served by Berrington railway station
, which despite the name was much closer to Cross Houses than to its namesake.
The village has a busy Shop/Post Office/Petrol Station and also a pub "The Bell". The village also used to be home to a second pub "The Fox" which has since been converted into a single dwelling and a second house built in the former car park.
Cross Houses is also the name of a hamlet SW of Bridgnorth
.
Cross Houses was the birthplace of Kevin Whitrick
, the first Briton to commit suicide online.
The hospital was originally built as the Atcham Union Workhouse in 1793 following Atcham
's incorporation under a local Act in 1792. The Incorporation was allowed under the Act to build and operate workhouses. The original building was designed by local architect John Hiram Haycock (1759–1850), and was later extended in 1851, 1871 and 1903 to increase capacity.
The part of the building that was the original Workhouse, now residential accommodation, is called Haycock House after the original architect.
In 1916, the building became Berrington War Hospital before becoming a general hospital, maternity hospital and geriatric hospital. The building was eventually used as NHS Trust admin offices and storage. The offices were closed in 2000 and redeveloped into modern housing.
The development, commencing in 2001, aimed to preserve the heritage of the original buildings in the workhouse complex. The original workhouse building, the kitchen/laundry block and the chapel remained where other extensions were taken down.
The chapel now houses a community centre and the former laundry and kitchen block houses offices.
Architecturally, the appeal of the building is with the original Workhouse and the original laundry/kitchen block which has some of the earliest cast-iron windows in the world. It is also note-worthy that "great" bricks were used in the construction of the Workhouse, reflecting the response of brick manufacturers to the brick tax
.
To the north of Cross Houses lies Work House Wood – a wood strategically positioned to protect the residents of Attingham Park
Mansion from views of the Workhouse.
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the largest village in the Parish of Berrington
Berrington, Shropshire
Berrington is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. According to the 2001 census the village had a population of 30, though the parish, which also includes the larger villages of Cross Houses and Cantlop, had a population of 805 in total....
. It is located on the A458 road
A458 road
The A458 is a route on the UK highway network that runs from Mallwyd, near Machynlleth, in Wales, to Halesowen, near Stourbridge, in England. On the way it passes through Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Much Wenlock, Bridgnorth and Stourbridge.-Welshpool to Shrewsbury:...
, 4 miles SE of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. It was once served by Berrington railway station
Berrington railway station
Berrington railway station was a railway station on the Severn Valley line. It opened in 1880 with a single platform and a siding. By 1898 it had acquired an additional platform along with a signal box and the sidings had been expanded. Despite the name it was actually closer to the neighbouring...
, which despite the name was much closer to Cross Houses than to its namesake.
The village has a busy Shop/Post Office/Petrol Station and also a pub "The Bell". The village also used to be home to a second pub "The Fox" which has since been converted into a single dwelling and a second house built in the former car park.
Cross Houses is also the name of a hamlet SW of Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
.
Cross Houses was the birthplace of Kevin Whitrick
Kevin Whitrick
Kevin Neil Whitrick was a British citizen and an electrical engineer.Whitrick's death was highly publicized for his live, online webcasted suicide.- Marriage and children :...
, the first Briton to commit suicide online.
Atcham Union Workhouse / Cross Houses Hospital
Cross Houses has long been renowned for the hospital site, which has recently been redeveloped for housing.The hospital was originally built as the Atcham Union Workhouse in 1793 following Atcham
Atcham
Atcham is a village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the B4380 , 5 miles south east of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows around the village...
's incorporation under a local Act in 1792. The Incorporation was allowed under the Act to build and operate workhouses. The original building was designed by local architect John Hiram Haycock (1759–1850), and was later extended in 1851, 1871 and 1903 to increase capacity.
The part of the building that was the original Workhouse, now residential accommodation, is called Haycock House after the original architect.
In 1916, the building became Berrington War Hospital before becoming a general hospital, maternity hospital and geriatric hospital. The building was eventually used as NHS Trust admin offices and storage. The offices were closed in 2000 and redeveloped into modern housing.
The development, commencing in 2001, aimed to preserve the heritage of the original buildings in the workhouse complex. The original workhouse building, the kitchen/laundry block and the chapel remained where other extensions were taken down.
The chapel now houses a community centre and the former laundry and kitchen block houses offices.
Architecturally, the appeal of the building is with the original Workhouse and the original laundry/kitchen block which has some of the earliest cast-iron windows in the world. It is also note-worthy that "great" bricks were used in the construction of the Workhouse, reflecting the response of brick manufacturers to the brick tax
Brick tax
The brick tax was introduced in Great Britain in 1784, during the reign of King George III, to help pay for the wars in the American Colonies. Bricks were initially taxed at 4s per thousand. To mitigate the effect of the tax, manufacturers began to increase the size of their bricks, up to a maximum...
.
To the north of Cross Houses lies Work House Wood – a wood strategically positioned to protect the residents of Attingham Park
Attingham Park
Attingham Park is a country house in Shropshire, England, which is owned by the National Trust. It is a Grade I listed building.- Location :It is located near to the village of Atcham, on the B4380 Shrewsbury to Wellington road.- History :...
Mansion from views of the Workhouse.