Meole Brace
Encyclopedia
Meole Brace is a suburb of Shrewsbury
, Shropshire
, England
.
The Rea Brook
flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn
. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house
, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family (perhaps originally 'de Bracey': Norman
barons). It has been known as Meole, or Mole, or Mill for almost 1000 years; it may come from Mill, as in flour mill, as there was certainly a mill on the brook, or possibly from the Welsh
'Moel' meaning "bare", or, by extension "bare hill"- or from Old English mele, "meal" as in "oatmeal", referring to the sediment in the brook giving a "mealy" appearance. This latter etymology
is supported by most of the earlier (Middle English
) spellings which have "Mele" without an "o"; 'Malvern', derived from the Welsh 'Moel' appears as mal- or mael- while Old English myll "mill" only appears with an e in southeastern (mostly Kentish) texts.
is the main road running north-south. There is a large retail park
in Meole Brace, with several leading retailers. The Welsh Marches Line
and Cambrian Line
run through the area, but there is no longer a railway station here.
There is also a local comprehensive
secondary school
- Meole Brace School Science College
http://www.meolebrace.com/ and in heart of the village there is a Church of England
infant and primary school.
The village also boasts a church, Meole Brace Holy Trinity. Built at a cost of £7500 on the site of the old vicarage, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Hereford in 1869
Meole Brace is home to Meole Brace Bowling Club, built in 1934, and to the council-run 12-hole Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course which links the village to the nearby conurbations of Reabrook and Sutton Park as well as Reabrook Nature Reserve. The New Meadow
football ground, home of Shrewsbury Town F.C.
is situated nearby, with the local pub 'The Brooklands Hotel' enjoying a brisk trade with home and away football supporters (official matchday parking is available on site).
Meole Village is the name used locally for the older part of Meole Brace, which was originally a village outside Shrewsbury. It still retains a village feel, though it is surrounded by newer urban development. This older settlement lies on the route of a Roman road
and could be older than the town of Shrewsbury.
Nearby are the small villages of Nobold
and Pulley
.
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...
, Shropshire
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 Rea Brook
Rea Brook
The name Rea Brook can refer to either of two brooks in Shropshire, England.One of the brooks, which eventually becomes the River Rea, is in southern Shropshire. It is to the east of Brown Clee Hill....
flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family (perhaps originally 'de Bracey': Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
barons). It has been known as Meole, or Mole, or Mill for almost 1000 years; it may come from Mill, as in flour mill, as there was certainly a mill on the brook, or possibly from the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
'Moel' meaning "bare", or, by extension "bare hill"- or from Old English mele, "meal" as in "oatmeal", referring to the sediment in the brook giving a "mealy" appearance. This latter etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is supported by most of the earlier (Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
) spellings which have "Mele" without an "o"; 'Malvern', derived from the Welsh 'Moel' appears as mal- or mael- while Old English myll "mill" only appears with an e in southeastern (mostly Kentish) texts.
Amenities
A5112 (Hereford Road), formerly the A49A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
is the main road running north-south. There is a large retail park
Retail park
In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
in Meole Brace, with several leading retailers. The Welsh Marches Line
Welsh Marches Line
The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch...
and Cambrian Line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
run through the area, but there is no longer a railway station here.
There is also a local comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
- Meole Brace School Science College
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
http://www.meolebrace.com/ and in heart of the village there is a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
infant and primary school.
The village also boasts a church, Meole Brace Holy Trinity. Built at a cost of £7500 on the site of the old vicarage, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Hereford in 1869
Meole Brace is home to Meole Brace Bowling Club, built in 1934, and to the council-run 12-hole Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course which links the village to the nearby conurbations of Reabrook and Sutton Park as well as Reabrook Nature Reserve. The New Meadow
New Meadow
The New Meadow, also known as the Greenhous Meadow for sponsorship purposes, is the home ground of Shrewsbury Town Football Club and is a UEFA Category Four stadium. The stadium is situated on the southern outskirts of Shrewsbury, England, between the districts of Meole Brace and Sutton Farm...
football ground, home of Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
is situated nearby, with the local pub 'The Brooklands Hotel' enjoying a brisk trade with home and away football supporters (official matchday parking is available on site).
Meole Village is the name used locally for the older part of Meole Brace, which was originally a village outside Shrewsbury. It still retains a village feel, though it is surrounded by newer urban development. This older settlement lies on the route of a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
and could be older than the town of Shrewsbury.
Nearby are the small villages of Nobold
Nobold
Nobold is a small village on the south-western edge of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is located on the Shrewsbury to Longden road. Nobold boasts Shropshire's oldest natural water well.Nearby are Meole Brace and Hook-a-Gate villages....
and Pulley
Pulley, Shropshire
Pulley is a small village on the southern edge of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is located between Shrewsbury and Bayston Hill. The A5 Shrewsbury by-pass cuts through the area.To the north is the Shrewsbury suburb of Meole Brace.-History:...
.