Merrington, Shropshire
Encyclopedia
Merrington is a small village in Shropshire
, England
. It is situated to the north of the larger village of Bomere Heath
and lies in the parish
of Pimhill
. Nearby, to the west, is the hamlet of Old Woods
.
, with a record of a manor
held here by Hunning in 1066. It was recorded as "Gellidone" in the Domesday Book
, by which time (1086) it was held by a Norman
noble.
The famous gardener, horticulturist and broadcaster, Percy Thrower
, built his own house in the village, called "The Magnolias", in 1963 on land he acquired with a friend. This gave him a garden of about one and a half acres to "play with", something which he had never had before. The garden subsequently became the location for some of the episodes of Gardeners' World
. He opened the garden to the public in 1966, and this became an annual event to raise money for charity.
The village also has a notable Victorian pump and deep well
, paid for by Robert Slaney and his wife, members of a local wealthy family.
Just to the west of the settlement is Merrington Green. An area of heathland/woodland here is common land
, owned by the local authority
and managed by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust
. Fishing ponds have also recently been established at the nearby Hayes Farm. The Green was a US Army camp during World War II
and German prisoners of war were kept here for a time.
The centre of Merrington is situated at 104m above sea level
; at Merrington Green there is a small hill which summits at 122m. The area is quite well wood
ed, with Merrington Green, the woods towards Old Woods, and the woodland to the east at Pim Hill.
, Baschurch
, Bomere Heath and Shrewsbury
.
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...
. It is situated to the north of the larger village of Bomere Heath
Bomere Heath
Bomere Heath is a village in Shropshire, England lying north of the county town of Shrewsbury and in between Baschurch and Harlescott. It is situated between the A528 road and Berwick Road...
and lies in the parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Pimhill
Pimhill
Pimhill is a geographically large civil parish in Shropshire, England, to the north of Shrewsbury. It is named after a hill, which rises to 163m, sometimes spelt Pim Hill...
. Nearby, to the west, is the hamlet of Old Woods
Old Woods, Shropshire
Old Woods is a hamlet in Shropshire, England, located to the northwest of Shrewsbury. It is alternatively known and spelt as Oldwood, Oldwoods and Old Wood.-Situation:...
.
History and attractions
The village can be dated back nearly a millenniumMillennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, with a record of a manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
held here by Hunning in 1066. It was recorded as "Gellidone" in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, by which time (1086) it was held by a 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...
noble.
The famous gardener, horticulturist and broadcaster, Percy Thrower
Percy Thrower
Percy John Thrower MBE was a British gardener, horticulturist, broadcaster and writer born at Horwood House in the village of Little Horwood in Buckinghamshire....
, built his own house in the village, called "The Magnolias", in 1963 on land he acquired with a friend. This gave him a garden of about one and a half acres to "play with", something which he had never had before. The garden subsequently became the location for some of the episodes of Gardeners' World
Gardeners' World
Gardeners' World is a long-running BBC television programme about gardening that continues to this day. Its first episode was filmed in 1968, presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. The magazine BBC Gardeners' World is a tie-in to the programme. Most of its episodes have...
. He opened the garden to the public in 1966, and this became an annual event to raise money for charity.
The village also has a notable Victorian pump and deep well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
, paid for by Robert Slaney and his wife, members of a local wealthy family.
Just to the west of the settlement is Merrington Green. An area of heathland/woodland here is common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
, owned by the local authority
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
and managed by the Shropshire Wildlife Trust
Shropshire Wildlife Trust
The Shropshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the geographic county of Shropshire, England.-Nature reserves:The trust cares for, or is associated with, 42 nature reserves in the county:...
. Fishing ponds have also recently been established at the nearby Hayes Farm. The Green was a US Army camp during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and German prisoners of war were kept here for a time.
The centre of Merrington is situated at 104m above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
; at Merrington Green there is a small hill which summits at 122m. The area is quite well wood
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
ed, with Merrington Green, the woods towards Old Woods, and the woodland to the east at Pim Hill.
Public transport
A frequent Monday-Saturday bus service (presently the 576) connects Merrington with OswestryOswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, Baschurch
Baschurch
Baschurch is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies in North Shropshire, north of Shrewsbury. Population: 1,475 . The village has strong links to Shrewsbury to the south-east, Oswestry to the north-west, and Wem to the north-east. Baschurch is twinned with the town of Giat...
, Bomere Heath and 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...
.