Salford Priors
Encyclopedia
Salford Priors is a rural, agricultural village and civil parish
about six miles south-west of Alcester
, Warwickshire
, England
. It is on the Warwickshire border with Worcestershire
.
The village is eight miles from the popular tourist town of Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare
and the River Avon
runs near to it. Evesham
lies seven miles to the south-west and is an important agricultural centre and soft fruit-growing area.
The population of the Salford Priors ward - which includes the communities of Abbot's Salford, Dunnington, Iron Cross, Pitchill, Rushford and Mudwalls was 1,492 according to the 2001 census
The village has a number of areas designated as conservation areas. The village is popular with tourists and photographers especially in the summer when it is full of flowers paid for by Salford Priors Parish Council. The village also recently won Warwickshire Village of the Year, for its services and beauty
Abbey, then to Kenilworth
Priory, whose history is traceable back to A.D. 708
, until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
after which it became a seat of the Stanford family. It is now a hotel. The village used to have a railway station, opened in September 1866 on the Redditch
to Ashchurch
line. However the station closed in September 1963 as a result of the Beeching Axe
.
The Norman
-constructed St. Matthew's Church sits at the bottom of the village and is mentioned in the Domesday Book
. The church has regular services and social meetings. The church is also very closely linked with the local school.
The local school is Salford Priors Church of England Primary School which admits children from the ages of 5-11. The school was originally founded in 1656 by William Perkins as a Free School for all of the children of the parish.
in the parish. The Bell reopened in July 2009 after being shut for many months after a major refurbishment; in 2011 the Bell developed a luxury super king-size en-suite holiday apartment. For gliding
enthusiasts there is an airfield two miles from Salford Priors where national and international gliding competitions are hosted.
Two large businesses located in the village are both connected with the agricultural industry. One, Spearhead Machinery, makes agricultural machinery which is sold worldwide and the other is a large farm produce grower and packer that supplies many of the large supermarkets in the UK.
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...
about six miles south-west of Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, 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 on the Warwickshire border with Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
The village is eight miles from the popular tourist town of Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and the River Avon
River Avon, Warwickshire
The River Avon or Avon is a river in or adjoining the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the Midlands of England...
runs near to it. Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
lies seven miles to the south-west and is an important agricultural centre and soft fruit-growing area.
The population of the Salford Priors ward - which includes the communities of Abbot's Salford, Dunnington, Iron Cross, Pitchill, Rushford and Mudwalls was 1,492 according to the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
The village has a number of areas designated as conservation areas. The village is popular with tourists and photographers especially in the summer when it is full of flowers paid for by Salford Priors Parish Council. The village also recently won Warwickshire Village of the Year, for its services and beauty
Parish Council
Salford Priors Parish Council incorporates the communities of Abbot’s Salford, Cock Bevington, Bevington Waste, Wood Bevington, Dunnington, Iron Cross, Pitchill, Rushford and Salford Priors. The Parish Council's responsibilities include the Playing Field and Play Area, Public Lighting, Amenity, Grass Mowing, Cemetery Maintenance, Parish Floral Displays, and The Best Kept Garden Competition.Local buildings and facilities
Salford Hall in Salford Abbots belonged first to EveshamEvesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
Abbey, then to Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
Priory, whose history is traceable back to A.D. 708
708
Year 708 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 708 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Byzantine Empire: March – The Umayyads...
, until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
after which it became a seat of the Stanford family. It is now a hotel. The village used to have a railway station, opened in September 1866 on the Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
to Ashchurch
Ashchurch
Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England. The parish was originally called Eastchurch, due to its position east of the parish and town of Tewkesbury, and had a population of 6,064 at the 2001 UK census.The former Ashchurch Parish covered...
line. However the station closed in September 1963 as a result of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
The 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...
-constructed St. Matthew's Church sits at the bottom of the village and is mentioned 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...
. The church has regular services and social meetings. The church is also very closely linked with the local school.
The local school is Salford Priors Church of England Primary School which admits children from the ages of 5-11. The school was originally founded in 1656 by William Perkins as a Free School for all of the children of the parish.
Local business
There are three pubs (The Queens Head, The Bell at Salford Priors and The Vineyard) and a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in the parish. The Bell reopened in July 2009 after being shut for many months after a major refurbishment; in 2011 the Bell developed a luxury super king-size en-suite holiday apartment. For gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
enthusiasts there is an airfield two miles from Salford Priors where national and international gliding competitions are hosted.
Two large businesses located in the village are both connected with the agricultural industry. One, Spearhead Machinery, makes agricultural machinery which is sold worldwide and the other is a large farm produce grower and packer that supplies many of the large supermarkets in the UK.
External links
- http://www.salfordpriors.gov.uk/
- http://www.salfordpriors.com/
- http://salford-hall.co.uk/rooms.htm
- http://www.thebellatsalfordpriors.com/sleep.html