Weston Rhyn
Encyclopedia
Weston Rhyn is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire
, England. It lies between the towns of Chirk
, in Wales, and Oswestry
, in England.
The civil parish, which also includes Bronygarth
, Pentre-Newydd and a number of small hamlets, had a total population of 2,668 at the 2001 census.
. Tun or ton means a settlement or hamlet, rhyn means a hill or mount. Originally the townships of Weston Rhyn and Bronygarth
were in the Parish of St. Martins
. In 1870 they were formed into a separate ecclesiastical district known as “the Lodge” (the inn still bears its name), and then in 1898 into the civil parish of Weston Rhyn.
, but has no station. Its former station of Preesgweene (later known as ) closed in 1960. The nearest stations today are Chirk
and Gobowen
. Train services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales. The village lies to the west of the A5 trunk road.
It is surrounded by beautiful countryside, the Welsh hills and Offa's Dyke
to the west, and the River Ceiriog to the north. Originally a mining village, the pits have long since closed. Despite this, the village has in recent years expanded, with people working locally or commuting as far as Chester, Shrewsbury, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.
Weston Rhyn has three churches (Presbyterian Church of Wales, Quinta Independent Evangelical Church and St John's Church of England), three pubs, a post office, chip shop, village hall, primary school, Sunday school and general store. Close to Weston Rhyn is the Quinta Christian
Centre, which is home to the missionary organisation Operation Mobilisation
.
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. It lies between the towns of Chirk
Chirk
Chirk is a small town and local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It has a population of over 4,000....
, in Wales, and Oswestry
Oswestry
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....
, in England.
The civil parish, which also includes Bronygarth
Bronygarth
Bronygarth is a small village in the Ceiriog Valley near Oswestry in Shropshire, England at .- History :Bronygarth lies on Offa's Dyke, the massive earthwork constructed in the late 8th century by Offa, King of Mercia, as a boundary between Saxon Mercia and Celtic Wales. The section of the dyke...
, Pentre-Newydd and a number of small hamlets, had a total population of 2,668 at the 2001 census.
History
Weston Rhyn is recorded as Westune in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
. Tun or ton means a settlement or hamlet, rhyn means a hill or mount. Originally the townships of Weston Rhyn and Bronygarth
Bronygarth
Bronygarth is a small village in the Ceiriog Valley near Oswestry in Shropshire, England at .- History :Bronygarth lies on Offa's Dyke, the massive earthwork constructed in the late 8th century by Offa, King of Mercia, as a boundary between Saxon Mercia and Celtic Wales. The section of the dyke...
were in the Parish of St. Martins
St Martin's, Shropshire
The border village and civil parish of St Martin's is in Shropshire, England, just north of Oswestry and east of Chirk.-History:The ancient Parish of St Martin's was made up of the townships of Ifton, Wiggington, Bronygarth and Weston Rhyn. Each of these townships bordered Wales, with the River...
. In 1870 they were formed into a separate ecclesiastical district known as “the Lodge” (the inn still bears its name), and then in 1898 into the civil parish of Weston Rhyn.
Transport, facilities
The village is on the Shrewsbury to Chester railway lineShrewsbury to Chester Line
The Shrewsbury to Chester Line, also known as the Severn–Dee Line , was built in 1846 as the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway...
, but has no station. Its former station of Preesgweene (later known as ) closed in 1960. The nearest stations today are Chirk
Chirk railway station
Chirk railway station serves the town of Chirk in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Chirk station is on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line, which is part of the former Great Western Railway mainline route from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside....
and Gobowen
Gobowen railway station
Gobowen railway station is a railway station on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line serving the village of Gobowen in Shropshire, England. It is the nearest station to the town of Oswestry., train services run on two routes;...
. Train services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales. The village lies to the west of the A5 trunk road.
It is surrounded by beautiful countryside, the Welsh hills and Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
to the west, and the River Ceiriog to the north. Originally a mining village, the pits have long since closed. Despite this, the village has in recent years expanded, with people working locally or commuting as far as Chester, Shrewsbury, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.
Weston Rhyn has three churches (Presbyterian Church of Wales, Quinta Independent Evangelical Church and St John's Church of England), three pubs, a post office, chip shop, village hall, primary school, Sunday school and general store. Close to Weston Rhyn is the Quinta Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Centre, which is home to the missionary organisation Operation Mobilisation
Operation Mobilisation
Operation Mobilisation is an Evangelical Christian organization founded by George Verwer to mobilise young people to live and share the Gospel of Jesus...
.
Sources
- G. G. Lerry, "Collieries of Denbighshire", 1968
- C. Neville Hurdsman, "A History of the Parishes of St. Martin's & Weston Rhyn" 2003