Buildwas

Coordinates: 52°38′13″N 2°31′52″W / 52.637°N 2.531°W / 52.637; -2.531
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Buildwas
Buildwas Church
Buildwas is located in Shropshire
Buildwas
Buildwas
Location within Shropshire
Population321 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ641045
Civil parish
  • Buildwas
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTelford
Postcode districtTF8
Dialling code01952
PoliceWest Mercia
FireShropshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire
52°38′13″N 2°31′52″W / 52.637°N 2.531°W / 52.637; -2.531

Buildwas is a village and

postcodes
begin TF6 and TF8.

Buildwas Primary Academy is situated on the Buildwas bank road. The school has been running since 1855, and has three classes and a nursery.

Buildwas previously had a nine-hole golf course which ran between the River Severn and the site of

Ironbridge Power Station
. It was open to members of Buildwas Abbey Club.

Village

The village of Buildwas has been recognised since 1086 as the first reference to it was made in the

Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site and much of the property was granted to Edward Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Powis[5]

Buildwas was also the site of

Ironbridge Power Station. However, the station was demolished in stages completed in 2021.[6] with hopes a new railway station to serve Ironbridge Gorge area could be opened near Buildwas.[7]

Based on a study of train journeys and travel times,

P.G. Wodehouse, and the mansion Buildwas Park an original for Blandings Castle.[8][9]

Occupations

Occupational order of Buildwas for 1881[10]

The first census regarding occupational data for the village of Buildwas was taken in 1831 and gives a valuable insight into the village for this time period. The census showed that the biggest employability sector at this time was agricultural labourers, and there were 35 people employed in this field.

handicrafts, which employed seven people in the village. There was one capitalist or professional person within the village, and the remaining people were farmers and servants.[10]

The 1881 census of the village gave valuable insight into how the population had slowly increased and how the jobs had diversified. Agriculture was still the biggest employment sector with 41 people, but other job fields had grown over the course of fifty years.[10] There were fifteen females and eight males employed in domestic services and offices. There were twelve males employed in the extraction of mineral substances and three people who worked in transport and commerce. There were forty people in the survey who were classified as having an unknown occupation and three male workers in food and lodging.

Population

Population density of Buildwas from 1880 to 1960[10]

Population change in Buildwas has experienced a great deal of fluctuation since the first census of 1801 was taken. This is because the village had a small population of 258 to begin with, meaning that any change is a lot more visible.[10] In 1811 the population had declined to 226 people but then experienced a gradual increase to 240 people in 1821 and stayed at this level through to 1831. Over the next ten years, the village had experienced a rapid population increase of 33 people in 1841 and in 1851 the population had increased again to 290 people. From 1851 to 1881 there had been a population decrease of eighteen people. During 1881 there was a national population change across the country with an overall decrease of 3% and this change of population was apparent in Buildwas as from 1881 to 1891 there was a population decrease of 31 people. The population increased by 34 people in 1901 and by 1911 the population had increased by 32 people.

Housing

According to the

2001 Census, Buildwas had a total of 134 dwellings. Of these, 42 were categorised as being flats or apartments, 46 detached houses or bungalows, and 46 semi-detached or terraced houses.[11] The average price of property which has been sold in Buildwas was valued at £218,114[12] which was well above the national average of £161,558 in April 2012.[13]

In June 2018 the Harworth Group announced that it had bought the Ironbridge Power Station site, whose buildings were scheduled for demolition, for an undisclosed sum. Plans for the site included the development of 'several hundred new homes' together with commercial development, leisure uses and significant public open space.[14] An outline planning application for a development including 1,000 new homes and other facilities was submitted to both Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council on 19 December 2019.[15] The plan was initially rejected by Shropshire Council's Southern Planning Committee in August 2021 over a number of issues including the level of guaranteed affordable housing,[16] but was granted in September 2021 after amended proposals were submitted.[17]

Abbey

Main article: Buildwas Abbey

The preserved remains of a Cistercian abbey lie on the south bank of the River Severn. These include an unusually unaltered 12th-century church, a vaulted and tile-floored chapter house, and a re-opened crypt chapel.[18] The stone abbey buildings were completed mainly during the abbacy of Ranulf, which began around 1155.[19] The income for the abbey came mainly from a large portfolio of properties, concentrated around monastic granges in the surrounding areas of Shropshire and Staffordshire. The site is now cared for by English Heritage.[20]

Bridge

Telford's bridge at Buildwas

A brick and stone bridge crossed the Severn from medieval times to the 18th century; in the floods of 1773 and 1795, it was irreparably damaged and finally swept away by severe flooding following an earthquake.

Pratt truss in 1905, which itself was replaced in 1992.[22]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buildwas.
  1. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. ^ Buildwas in the Domesday Book
  3. ^ Domesday text translation at Open Domesday: SHR 1,7.
  4. ^ L. Janauschek. Originum Cisterciensium, p. 104
  5. ^ Victoria County History – Shropshire: House of Cistercian monks: Abbey of Buildwas
  6. ^ Pritchard, Chris (3 September 2021). "Ironbridge Power Station chimney demolished". Shropshire Live. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  7. ^ Hardiman, Deborah (11 October 2018). "Telford Steam Railway consults on Ironbridge Power Station site plan". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  8. ISBN 0701122374
    .
  9. ISBN 0-903802-37-6
    .
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Vision of Britain". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  11. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics". Directgov. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  12. ^ "FindaProperty.com". FindaProperty.com. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Land Registry". Land Registry. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  14. ^ "Harworth Group Acquires Major Regeneration Site as it Grows its Presence in the Midlands". 19 June 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Planning Application Submitted". www.ironbridgeregeneration.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  16. ^ Robertson, Dominic (14 August 2021). "People urged to look at 'bigger picture' over Ironbridge Power Station site". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  17. ^ Austin, Sue (20 September 2021). "Major Ironbridge Power Station development approved at third time of asking". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  18. ^ "English Heritage". English Heritage. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  19. ^ Victoria County History – Shropshire: House of Cistercian monks: Abbey of Buildwas
  20. ^ "Visiting Buildwas". Beth Heath. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  21. ^ "Buildwas Bridge and the Severn Earthquake of 1773". revolutionaryplayers.org.uk. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  22. ^ "Buildwas Bridge, site of". engineering timelines. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
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