Prees

Prees is a village and civil parish in north Shropshire, near the border between England and Wales. Its name is Celtic and means "brushwood".

Prees

St Chad's church, Prees, dating from the 14th century, with an 18th-century tower
Prees
Location within Shropshire
Population2,895 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ553335
Civil parish
  • Prees
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWHITCHURCH
Postcode districtSY13
Dialling code01948
PoliceWest Mercia
FireShropshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament

The civil parish includes the smaller settlements of Sandford, Darliston, Fauls and Mickley to the east of the village.

Prees is northeast of the small town of Wem. It is also west of Market Drayton and south of Whitchurch. A number of nearby villages share the name Prees: Prees Village, Prees Green, Prees Heath and Prees Wood. All were formerly known as Prys - Wood or Prys, etc. The population in 2001 was recorded at 2688,[2] increasing to 2,895 as of the 2011 Census.

History

The church in the village dates back to the 14th century, however the tower is younger.

Several ancient coins was found on farmland outside Prees in 2017. They included four 300-year-old coins that date to the time of James I and Charles I.[3]

Also located in Prees is the Prees Church of England Primary School and Nursery, a Victorian building that holds much history.

Transport

Roads

The A41 and A49 roads pass on either side of the village.

Railway

West of the village of Prees, but not in the village or the parish as the name would suggest, is the railway station of Prees. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line, between Whitchurch and Wem. There is a regular service with pre-determined stops. The station is not in the village itself because Captain Black, a wealthy resident in the village stated that the station had to be exactly one mile away from the centre of the village, which at the time was the mill, located (still today) on Mill Street. This was so that it could be easily reached as a route out with the goods produced.

Bus

The village is served by the 511 bus route, operated by Arriva Midlands North, which runs between Shrewsbury and Whitchurch via Wem. Some services terminate in Wem and do not continue to Whitchurch.

Bus services in Prees, Shropshire
Bus operatorRouteDestination(s)Notes
Arriva Midlands North511Shrewsbury → Hadnall → Wem → Prees → WhitchurchSome services terminate in Wem.[4]

Canals
Evening over Whixall Marina

Prees was the intended destination of an arm of the Ellesmere Canal. However the arm was only completed as far as Quina Brook. The arm is now known as the Prees Branch of the Llangollen Canal, and is navigable for about a mile to Whixall Marina; the following 3/4 mile is still followable on the towpath as it passes through Prees Branch Canal Nature Reserve.[5]

Notable people

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north-east to Adderley with a total ward population taken at the 2011 census of 4,281.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  3. "Hoard of ancient silver coins found at Prees is treasure". Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  5. "Wildlife Trust Reserve Details". 28 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  6. "Henry, Philip". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  7. Dalton, Charles (1904). The Waterloo roll call. With biographical notes and anecdotes. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. p. 13.
  8. "Ward population 2011". Ukcensusdata.com. Retrieved 29 November 2015.

Media related to Prees at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.