Whixall

Whixall is, by land area, the third largest inland village in England and a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is documented in the Domesday Book as having been in existence in 1086.[2]

Whixall
Whixall Social Centre
Whixall Location within Shropshire
Population	795 (2011)[1]
Demonym	Whixalite
OS grid reference	SJ516344
Civil parish	Whixall
Unitary authority	Shropshire
Ceremonial county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Whitchurch
Postcode district	SY13
Dialling code	01948
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	North Shropshire

The nearest towns are Whitchurch, to the north, and Wem, to the south.

The parish lies on the border with the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Its close proximity to Wales is shown by a hamlet called Welsh End.

Within the parish boundaries (encompassing seven square miles) are various hamlets including Abbey Green, Hollinwood, Welsh End, Stanley Green, Dobson's Bridge, Far End and Waterloo.

The Llangollen Canal of the Shropshire Union Canal and the short Prees Branch of the Ellesmere Canal run through the parish.

Evening over Whixall Marina

Prees was the intended destination of the Prees Branch, 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 navigavable for about a mile to Whixall Marina. The remaining 3/4 mile is still followable on the towpath as it passes through Prees Branch Canal Nature Reserve.[3] The canal is crossed by Dobson's Bridge, a fixed humpback bridge, which was classified in 1987 as a Grade Il listed building.[4] It is also crossed by the listed Stark's Bridge, currently undergoing restoration.[5]

Adjacent to Whixall is Whixall Moss, part of Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve, the third largest lowland raised bog in Britain, a rare habitat and the home of a number of rare species.[6]

A sign on a typical rural lane shows the way to some of the Whixall points of interest.

The Shropshire Way long distance footpath runs through Whixall.