A profile of the Parish of Buildwas
The lie of the land
The Parish of Buildwas is bisected from west to east by the River Severn. The Wrekin dominates views to the north, to the east the parish narrows into the Ironbridge gorge and to the south the parish climbs towards Wenlock Edge and the Shropshire Hills. The western views are an open river valley running towards Shrewsbury. Buildwas Bridge joins the two halves of the parish.
A brief history
Buildwas Civil Parish is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 when it was valued at 45 shillings. Its value was influenced by its river location, woodland, pigs and the presence of a mill. The Local Government Act of 1894 Civic Duties created the parish councils as we know them.
In 1135 the south bank of the river was chosen for the foundation of a Savignac abbey. After a few years it became Cistercian. For the next 401 years, until the suppression of the Abbey by Henry VIII in 1536, life in Buildwas was, in all probability, dominated by the activities of the monks and lay brothers, the agricultural workforce of the Abbey. The surrounding landscape still shows evidence of the monks’ occupation, for example, the remains of fishponds can still be seen to the south and west of the Abbey. In Autumn the meadows lying to the west are purple with autumn crocus (not saffron crocus) probably planted for medicinal purposes. The wealth of the abbey was dependent on income from monastic granges.
The Abbot’s house, now known as the Manor House, has passed through various guises. With the dissolution of the monasteries it was given to Edward Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Powys and became a private residence. When the second power station was built in the 1960’s the house and its grounds became a social club for employees of the power station. When the power station was sold in 2015 The Abbot’s House again became a private residence.
The present ruins of the Abbey are in the care of English Heritage.
A history of the bridge
Bridges are known to have crossed the River at Buildwas from Mediaeval times. A strategic point at which to cross the River Severn the end of the valley descending from Much Wenlock and linking with the route into the Gorge. In the floods of 1773 and 1795 the existing stone and brick bridge was irreparably damaged and finally swept away in the flooding following the landslip, or earthquake, which altered the flow of the river just to the east of the bridge.
In 1796 Thomas Telford’s design for a cast-iron arch bridge replaced earlier stone bridges. The stone abutments from this bridge can still be seen below the present bridge. The bridge itself was replaced in 1905 by a steel ‘Pratt Truss’ design which was, in turn, replaced in 1992 by the present bridge.
Buildwas Holy Trinity Church
The current village church building dates from 1720, though there has been a church on the site since medieval times; and the original attractive school building was provided in 1855.
Railway Connections
The railway lines, from Wellington to Craven Arms and the Severn Valley Line, passing onwards through Shrewsbury and Kidderminster, arrived around 1862 creating opportunities to travel widely. These were closed in the 1950s leaving only a link to the power station for the delivery of coal and more recently Biomass.
The former Crossing Cottage is now a private residence.
The village community
The village of Buildwas developed predominantly on the northern side of the river out of reach of flood water. However, more recently on the southern side of the river, a mobile home site of 30 plus pitches has been established.
There are 21 listed buildings in the parish, two grade 1, the rest grade 2. Most of these are homes built from the 1500s, onwards but the Abbey, a monument and a wall are included.
In total the parish contains approximately 154 dwellings occupied by 310 people. This is about to change radically with the addition of 1000 dwellings on the site of the former power station.
The village of Buildwas developed predominantly on the northern side of the river out of reach of flood water. However, more recently on the southern side of the river, a mobile home site of 30 plus pitches has been established.
There are 21 listed buildings in the parish, two grade 1, the rest grade 2. Most of these are homes built from the 1500s, onwards but the Abbey, a monument and a wall are included.
In total the parish contains approximately 154 dwellings occupied by 310 people. This is about to change radically with the addition of 1000 dwellings on the site of the former power station.