| Wray | |
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Wray
Wray shown within Lancashire |
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| OS grid reference | SD602676 |
|---|---|
| Parish | Wray-with-Botton |
| District | Lancaster |
| Shire county | Lancashire |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Lancaster |
| Postcode district | LA2 |
| Dialling code | 01524 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Lancashire | |
Wray is a small village in Lancashire, part of the civil parish of Wray-with-Botton, in the City of Lancaster district. Wray is the point at which the River Roeburn joins the River Hindburn.
According to the 2001 census[1] Wray-with-Botton had 521 residents, 269 male, 252 female and 200 homes.
The village has a general store which also offers a post office as an additional service. The village also offers a pub, a tearoom, and two restaurants: The George and Dragon, Bridge House Farm Tearooms, The Inn at Wray and Bridge House Bistro respectively.
Wray has a large scale wireless broadband network maintained by Lancaster University. A wireless mesh network is implemented to give villagers and visitors wireless access to the internet[2]. The villagers are currently working with the University to trial a digital TV network through the mesh, prototypes will be distributed soon.
Wray is the Scarecrow Village of Lancashire, England, and has its own village website[3]. Wray is one of the earliest villages to have an online presence. Wray is also home to the maggot races, an annual event which raises money for local charities.
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A flash flood on 8 August 1967 of the river Roeburn resulted in the loss of houses, bridges, livestock, vehicles, and personal possessions. Remarkably, despite the scale of the devastation caused by the flood, no serious injury was done to any of the people of the village.
The local significance of the Flood of 1967 is illustrated in the Millennium Mosaic, completed in September 2000, which represents the wind and storm spewing out a great tide of water. The Mosaic is sited in the 'Flood Garden' on Main Street, the site of some of the houses demolished as a result of the flood.
Many old photos of the flood are in the digital photo album, which is available online via the Wray village website, and also a display is located in the village post office.
See reference [4] for an historical account of the floods.
Wray railway station was between Hornby and Wennington on the "little" North Western Railway. It opened in 1849 and closed six months later.[5]
The Scarecrow Festival, established 1995, takes place every year during the week leading up to May Day. There is a fair on the Bank holiday. During the week there are refreshments served daily in the Village hall and a parade of the giants. Lots of the villagers put up scarecrows outside their homes, and these are all photographed and added to the digital noticeboard online via the village website. On Easter Monday 2011, the festival's cricket match, Twicket, was live-streamed on the Internet, using the mesh.