Preston upon the Weald Moors
Coordinates: 52°44′00″N 2°28′17″W / 52.733293°N 2.471509°W
Preston upon the Weald Moors is a small village on the northern edge of the town of Telford, part of the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire. According to the 2001 census the village had a population of 205 although this is likely to have risen due to various building conversions over the proceeding ten years. It is one of a number of villages that exist on the Weald Moors of Shropshire.
The name Preston upon the Weald Moors (24 letters) is said to be the longest name of any village in England and is thought to have derived from the words priest and tun (meaning, enclosure, farmstead or homestead) indicating that the village may well have ecclesiastical origins.
Notable buildings
Preston Hospital
Locally known as Preston Trust homes, Preston Hospital is one of twelve Grade I listed buildings in Telford. The former Alms house was converted into upmarket apartments and houses around 2005. It was founded in 1716 by the will of Lady Catherine Herbert the daughter of the 1st Earl of Bradford. It was left as a bequest to build an Almshouse in Shropshire for 12 women and 12 girls as thanksgiving for her rescue when lost in the Alps.
St. Lawrence Church
The main body of the current church of St. Lawrence in Preston was built to replace the former church between 1739 and 1742 with the keystone above the main doorway dated 1739. The chancel and vestry were added in 1853.
St Lawrence C of E Primary School
St Lawrence C of E Primary School was opened in 1898. It was built on land donated by the trustees of Preston Hospital to replace an earlier school. It currently has three classes with a total of 83 pupils an improvement on the mid 1980s when the school was threatened with closure with only 29 pupils.
Canal
The Newport Branch of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal ran along the North of the village. It was in use until the 1940s when it was partially filled in. The traditional humpback canal bridge remained in place on the road north out of the village until the mid 1980s when it experiments were conducted in to the strength of these bridge. The bridge survived all tests but was demolished anyway in case unseen structural damage had occurred. All that remains is the canal turning bowl which can still be seen in the north east of the village. More substantial remains can be found at Wappenshall Junction a small hamlet approximately a mile to the west.
References
- G.C.Baugh; C.R. Elrington (Editors) "A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11: Telford" 1985
- G C Baugh, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, D C Cox, Jessie McFall, P A Stamper, A J L Winchester (1985). "Preston upon the Weald Moors: Church". A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11: Telford. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- G C Baugh, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, D C Cox, Jessie McFall, P A Stamper, A J L Winchester (1985). "Preston upon the Weald Moors: Education". A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 11: Telford. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
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