Meole Brace

Meole Brace retail park is a major feature of the area.

Meole Brace is a south-western suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.

The Rea Brook, a tributary of the River Severn, flows through the area. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook".

Etymology

The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family (perhaps originally 'de Bracey': Norman barons). It has been known as Meole, or Mole, or Mill for almost 1000 years; it may come from Mill, as in flour mill, as there was certainly a mill on the brook, or possibly from the Welsh 'moel' meaning "bare", or by extension "bare hill" - or from Old English mele, "meal" as in "oatmeal", referring to the sediment in the brook giving a "mealy" appearance. This last etymology is supported by most of the earlier (Middle English) spellings which have "Mele" without an "o"; 'Malvern', derived from the Welsh moel, appears as mal- or mael- while Old English myll "mill" only appears with an e in southeastern (mostly Kentish) texts.

Amenities

A5112 (Hereford Road), formerly the A49, is the main road running north-south. There is a large retail park in Meole Brace, with several leading retailers.^[1] The Welsh Marches and Cambrian railway lines run through the area, but there is no longer a railway station here.

Holy Trinity church

There is a local comprehensive secondary school, Meole Brace School, and in the heart of the village there is a Church of England primary school and nursery.

The village also has a church, Holy Trinity Meole Brace (part of Trinity Churches). Built at a cost of £7500 on the site of the old vicarage, it was consecrated by the Bishop of Hereford in 1869 and is a Grade II* listed building.^{[2] [3]} The parish is now in the Diocese of Lichfield. Phillip John Cansdale is the Vicar.

Meole Brace is home to Meole Brace Bowling Club, built in 1934, and to the council-run 12-hole Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course whose professional is award winning Class AA PGA Pro, Will Shakespeare who offers a full range of professional golf services to all visitors and members. The course links the village to the nearby settlements of Reabrook and Sutton Park as well as Reabrook Nature Reserve. The New Meadow football ground, home of Shrewsbury Town F.C., is nearby.

Meole Village is the name used locally for the older part of Meole Brace, which was originally a village outside Shrewsbury. It still retains a village feel, though it is surrounded by newer urban development. This older settlement lies on the route of a Roman road and could be older than the town of Shrewsbury. There are two estates, Radbrook and a privately owned estate near the retail park.

Nearby are the small villages of Nobold and Pulley.

Literature

Meole Brace is mentioned in The Cadfael Chronicles.

References

External links

• Local guide
• Archaeology found at Meole Brace
• GENUKI(tm) page
• Photos of Meole Brace and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
• Map sources for Meole Brace

Coordinates: 52°41′17″N 2°45′37″W / 52.68795°N 2.76037°W / 52.68795; -2.76037

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