Old Woods, Shropshire

The hamlet, as viewed from the railway bridge, looking west.

Old Woods is a hamlet in Shropshire, England, located 4 miles (6.4 km) to the northwest of Shrewsbury. It is alternatively known and spelt as Oldwood, Oldwoods and Old Wood.

Situation

It is situated on a lane between the small villages of Merrington (to the east) and Walford (to the west) and is in the parish of Pimhill, though borders the parish of Baschurch, which is one the nearest substantial villages. Another large nearby village is Bomere Heath. The B5067, Shrewsbury to Baschurch road, runs to the west of the settlement.

The centre of the hamlet lies at 89m above sea level, with the ground rising towards the northwest (towards Merrington Green) and in this direction lie two sizeable woodlands: Old Wood and Oldwood Coppice.

The dialling code for here is 01939 and the postcode is SY4 3xx.

Amenities

There is a public house, called The Romping Cat (formerly the Railway Tavern), which serves a wide range of local real ales. ^[1]

A frequent Monday-Saturday bus service (presently the 576) connects Old Woods with Oswestry, Baschurch, Bomere Heath and Shrewsbury. There is also a letter box in the hamlet.

History

There was once a small brick and pipe works, with its own clay pit, in the hamlet, as well as associated railway sidings. The Shrewsbury to Chester Line runs through the hamlet and was constructed in 1846. In 1933 a halt was established here on the railway line - Oldwoods Halt ^[2] - which closed to passengers in 1960 and for goods in 1964. This former industrial/railway activity took place to the north of the railway bridge and little remains to be seen today. The nearest railway stations currently are Yorton and Shrewsbury.

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]

Coordinates: 52°46′34″N 2°48′45″W / 52.776°N 2.8125°W / 52.776; -2.8125