Kinnerley

Kinnerley is a small village in Shropshire, England.

The village was a stop on the now defunct Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway, that ran from 1866 to 1960. The village today has a school, a church, a shop and a pub (the "Cross Keys"). It is small village separating neighbouring villages Dovaston and Pentre and the nearest town is Oswestry. To the north is the village of Knockin.

It is home to the acting society known as "The Kinnerley Players" and also has its own football team.

Wartime Role

In WWII the area around the village became a top-secret bomb storage depot. Kinnerley was chosen because of it's central location within UK and because it had a railway link. The line was operated by the military (until it was closed in 1960).

The huge site, which had extensive sidings and covered buildings, was created by the Royal Engineers:

More than 200 huge storage sheds, camouflaged and decked out with turfed roofs, were built around the village of Kinnerley. Each was served by a railway siding which entered each building, allowing the highly dangerous cargo to be unloaded inside. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/history/2003/11/potts_line_04.shtml BBC]

The area was heavilly guarded and was not disclassified till the mid 1950s.