Alveley

Alveley is a village in south east Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley on the east side of the River Severn. It has appeared in records dating back to 50AD.

The current church (St. Mary's) is of Norman design, built in 1140 on the grounds of an earlier Saxon church (of which only a stone cross survives). It has a notable, although badly damaged, 14th Century mural of the Seven Deadly Sins.

In 1349 the Black Death is said to have killed 60% of the village population. A stone cross - The Buttercross - two miles outside the village dates back to the time of the Black Death when it was a place for food to be left for the village when it was quarantined.

From 1937 to 1969 the village was an active coal mining community in conjunction with the neighbouring village of Highley across the River Severn. The first mineshaft was sunk in 1935 at Alveley Colliery, but production was possible for only thirty years and it closed leaving high unemployment and a ravaged landscape. An industrial estate was built immediately after the mine closure along with a proper landscape reclamation scheme in 1986 and the disused colliery and slag heaps were converted into the Severn Valley Country Park.

The landscape today consists of meadows, woods, ponds and wetlands with waymarked trails of short and longer lengths to encourage locals and visitors to explore the village's heritage fully. Every year a Miner's Memories Day is held at the Country Park Visitor Centre which permanently houses plenty of mine memorablia along with a cafe and indoor viewpoint over the valley. This display includes miners picks, spikes, crowbars, breathing equipment used in mines rescue, photos (often donated by local residents) and, very movingly, a certificate awarded to a local Alveley miner, who was surely representative of many, on achieving the milestone of "56 years service to the mine and his country".

In 2006 a new footbridge linking Alveley and Highley was opened in the Country Park. This replaced the previous 1930s built structure, which had become unsafe. The bridge provides access from Alveley to the Country Park Halt on the Severn Valley Railway, which is situated on the Highley side of the river. The riverbank is popular with fishermen, and a number of local private pools further serve the western Midlands angling fraternity.

Alveley has several historic pubs including the Three Horseshoes (1406). With a population of around 2000 and five drinking establishments (if you include the Working Men's Club and [http://www.themill-hotel.co.uk Mill Hotel] ), Alveley has the notable statistic of one pub to every 400 residents.

The village is further served by a large primary school, post office, small supermarket/newsagent and a couple of other small shops and eateries.

External links

* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3750401 photos of Alveley and surrounding area on geograph]
* http://www.sheridansweep.freeserve.co.uk
* http://www.paintedchurch.org/alveley.htm