- Minsterley
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Minsterley is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is home to a large dairy operated by Uniq foods.
The dairy currently employs nearly 500 people. Village amenities includes, a primary school, two public houses ('The Crown and Sceptre'- one of the oldest buildings in the village, and the 'Bridge Hotel'), a petrol station/supermarket, post office, florist, and fish and chip shop. The Parish Hall is one of the largest village halls in Shropshire and is the venue for the annual Eisteddfod which held its 40th anniversary in 2002. The area adjacent to the 'Crown and Sceptre' public house was where the annual Hiring Fair was held in the late 19th Century. Young people, of work age, would be hired by local landowners for the year in return for an agreed sum of money to be paid at the following year's fair.
East from Minsterley along the A488, is the larger village of Pontesbury and the hill range, the Stiperstones. The Rea Brook flows nearby and the smaller Minsterley Brook flows through the centre of the village.
The parish church of Holy Trinity was built at the end of the 17th Century, by the Thynne family of Longleat and houses an internationally famous collection of Maiden's Garlands. The exterior of the west end of the Church is notable for the stonework memento mori, which include skull and crossbones and hourglasses.
The Minsterley branch line which was built as a joint GWR/LNWR line, opened on 14 February 1862. This railway line ran nine and a half miles from Shrewsbury via Cruckmeole Junction near Hanwood to the stations at Plealey Road, Pontesbury and finally the terminus at Minsterley.
The creation of the line enabled milk to be transported by rail from the large creamery at Minsterley and lead ore to be transported from the nearby mines at Snailbeach. At one time the terminus in Minsterley boasted a milk wharf, goods shed, cattle and horse docks and numerous sidings.
The line closed in May 1967.
Little Minsterley is a hamlet on the northeastern edge of the village, which was founded in 1901.
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Coordinates: 52°38′N 2°56′W / 52.633°N 2.933°W
Overall Minsterley is a quaint typical rural village, surrounded by picturesque hillside.
Categories:- Villages in Shropshire
- Civil parishes in Shropshire
- Shropshire geography stubs
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