Baschurch
Encyclopedia
Baschurch is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire
, England
.
It lies in North Shropshire
, north of Shrewsbury
. Population: 1,475 (2001 census). The village has strong links to Shrewsbury to the south-east, Oswestry
to the north-west, and Wem
to the north-east. Baschurch is twinned with the town of Giat
in the French
département of Puy-de-Dôme
, in the Auvergne
région. There is a large village not far from Baschurch called Ruyton-XI-Towns.
A major feature of the village is All Saints' Church (Church of England)http://www.baschurch.org.uk which is one of the oldest standing structures in the village (perhaps the oldest). A timber church which burnt down is believed to have stood on the same site previously. Leading industrialist and builder Thomas Telford
made numerous major alterations to the modern sandstone church.
The village has two schools including Baschurch Church of England Primary School, and the Corbet School formerly known as Baschurch Secondary Modern School. Just outside the village is Walford College, an agricultural and sports college which in 2002 merged with Oswestry-based North Shropshire College to form Walford and North Shropshire College.
In 2000 a large stone made of local sandstone was erected in the modern centre of the village to commemorate the Millennium
. Similar smaller stones were erected in neighbouring communities.
The Shrewsbury to Chester Line
passes through the village, though the Victorian Railway Station
was closed under the Beeching Axe
. There have been repeated efforts to bring the station back into use, most recently in Autumn 2008, with the support of Baschurch Parish Council and the Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users' Association. In September 2009, a public meeting organised by the Baschurch Station Group, was attended by 250 local people and received extensive media coverage.
name Eglwyssau Bassa (Churches of Bassa) where the king or prince Cynddylan of the region or town of Pengwern
is said to have been buried in the early 7th century. This comes from a poem entitled Canu Heledd possibly written between the 10th and 12th centuries.. It is believed that Baschurch may have been the capital of this Kingdom. The poem also refers to a battle occurring between the Welsh and the invading Saxons
at the ancient fort, The Berth, just outside the village.
Local tradition holds that the Berth Pool and its ancient earthworks outside the village are the resting place of the legendary King Arthur
.
Baschurch appears in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as Bascherche. In medieval times, several properties in the parish, including Adcote Mill, were owned by Haughmond Abbey
near Shrewsbury.
The world's first Orthopaedic Hospital was established in Baschurch by Sir Robert Jones and Dame Agnes Hunt to treat wounded from the First World War. The hospital moved to Oswestry in the 1921.
On February 13, 1961 a passenger train travelling from Shrewsbury to Chester collided with a freight train which was partially shunted into a siding in Baschurch. Three people died in the accident. Television footage of the wreckage is available from the BBC
.
to get super-fast broadband
. The winners of the "Race to Infinity" competition were announced on 6 January 2011 and Baschurch came sixth. BT originally promised that only the top 5 places would go through with the upgrade (involving optic fibre-based infrastructure), but were impressed enough by the response in Baschurch.
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It lies in North Shropshire
North Shropshire
North Shropshire was a local government district in Shropshire, England. The district council was based at Edinburgh House, in Wem. Other settlements included the towns of Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch, as well as the large villages of Shawbury and Baschurch...
, north of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. Population: 1,475 (2001 census). The village has strong links to Shrewsbury to the south-east, Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
to the north-west, and Wem
Wem
Wem is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre for the northern area committee of Shropshire Council, which has its headquarters at Edinburgh House in the centre of Wem. Wem railway station is on the Shrewsbury to Crewe railway line...
to the north-east. Baschurch is twinned with the town of Giat
Giat
Giat is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-Geography:The Chavanon flows southeastward through the south-western part of the commune.-References:*...
in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
département of Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...
, in the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
région. There is a large village not far from Baschurch called Ruyton-XI-Towns.
A major feature of the village is All Saints' Church (Church of England)http://www.baschurch.org.uk which is one of the oldest standing structures in the village (perhaps the oldest). A timber church which burnt down is believed to have stood on the same site previously. Leading industrialist and builder Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
made numerous major alterations to the modern sandstone church.
The village has two schools including Baschurch Church of England Primary School, and the Corbet School formerly known as Baschurch Secondary Modern School. Just outside the village is Walford College, an agricultural and sports college which in 2002 merged with Oswestry-based North Shropshire College to form Walford and North Shropshire College.
In 2000 a large stone made of local sandstone was erected in the modern centre of the village to commemorate the Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
. Similar smaller stones were erected in neighbouring communities.
The Shrewsbury to Chester Line
Shrewsbury to Chester Line
The Shrewsbury to Chester Line, also known as the Severn–Dee Line , was built in 1846 as the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway...
passes through the village, though the Victorian Railway Station
Baschurch railway station
Baschurch railway station was a minor station located about ten miles north of Shrewsbury on the GWR’s Paddington to Birkenhead main line. Today this is part of the Shrewsbury to Chester line...
was closed under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. There have been repeated efforts to bring the station back into use, most recently in Autumn 2008, with the support of Baschurch Parish Council and the Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users' Association. In September 2009, a public meeting organised by the Baschurch Station Group, was attended by 250 local people and received extensive media coverage.
History
Earliest references to Baschurch are under the WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
name Eglwyssau Bassa (Churches of Bassa) where the king or prince Cynddylan of the region or town of Pengwern
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
is said to have been buried in the early 7th century. This comes from a poem entitled Canu Heledd possibly written between the 10th and 12th centuries.. It is believed that Baschurch may have been the capital of this Kingdom. The poem also refers to a battle occurring between the Welsh and the invading Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
at the ancient fort, The Berth, just outside the village.
Local tradition holds that the Berth Pool and its ancient earthworks outside the village are the resting place of the legendary King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
.
Baschurch appears in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as Bascherche. In medieval times, several properties in the parish, including Adcote Mill, were owned by Haughmond Abbey
Haughmond Abbey
Haughmond Abbey at Haughmond Hill in Shropshire, otherwise known as the Abbey of Saint John the Evangelist, was founded in about 1100 AD. A statue of St John with his emblem can be found carved into the arches of the chapter house. His image also appeared on the Abbey's great seal.-History:The...
near Shrewsbury.
The world's first Orthopaedic Hospital was established in Baschurch by Sir Robert Jones and Dame Agnes Hunt to treat wounded from the First World War. The hospital moved to Oswestry in the 1921.
On February 13, 1961 a passenger train travelling from Shrewsbury to Chester collided with a freight train which was partially shunted into a siding in Baschurch. Three people died in the accident. Television footage of the wreckage is available from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
Broadband internet
Baschurch was one of just six places in the United Kingdom to succeed in a competition held by BTBT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
to get super-fast broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
. The winners of the "Race to Infinity" competition were announced on 6 January 2011 and Baschurch came sixth. BT originally promised that only the top 5 places would go through with the upgrade (involving optic fibre-based infrastructure), but were impressed enough by the response in Baschurch.