Wrea Green
Encyclopedia
Wrea Green is a village in the Fylde borough of Lancashire
, England
. It lies about 2 miles west of Kirkham
. Along with the village of Ribby, it forms the civil parish
Ribby with Wrea.
Wrea Green has approximately 1600 residents, many of whom work at the nearby Warton Aerodrome
2 miles away, where BAE Systems
is a major local employer. Uniquely for the Fylde Coast, Wrea Green, as described by its name, surrounds a large common land space at one side of which is a Duck Pond, commonly known as 'The Dub'.
, with the name of Ricksby. The name was changed along the way to Rigbi. In this guise it was mentioned in Domesday, as was the Neighbouring Hamlet of Wra (which became Wray). The name of the village eventually, through mis-spellings and a growing population became Ribby with Wray. As there was already a Wray
in the county of Lancaster
(Lune Valley) the spelling of the village name was changed to Wrea. As the village has the largest village green in the county and to distinguish it further from the other Wray, the name "Wrea Green" was born.
Between 1846 and 1961, the village was served by Wrea Green railway station
.
The property at the northern end of Church Row was for many years the office of J. Wareing & Son (Wrea Green) Ltd but before this was a sub-branch of the District Bank
Ltd.
In 1897 Wrea Green suffered a plague of sparrow
s and the Parish Council agreed to pay a halfpenny for every sparrow, sparrow's egg or rat’s tail that was collected.
with shop, a hotel with restaurant, a farm-building construction company and a dentist.
replaced the Sharples school. The oldest part of the present school building dates from 1898.
Since November 2005 the village has been twinned the small picturesque French village of Saint-Bris-le-Vineux
in Burgundy. A delegation of Wrea Green residents travelled to St Bris to make the twinning official, but the first large exchange came when, at Easter 2006, 43 French came to stay in Wrea Green. After the major success of July 2007's trip to France by 40 Wrea Green residents, a return exchange took place in August 2008, when a similar number of French guests came to the UK.
Another exchange is planned for the summer of 2009, beginning the weekend of July 24, when another delegation of Wrea Green residents will visit their St Bris hosts.
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, 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 about 2 miles west of Kirkham
Kirkham, Lancashire
Kirkham, or as it once was known, Kirkam-in-Amounderness is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston and adjacent to the smaller town of Wesham. It owes its existence to Carr Hill upon which it was built and which was the location...
. Along with the village of Ribby, it forms the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
Ribby with Wrea.
Wrea Green has approximately 1600 residents, many of whom work at the nearby Warton Aerodrome
Warton Aerodrome
Warton Aerodrome is located near to Warton village on the Fylde in Lancashire, England. The aerodrome is west of Preston, Lancashire, UK.Today the airfield is a major assembly and testing facility of BAE Systems Military Air Solutions....
2 miles away, where BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
is a major local employer. Uniquely for the Fylde Coast, Wrea Green, as described by its name, surrounds a large common land space at one side of which is a Duck Pond, commonly known as 'The Dub'.
History
A part of the village of Wrea Green (actually as a separate hamlet) existed before the time of the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
, with the name of Ricksby. The name was changed along the way to Rigbi. In this guise it was mentioned in Domesday, as was the Neighbouring Hamlet of Wra (which became Wray). The name of the village eventually, through mis-spellings and a growing population became Ribby with Wray. As there was already a Wray
Wray, Lancashire
Wray is a small village in Lancashire, part of the civil parish of Wray-with-Botton, in the City of Lancaster district. Wray is the point at which the River Roeburn joins the River Hindburn....
in the county of Lancaster
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
(Lune Valley) the spelling of the village name was changed to Wrea. As the village has the largest village green in the county and to distinguish it further from the other Wray, the name "Wrea Green" was born.
Between 1846 and 1961, the village was served by Wrea Green railway station
Wrea Green railway station
Wrea Green railway station was on the Blackpool South to Kirkham line. It served the village of Wrea Green, in Lancashire, England, and closed in 1961.The station opened in 1846...
.
The property at the northern end of Church Row was for many years the office of J. Wareing & Son (Wrea Green) Ltd but before this was a sub-branch of the District Bank
District Bank
District Bank was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1829 until its merger into the National Westminster Bank in 1970; it remains a registered company but is dormant...
Ltd.
In 1897 Wrea Green suffered a plague of sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s and the Parish Council agreed to pay a halfpenny for every sparrow, sparrow's egg or rat’s tail that was collected.
Local Businesses
In Wrea Green there are quite a few small businesses and eating places, including: an artificial grass suppliers and installers, a hair salon, a construction design services consulancy, two pubs (one with a community room, a holiday, hotel, sports and conference centre, a Thai restaurant, a Post OfficePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
with shop, a hotel with restaurant, a farm-building construction company and a dentist.
Field Day
Wrea Green Field Day, or Club Day, is a large festival held in Wrea Green including a fancy-dress parade, special event, a three-day visit by a large travelling fair and special stalls on the village Green. Local children/teenagers are involved in the parade around the Green and the highlight of the day is the de-crowning of the previous Queen, the "Retiring Queen" (from the year before) and the crowning of a new Queen, the "Rose Queen". People with some local prominence usually crown the Queens, for example, the head teacher of the primary school in 2006 etc.Education
The school (Ribby-with-Wrea Endowed C.E.) was founded by James Thistleton in 1693. A second school was founded by Nicholas Sharples in 1715. The two trusts were united in 1750. It moved to the current site in 1845, when the church of St NicholasSt Nicholas' Church, Wrea Green
St Nicholas' Church, Wrea Green, is in the village of Wrea Green, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kirkham, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is combined with those of St Matthew, Ballam, and St Michael,...
replaced the Sharples school. The oldest part of the present school building dates from 1898.
Twin towns
- Saint-Bris-le-VineuxSaint-Bris-le-Vineux
Saint-Bris-le-Vineux is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.It lies near Auxerre.-See also:* Saint-Bris AOC, a white wine from the area around Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, made from Sauvignon variety grapes....
Since November 2005 the village has been twinned the small picturesque French village of Saint-Bris-le-Vineux
Saint-Bris-le-Vineux
Saint-Bris-le-Vineux is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.It lies near Auxerre.-See also:* Saint-Bris AOC, a white wine from the area around Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, made from Sauvignon variety grapes....
in Burgundy. A delegation of Wrea Green residents travelled to St Bris to make the twinning official, but the first large exchange came when, at Easter 2006, 43 French came to stay in Wrea Green. After the major success of July 2007's trip to France by 40 Wrea Green residents, a return exchange took place in August 2008, when a similar number of French guests came to the UK.
Another exchange is planned for the summer of 2009, beginning the weekend of July 24, when another delegation of Wrea Green residents will visit their St Bris hosts.