Meole Brace

Meole Brace, sometimes known locally as simply Meole /ˈməl/ MEE-əl (pronounced like meal), is a south-western suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.

Meole Brace
Church of Holy Trinity, Meole Brace
Meole Brace is located in Shropshire
Meole Brace
Meole Brace
Location within Shropshire
OS grid referenceSJ491106
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townShrewsbury
Postcode districtSY3
Dialling code01743
PoliceWest Mercia
FireShropshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament

The Rea Brook, a tributary of the River Severn, flows through the area. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook".

Meole Village is the name used locally for the older part of Meole Brace, which was originally a village outside Shrewsbury. It still retains a village feel, though it is surrounded by newer urban development. This older settlement lies on the route of a Roman road and could be older than the town of Shrewsbury. There are two estates, Radbrook and a privately owned estate near the retail park.

Nearby are the small villages of Nobold and Pulley.

Etymology

The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family (perhaps originally 'de Bracey': Norman barons). It has been known as Meole, or Mole, or Mill for almost 1000 years; it may come from Mill, as in flour mill, as there was certainly a mill on the brook, or possibly from the Welsh 'moel' meaning "bare", or by extension "bare hill" - or from Old English mele, "meal" as in "oatmeal", referring to the sediment in the brook giving a "mealy" appearance. This last etymology is supported by most of the earlier (Middle English) spellings which have "Mele" without an "o"; 'Malvern', derived from the Welsh moel, appears as mal- or mael- while Old English myll "mill" only appears with an e in southeastern (mostly Kentish) texts.

Amenities

The A5112 (Hereford Road), formerly the A49, is the main road running north–south. There is a large retail park in Meole Brace, with several leading retailers, including Sports Direct, Halfords, Argos, Marks & Spencer, Next, Currys PC World and TK Maxx. There is also a McDonald's and Pizza Hut restaurant, a Costa café and a Sainsbury's supermarket.[1] The Welsh Marches and Cambrian railway lines run through the area, but there is no longer a railway station here.

Meole Brace retail park

There is a local comprehensive secondary school, Meole Brace School, and in the heart of the village there is a Church of England primary school and nursery.

The village also has a church, Holy Trinity Meole Brace (part of Trinity Churches). Built at a cost of £7500 on the site of the old vicarage, the present building was consecrated by the Bishop of Hereford in 1869 and is a Grade II* listed building.[2][3] The parish is now in the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield. Phil Cansdale is the current Vicar.[4]

Sports

Meole Brace is home to Meole Brace Bowling Club, built in 1934, and to the council-run 12-hole Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course. The course links the village to the nearby settlements of Reabrook and Sutton Park as well as Reabrook Nature Reserve.

The suburb has a sunday league football club, AFC Meole Brace, who currently compete in the Shrewsbury & District Sunday League. They play home games at Church Road.

The New Meadow (aka Montgomery Waters Meadow), the home ground of Shrewsbury Town F.C., is located just to the east of the suburb.

Notable residents

Literature

Meole Brace is mentioned in The Cadfael Chronicles.

References

  1. http://www.completelyretail.co.uk/scheme/3267 Meole Brace Retail Park on CompletelyRetail
  2. Historic England. "MEOLE BRACE CHURCH OF HOLY TRINITY (1271121)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  3. "Trinity Churches". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012.
  4. https://trinitychurches.org/about-us-3/meet-the-team-staff-and-leadership-at-trinity-churches/
  5. Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1938. Oxford University Press. p. 80.
  6. Toby Neal (23 July 2018). "Witness to rise of the Nazis dies at Shropshire home aged 100". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
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