Buildwas

"BUILDWAS, a parish in the Wellington division of the hundred of South Bradford, in the county of Salop, 3½ miles to the N. of Much Wenlock, 11 E. from Shrewsbury, and 7 S. from Wellington. The parish is intersected by the Severn Valley and Wenlock branch lines of railway, which meet at Buildwas Junction station, three-quarters of a mile from the church, on the opposite side of the Severn. The village is situated at the S. foot of the Wrekin, on the banks of the river Severn, which is here crossed by an elegant iron bridge of one arch, erected from a design by Thomas Telford in 1796. Its span is 130 feet. The living is a donative curacy in the diocese of Lichfield, worth £25, in the gift of W. Moseley, Esq. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built in 1720. It is a stone building, with a wooden turret. Near the church is the handsome school, erected in 1856, and presented to the parish by Walter Moseley, Esq., the lord of the manor. There are charitable benefactions for the poor amounting to £11 5s. a year. On the S. bank of the Severn, nearly opposite the bridge, are the ruins of the abbey for which this place was celebrated. It was founded by Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Chester, in 1135, for monks of the Cistercian order, and had a revenue at the Dissolution of £129. The site and endowments of the abbey were then given to Edward Grey, Lord Powis, who married Anne, daughter of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. The situation of the monastery was one of singular beauty a tract of meadow land close to the river, and sheltered on three sides by gentle wooded hills. The ruins consist of the walls of the abbey church, which was a cruciform structure, chiefly in the Norman style, with a central tower. The nave; transept, and tower are nearly perfect, The chapter-house, also in a good state of preservation, has a groined roof. On the site of the cloisters is a farmhouse. The western end of the church is mantled with ivy. Buildwas Park, formerly the seat of the Actons, is now the residence of W. Moseley, Esq."[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868 by Colin Hinson ©2015]