Alveley | |
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St Mary's parish church |
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Alveley shown within Shropshire | |
Population | 2,098 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SO760844 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Bridgnorth |
Postcode district | WV15 |
Dialling code | 01746 |
Police | West Mercia |
Fire | Shropshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
EU Parliament | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Alveley and Romsley Parish Council |
Alveley is a village in the Severn Valley in southeast Shropshire, England, about 11 miles (18 km) south-southeast of Bridgnorth. It is in the civil parish of Alveley and Romsley. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 2,098.
The Black Death is said to have killed 60% of the village population in 1349. A stone cross, the Buttercross, 2 miles (3 km) outside the village dates from the time of the Black Death when it was a place for food to be left for the village when it was quarantined.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary is 12th-century with a 14th-century south chapel. In the chapel is a very faded 14th-century mural that is thought to represent the Seven Deadly Sins. The upper part of the tower was rebuilt in about 1779. The building was heavily restored in 1878–79 under the direction of Sir Arthur Blomfield. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Alveley has also a Methodist chapel, which was built in 1862.
From 1937 to 1969 the village had a coal mine in conjunction with the neighbouring village of Highley across the River Severn. The first shaft at Alveley Colliery was sunk in 1935. Production began in 1938 and reached full output in 1944. Coal was transferred to sidings on the Severn Valley Railway on the opposite bank of the river, to be taken away by rail. Declining coal quality at a time of national over-supply led to the colliery closing in January 1969 leaving high unemployment and a ravaged landscape. An industrial estate was built after the mine closure along with a landscape reclamation scheme in 1986 and the disused colliery and spoil tips were converted into the Severn Valley Country Park.