Highley
| Highley | |
|---|---|
 The Severn Centre |
|
 Highley
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| Highley shown within Shropshire | |
| Population | 3,605 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SO741834 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRIDGNORTH |
| Postcode district | WV16 |
| Dialling code | 01746 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Highley is a large village, civil parish and electoral ward in Shropshire, England, on the west bank of the River Severn and on the B4555 road. Highley has a population of approximately 3,100(2001).
Highley began as a rural farming community, including an entry in the Domesday Book, later becoming a significant area for stone quarrying which provided some of the stone for Worcester Cathedral. Coal mining began in the area in the Middle Ages but in the late 19th century the village was revolutionised by coal mining with large scale operations really beginning in 1878. A period of intense house-building also followed, giving Highley its distinctive red-brick terraced miners' houses. In the 1930s, during the mine's peak production period, the mine was extended to the neighbouring village of Alveley across the River Severn. Both an underground tunnel and a bridge (known as 'the Pit Bridge') were constructed between the two villages. Two historical bridging points exist at Bridgnorth to the North and Bewdley to the South, and whilst the bridge belonging to the former National Coal Board was deemed unsafe for general vehicular traffic there exists in Hampton Loade a private bridge used by the emergency services.
The mine closed in the late 1960s due to subsidence and waterlogging. The bridge remained open to bridleway traffic only, again due to subsidence from the steep valley sides. The mine area on the Alveley (east) side was converted into an industrial estate in the late 1960s as coal mining ceased, and then was subsequently landscaped into the Severn Valley Country Park in the late 1980s. Initially this was as an exercise to use trees to shore up the coal spoils, and later as a tourist destination which now includes public artwork and a sculpture trail, The Seam Pavement Trail.
The trail is a series of seven bronze plaques depicting Highley's past and incorporates the designs of West Midlands artist Saranjit Birdi. He included many miner's nicknames into the artwork, gleaned from archive information and research within the local community. Nicknames of the miners, such as 'Dick the Devil', 'Joyful Clappers', 'Cider Biscuit', 'Flaming Heck' and others, are incorporated into the work. Birdi calls it "a seam through time", echoing the skilfully mined coal seams being laid down and later extracted over time. One plaque, 'Plough and Lady', depicts Lady Godiva, who owned Highley Manor in the 11th Century. Birdi is also responsible for another sculpture entitled 'A Song of Steam' at Highley station.
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Wikipedia