Prees, Shropshire

Prees is a village and civil parish in north Shropshire, near the border between England and Wales. Its name is Celtic and means "brushwood".

Contents

• Map of Prees UK
• Governance
• References

Map of Prees, UK

The civil parish includes the smaller settlements of Sandford, Darliston, Fauls and Mickley to the east of the village.

West of the village of Prees, but not in the village or the parish as the name would suggest, is the railway station of Prees. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line, between Whitchurch and Wem. There is a regular service with pre-determined stops. The station is not in the village itself because Captain Black, a wealthy resident in the village stated that the station had to be exactly one mile away from the centre of the village, which at the time was the mill, located (still today) on Mill Street. This was so that it could be easily reached as a route out with the goods produced.

Prees is northeast of the small town of Wem. It is also west of Market Drayton and south of Whitchurch. A number of nearby villages share the name Prees: Prees Village, Prees Green, Prees Heath and Prees Wood. All were formerly known as Prys - Wood or Prys, etc. The population in 2001 was recorded at 2688, increasing to 2,895 as of the 2011 Census.

The church in the village dates back to the 14th century, however the tower is younger.

The A41 and A49 roads pass on either side of the village.

Persons associated with Prees include Captain Black, whose manor is located near the war memorial, and Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, an officer during the Napoleonic Wars born at The Hall in the village in 1772 and whose doric column stands in Shrewsbury. Rowland Hill's brother Lieutenant Colonel Robert Chambre Hill was also born at the The Hall in 1778.

Also located in Prees is the Prees Church of England Primary School and Nursery, a Victorian building that holds much history.

Prees was the intended destination of an arm of the Ellesmere Canal. However the arm was only completed as far as Quina Brook. The arm is now known as the Prees Branch of the Llangollen Canal, and is navigable for about a mile to Whixall Marina; the following 3/4 mile is still followable on the towpath as it passes through Prees Branch Canal Nature Reserve.