Wrockwardine (pronounced "Rock-war-deen/dyne") is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the borough of

Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called The Wrekin. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin" ...

and

ceremonial county The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas i ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, England. It lies north of

The Wrekin The Wrekin is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some five miles (8 km) west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of 4 ...

and the M54/ A5, and west of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

. There is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

parish church, St Peter's, dating back to

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

times.

The Village

The place-name 'Wrockwardine' is first attested in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, where it appears as ''Recordine''. It appears as ''Wroch Wurthin'' in 1169, and ''Wrocwurthin'' in 1196. The name means 'homestead by the

Wrekin The Wrekin is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some five miles (8 km) west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of 4 ...

'. Wrockwardine is a small village, and St Peter's Church is the main central feature but there are a number of other buildings of historical interest. Wrockwardine Hall stands by the church, on the north side. From the south are the Alms-Houses, and the Old School House, both now private houses. There is a more modern village school opposite the church, used until 2014 as a private nursery but has also been converted into private houses. On a small green to the north is an unusual war memorial, unveiled in 2006, consisting of a large boulder from the nearby Leaton Quarry. Another memorial, a brass plaque, is in the church. The Alms-Houses were built in 1986, by the bare hands of Alan Wedge, and erected by tenants and neighbours in memory of Edward Cludde, "in testimony of their respect for a man who was an eminent example of pure and undefiled religion, visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keeping himself unspotted from the world." A cedar tree was planted in 2011, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the building.

Armorial Bearings

Wrockwardine Parish Council adopted (assumed) armorial bearings at its meeting of December 12, 2018 (Minute 18/104) Blazon: Armorial bearings Vert, issuing from base a Saxon Church Or, and in chief two Fountains thereon a helmet with mantling Vert doubled Or and on a Wreath of the Liveries is set for Crest Issuing from a Mural Coronet an Owl Or perched upon a Gate Sable and in an Escrol below the achievement this Motto “Servimus Ultro�
Wrockwardine Parish Council Armorial Bearings and Rationale

St Peter's Church

The church is believed to be of Saxon origin, being mentioned in the

of 1086, but the current building is of Norman origin with later modifications. It is of unusual plan in having a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly describe ...

layout, with the tower at the cross-point rather than at the east or west end of the building. This dates from the 12th century, but the addition of ''The Cludde Chapel'' on the north transept at the end of the 14th century modifies this shape. The building shows various evidences of its thousand-year history, beginning with the Norman features. These include a walled-up doorway suggestive of plans for future expansion. An original Norman window in the Chancel was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

in the 19th century with stained glass depicting Holman Hunt's painting of Christ as '' The Light of the World''. The church has several very fine stained glass windows. Some, like the one portraying St Peter, are miniatures at high level. Wrockwardine Church is a popular venue for weddings. A kitchen and disabled toilet has been built. Because of the

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

status, there were severe restrictions as to how this could be built. It was constructed in one corner, but no alteration to the existing walls was allowed, including for ventilation. This was covered by means of an ionisation air purifier. This method is widely used in Europe, but this is believed to be the first such use in Britain.A Church Warden in conversation (09/02/2009), who reported that English Heritage were interested to be able to suggest this method to other listed buildings. In 2015 a scheme of restoration and reordering was proposed. This will include repairs to stonework and roofs, upgrading of the heating system and the building of new community and meeting rooms. Work should begin in 2016. Funding will come from English Heritage and local fundraising. The church is equipped with an audio induction loop system installed as part of a customised sound system.

Transport

Wrockwardine is located between the B4394 and B5061 roads, and north of junction 7 of the

M54 motorway The M54 is a 23-mile (37 km) east-west motorway in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire, England. It is also referred to as the Telford motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the town of Telford. It cost £65 ...

/ A5 dual carriageway.

is located directly to the east, whilst Admaston is to the north.

References

External links

Telford Culture ZoneVillage websiteSt Peter's Church on ''A Church Near You''Wrockwardine Parish Council website

Scenes of Wrockwardine

File:Wrockwardine village 03.jpg, Location of the War Memorial, with former blacksmith's house on far side of the green. File:Wrockwardine Village 04.jpg, Wrockwardine War Memorial. File:Wrockwardine village 05.jpg, View from War memorial towards the church. File:St Peters, Wrockwardine.jpg, St Peters Church in Wrockwardine, South West Aspect. File:Wrockwardine Church 05.jpg, War Memorial plaque in St Peter's Church. File:Wrockwardine Church 06.jpg, Window in St Peter's Church. File:Wrockwardine Church 02.jpg, "Three Wise Angels". Detail of a window in St Peter's Church. File:Wrockwardine Church 04.jpg, The St Peter window in St Peter's Church. {{authority control Villages in Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Civil parishes in Shropshire