Whittington, Shropshire
| Whittington | |
| Shropshire | |
|---|---|
 Whittington Castle | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ326313 |
| Location: | 52°52’26"N, 3°0’11"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,490 (2001) |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Shropshire |
Whittington is a village in north-western Shropshire, famed for the grand, ruined castle at its heart. Whittington Castle, surrounded by parkland, is owned by a community trust.
The village appears a small place to the casual visitor, but away from the little village centre, and out into the surrounding hamlets, a population of 2,490 was recorded at the 2001 census. The Parish of Whittington include three smaller villages, namely Park Hall, Hindford to the north-east and Babbinswood to the south.
History
Whittington appears to have been a prehistoric site and may have been a Dark Age stronghold of King Cynddylan in the seventh century. The name of the village though is Old English. There was an extensive settlement here recorded in the Domesday Book.
Whittington was granted to William Peverel, probably by King Henry I, who required his frontier to be defended. William probably founded Whittington Castle. The castle was taken from his descendants by Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys. The castle was granted to Roger de Powys by King Henry II, and it remained in that family for thirty years: Roger was succeeded by his son Meurig (or Maurice), and he in turn by his son Werennoc, but the Peverel claim was maintained by its heir, Fulk III FitzWarin. Fulk rebelled against King John 1204 when the King would not recognise his claim, but he was later pardoned and the castle and lordship of Whittington were given to him. Whittington then descended in the FitzWarin family, all called Fulk, until the death of Fulk XI in 1420.
In 1221, Henry III gave grudging permission for the castle to be re-built in stone after it had fallen to Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth of Wales (also known as 'Llywelyn the Great'). It was recaptured by Llywelyn in 1223 but was handed back to Fulk Fitzwarine the same year.
The castle ruins still exist today and were recently renovated. They are open to the public.
Railway service
Two railway stations once served Whittington. The Shrewsbury to Chester Line (via Wrexham), of the former Great Western Railway, is still an operating route, but Whittington Low Level station on this line closed on 12 September 1960. Whittington High Level station was on the main line of the Cambrian Railways but the section from Whitchurch to Welshpool via Ellesmere, Whittington, Oswestry and Llanymynech, closed on 18 January 1965.
About the village
Part of the Whittington parish includes Park Hall. This was previously an army training camp, but now is residential and farming land.
There is a small amount of light industry based mainly on the Whittington Business Park on the road to Oswestry. A further group of business operate from premises off North Drive, Park Hall and there is a clutch of industry and warehousing at the edge of the parish, close to the main A5 road.
The largest employer within the parish is BT (previously British Telecom) which has premises on the Whittington Road.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Whittington, Shropshire) |
- Information on Whittington, Shropshire from GENUKI
- Oswestry website photos of Whittington Castle today
- BBC Shropshire feature on the castle restoration
References
- P. Brown, P. King, and P. Remfry, 'Whittington Castle: The marcher fortress of the Fitz Warin family', Shropshire Archaeology and History LXXIX (2004), 106-127.
- Remfry, P.M., Whittington Castle and the families of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Peverel, Maminot, Powys and Fitz Warin (ISBN 1-899376-80-1)