You are here:
Ash
Ash maps
Historic maps of Ash and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ash maps
Ash photos
We have no photos of Ash, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Whitchurch| Calverhall| Prees| Styche| Aston| Wrenbury| Wem| Malpas
Ash area books
Displaying 1 of 4 books about Ash and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Ash
No memories of Ash have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Ash
or of a photo of Ash.
Shropshire memories
The Lordship of Tilstock
I hold the Lordship of the Manor of Tilstock and have many maps and papers relating to its history. The Manor covers 2550 acres (just over 4 square miles) and has existed since before the Norman Conquest, when it was part of the lands of Queen Aldgyth, widow of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn and second wife of King Harold II. It includes Prees Heath as far as the boundary of Brown Moss on its Eastern side and South Eastern side and Steel Heath and Hollinwood in the South, the Welsh border to the West and just South of Dearnford Hall to the North and includes the A49 and A41, the Roman Road, the Shropshire Union Canal and the railway from Shrewsbury to Crewe. It also includes the Tilstock Airfield.
In a separate entry, I will give details of the Lords of Tilstock.
Filling in A Beauty Spot
Approximately around the 1950s it was decided to fill in the canal from the Wharf to the junction at Wrexham Road via Chemistry Lane. Most of the canal fill material was household and business rubbish but to us young boys playing in the area the attraction was the military equipment that had been discarded by the American bases locally when they decided to return home after the war.
Such items as wireless headsets, acoustic microphones, dummy land mines and bombs made of wood, camouflage nets, loads of glass valves which we took great delight in breaking with home made catapults loaded with iron puncheons from the foundry in Black Park Road and hundreds of other items from hot water bottles to canteen pots and pans. This surely would not have happened today due to Health and Safety regulations and our current recycling endeavours, but in those days these things never existed and it was like an Aladdin's playground to us lads.
I have not lived in Whitchurch for over 50... Read more
Growing up in The War Years in Prees & Whitchurch
Although I was born in Whitchurch [Bark Hill], we moved to Prees soon after. However, I was sent to stay with my grandmother most weekends and for a period I was sent to the Wesleyan school. My grandmother lived in Mill Street, and I used to walk along the canal regularly, it was opposite her house. During, and after, the war she ran a welcome little business of storing cycles for people from out of town. Fridays and Saturdays were always very busy and, I suppose, for me great fun....collecting the money and being a 'bossy boots', telling them where to put their bicycles. That part of my time with my grandmother was good! But shopping for her was a different matter altogether...she was a terror! Until the shopkeeper's recognised me, they'd serve me any old rubbish, bear in mind I was only seven or eight at this time and there was a war on! Many a time I had to take meat, vegetables and fruit back to the shop.... Read more
Whitchurch
I went to Whitchurch Grammar School as a boarder and we went to church every Sunday in crocodile fashion. We all put one penny in the collection! On Saturdays we went to Woolworths, the best shop -and bought licorice comfits for sixpence a quarter and an aero bar for sixpence also. There was a cafe in Green End which had a jukebox. Tab Hunter was popular - also the song "Who will be my Jimmy unknown?" but I can't remember the singer. There was a pub in the High Street called the Red Cow (I think) but we weren't allowed in - too young. There was a shop in Green End also which sold fireworks and I stole some but was caught and caned at school. My first girlfriend there was Judy Bond and the headmaster was called Mr.Youatt (Tate). We also had a gardener at the school called Ned and he wore bracelets under his knees to hold his trousers up.
Growing Up....war Years
Earliest memory was the wedding of my uncle, Harry Copnall...this would have been in the 1930s though before war was declared in 1939. My next vivid memory was an anniversary Sunday at the Methodist chapel in the village. This was in the early 1940s and a very sad day for the Copnall family, my uncle Harry had been killed in the war, leaving a widow and baby son. I remember Mildred Ratcliffe was about to sing 'Land of Hope and Glory as our family left the chapel, although I, as a young child knew nothing of this until much later when I found my father sobbing in our garden at Station Road. Only twice did I see him cry and the second time too was upon the death of a friend, Vic Grocott, a well known local business men. Prees was a thriving village in those days, we had three general stores one with its own bakery. Two sweetshops, one of which also sold vegetables and various grocery items,... Read more
Life in Prees
I have great memories of living in Prees from 1958-1968, my late husband's parents, Wright and Gladys Speed had lived in Primrose Lane in the village for many years. We moved into the house next door which is now the kennels. My husband had lots of family living in and around the village, including Nellie and Vic Grocott (whose son still runs Grocontinental). Our 4 children loved living in the village and have lots of fond memories of our time in Prees. They would be out for hours during the summer months. Prees club was a great place to meet up with friends, and we've hosted many a family party there. There was a young girl evacuated to Prees in the Second World War who stayed with Mr & Mrs Minshall, she loved her life in Prees so much that she remained there for the rest of her life, that's the sort of village it is.
Shelly And Sarah Stanway
I only have sad thoughts of Prees, my sisters Shelly and Sarah stanway were killed in a house fire in 1992 and I have no memories of them. Sadly I was only 13 months old at the time, wondered if anyone knew what happened as it's too painful for my parents to talk about.
