Quatford is a village in the Severn Valley

Severn Valley (England)

The Severn Valley is a rural area of mid-western England, through which the River Severn runs and the Severn Valley Railway steam heritage line operates, starting at its northernmost point in Bridgnorth, Shropshire and running south for 16 miles to Bewdley, Worcestershire in the Wyre...

, Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is located on the A442

A442 road

The A442 is a main road which passes through the counties of Worcestershire and Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England.-Route:From Droitwich in Worcestershire it runs towards Kidderminster where it meets the A449 from Worcester...

, just south of the town of Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth

Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...

 and on the bank of the River Severn

River Severn

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...

.

History

Quatford is one of the oldest settlements in the area. It was listed in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, the draft of which was finished in 1086. Quatford was settled because of the ease of fording the River Severn. Its name came from it being a ford

Ford (crossing)

A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...

 near Quatt

Quatt

Quatt is a small village in Shropshire, England in the Severn Valley. The civil parish, formally known as Quatt Malvern, has a population of 219 according to the 2001 census.It lies on the A442 south of Bridgnorth....

. As the River Severn became deeper a bridge was built at the site instead. In the 11th Century a small castle was built on high ground overlooking the river, but was demolished a few years later. Traces of the motte

Motte-and-bailey

A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...

still remain. North of the village is a mock castle now known as Quatford Castle, built circa 1830 by John Smalman for himself and originally called Morf Mount.

Quatford's importance as a crossing of the River Severn was diminished when another bridge was built 2 miles upstream. A settlement was formed at the "bridge north of Quatford", now known as Bridgnorth, which became the major town in the district.

Amenities

• The Danery Pub
• The Foodstop Cafeteria
• Quatford Church
• Quatford Cattery
• Quatford Petrol Station

External links