Knockin


Knockin is a village and civil parish in north-west Shropshire, England. It is located on the B4396 road, around south-east of the town of Oswestry, and from the county town of Shrewsbury.

History

The former name of Knockin was Cnukyn. The village comprises mainly historic detached buildings in a rural setting. The Earl of Bradford owned much of Knockin until it was sold off in lots to meet other financial demands. The Earl still owns the cricket pitch and other small pockets of land in the area. The local public house is called the Bradford Arms and displays the Bradford family coat of arms. The pub also has a clock with three faces, hung outside above the main entrance. The motto displayed on the sign is that of the Bridgeman family Earls of Bradford "Nec temere nec timide".
The village was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day. The tornado later moved over Oswestry, causing further damage.
In 1990 a large part of the village was designated a historical conservation area by Shropshire Council, and it is home to a number of listed buildings.

Knockin Castle

All that remains of Knockin Castle today is a large tree-covered mound of earth. The castle was of a motte and bailey design and was constructed between 1154–1160 under the authority of Guy le Strange. Ownership remained with the family for much of the Middle Ages, but by 1540 it was described as "ruinous". Like most Shropshire castles which are now only marked by grassy sites, its stones live on in a number of buildings in the area.

Church

The parish church of St Mary was founded by Ralph Le Strange between 1182 and 1195 as a chapel for the castle. It has a Norman chancel, nave and north aisle but the building was heavily restored in 1846. Its graveyard was consecrated in 1817; before then at least some burials took place at Kinnerley. It contains CWGC-registered war graves of two officers and two soldiers of the British Army of World War I.

Radio telescope

One of the radio telescopes that make up the Jodrell Bank MERLIN radio telescope array is in Knockin. The array links several observing stations that together form a powerful telescope.

Sport

Knockin is the home of . Established as a club in 1862 the club field four league teams, two mid-week teams, junior teams from under 9's to under 15's in addition to ladies and girls-only teams. In June 2018 the club was awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups. This was a landmark achievement for the club and recognised the tremendous work of their supporters. The Knockin & Kinnerley Knights Junior Section continues to thrive, and training takes place on Monday evenings at the clubs' Nursery Ground.