I visited a friendly north Shropshire village full of charm - and residents worried about what comes next

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A defining landmark of the village is All Saints’ Church, one of its oldest (if not the oldest) surviving buildings. 

While parts of the current building date back to the late 12th and early 13th century, it is thought to stand on the site of an earlier timber church that was destroyed by fire. In 1790, the church was significantly restored by the renowned engineer and builder Thomas Telford.

The village is served by two schools: Baschurch Church of England Primary School and the Corbet School, formerly Baschurch Secondary Modern School. 

Local amenities include a post office, a village hall, a fire station, a doctor's surgery, a chippy and two pubs - The New Inn and the Admiral Duncan.

Daron Lloyd, who took over The New Inn three years ago, said the village had embraced him from day one. Despite it being 2pm on a rainy Friday, the bar was packed with people, many accompanied by a dog or two perched contentedly on their laps.

"It's a great village, the locals support us a lot we're very lucky - we've got a lot of great regulars," Daron said.

"We've got Oswestry, Shrewsbury and lots of surrounding villages so we get a lot of people meeting here too. 

"The community is my favourite thing about Baschurch, they really pull together. There is a lot of charity work going on, they're very warm people."

Yet despite a list of amenities that would leave many Shropshire villages envious, plenty of residents feel the facilities are no longer keeping pace with Baschurch’s rapid growth. It was a concern raised by every single person we spoke to during our visit.

"Baschurch has doubled in size since I was a child," said one resident, who didn't wish to be named, before they proceeded to reel off a list of recent or potentially upcoming developments that could expand it even further.

At the Admiral Duncan, manager Tracy West echoed the sentiment. “Baschurch used to be great, but they’re building too many houses,” she said. “It used to be one of those places where everyone knew everybody. Now you don’t know anybody.”

Not everyone is opposed to new housing, but all shared worries that local services are already stretched.

"I've moved into a new build myself," said resident Peta Wigham, who moved to Baschurch seven years ago to be closer to family. 

"It's not a bad thing, but they should do something to improve the two schools and the doctors surgery. It's very difficult to get an appointment at the doctors. 

"We really need more shops, we've got the SPAR but it's expensive. We've got three garages but only one supermarket."

Despite their concerns, the majority of residents speak with real affection for Baschurch. Growth may be inevitable, they say, but they hope the village’s character - and the neighbourliness that defines it - won’t be lost along the way.