Clee St. Margaret

Clee St. Margaret
Ford on the Clee Brook
OS grid reference	SO564844
Civil parish	Clee St. Margaret
Unitary authority	Shropshire
Ceremonial county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LUDLOW
Postcode district	SY8
Dialling code	01584
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Ludlow

Clee St. Margaret is an small village and civil parish in the Clee Hills area of Shropshire, England.

There is a 900 year old parish church and a village hall, but no pub, despite Clee St. Margaret boasting five pubs earlier during the height of the quarrying on nearby Brown Clee Hill. Historically the settlement also had a shop, a Methodist Chapel, a school and a post office.

Clee St. Margaret is seven miles north east (about a fifteen-minute drive) from the market town of Ludlow. It lies at approximately 205 metres (673 ft) above sea level. The Clee Brook passes through the settlement, as a 50 metre long, shallow ford. Local land use includes two small vineyards and extensive sheep grazing.

Population

The population of Clee St. Margaret is currently at only 126 people, 65 being males and 61 being females. Over the years the population of this small village has declined as in 1871 it was over double today's average standing at a population of 297 residents. The graph below represents how the population has dropped from 1800 to 1960 showing how it has fallen to the current population now.

• Clee St Margaret, Population depletion
  Clee St Margaret, Population depletion

Housing

Naturally, the amount of houses has also fluctuated. This was shown between the years of 1841 to 1961 decreasing dramatically from 71 to only 51 houses. Today it is still at a low figure of just 65 properties.As it is situated in the countryside it is an ideal location for families and the elderly.

• Clee St Margaret,Housing Depletion
  Clee St Margaret,Housing Depletion

However, in recent years there has been a slight rise in households. This may be due to the housing density declining in recent years. In 1931, 1609 people were living with over one person whereas in 2001 only 510 residents in South Shropshire were living with over 1 person. The average house price of Clee St Margaret averages at about £281,462. Compared with the rest of the country this is relatively low due to the location and most houses are small based on the history of the parish.. Although the parish’s image is aged, modern amenities are made available such as broadband.

Education

Clee St. Margaret population is made up mostly of families and couples due to the facilities it holds and is regarded as a safe neighbourhood. The education level for the area of South Shropshire has improved greatly. In 1851 school attendance was lower than those not attending, however in 2001, 716 children were attending and only 191 stayed at home.There are two primary schools within 6km radiance and five playgroups centres within 7km radiance.
Those with a degree living in the South Shropshire district, however is relatively low. The residents without a degree are currently 23,029 and those with a degree are 5,393 which are low compared with the rest of the country.

Employment

In 1881 the land was used for agriculture were most of the male residents would work and the females were employed in domestic services or offices.

• Clee St Margaret, Employment Structure
  Clee St Margaret, Employment Structure

However today, services is the most employed sector of work employing 10,364 residents of South Shropshire and with only 1855 employed in agriculture. Most of the population travel on average, 38.80 km to work implying they are employed in services in Kidderminster or Shrewsbury where the industry is thriving.

Religion and Politics

The main religion in Clee St Margaret and the surrounding area of South Shropshire is mainly Christian with Muslim and Buddhist running second. The church was renewed in 1860 and is used regularly for Christian practice

Clee St Margaret is in the conservative constituency of Ludlow. The Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency is Philip Dunne who has been an assistant whip for the House of Commons since 14th May 2010. His key issues are against climate change and education, for example he voted strongly for the rise in tuition fees for 2011.

Climate

Clee St Margaret is located within The Midlands of England causing it to experience a mixture of both southern and northern climatic conditions. When rainfall is concerned it is a transitional area between Wales and the East of England.As The Midlands region is at some distance from the sea, the annual range of temperature is more pronounced than in most parts of the UK. It is subjected to sharp winter frosts and occasional very hot summer days, particularly in the south and east of the region where Clee St Margaret is located. These temperature extremes of both winter and summer are a key characteristic of the Midlands climate.
Clee St Margaret's temperature is naturally very reflective of the midlands average climate. Its coldest months are January and February reaching highs of 7° C and lows of 0° C. Its warmest months are July and August with highs of 21° C and lows of 10° C.

Climate data for Shropshire, The Midlands
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7 (45)	7 (45)	10 (50)	12 (54)	16 (61)	19 (66)	21 (70)	21 (70)	18 (64)	14 (57)	10 (50)	7 (45)	14 (56)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0 (32)	0 (32)	1 (34)	2 (36)	5 (41)	8 (46)	10 (50)	10 (50)	7 (45)	4 (39)	2 (36)	1 (34)	4 (40)
Average precipitation cm (inches)	5.48 (2.16)	4.11 (1.62)	4.53 (1.78)	4.64 (1.83)	5.42 (2.13)	5.43 (2.14)	5.18 (2.04)	5.69 (2.24)	5.88 (2.31)	6.18 (2.43)	6.08 (2.39)	6.10 (2.40)	64.72 (25.47)
Source: Bing.com

External links

Media related to Clee St. Margaret at Wikimedia Commons