A PUB near Wem has been selected as part of a project researching rural pubs.

A team from TDR Heritage exploring historic Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880s has been analysing the evolution of 200 pub buildings across the Shropshire countryside.

From this group, the team has selected 10 buildings they want to examine as part of their research project. Among this group The Horse and Jockey in Northwood.

TDR Heritage’s director Vicky Hunns said; “The information our volunteer research team are finding is invaluable. It helps us build up a picture of how significant these pubs were and still are to their local community, enriching our knowledge for the future and making sure these buildings do not become at risk”.

For The Horse and the Jockey and the other sites selected for analysis, the research team is reportedly looking to carry out a more involved survey of the buildings themselves, as well as uncovering more about them from the perspective of the people and communities who visited them.

They are investigating the experiences of the owners and customers of the chosen pubs. The events that may have been held at each site over the course of its respective history.

At the end of the project, all of the collected information will be shared with the Shropshire Archives and become part of Shropshire’s Historic Environment Record, the database of information regarding the county’s heritage held by Shropshire Council’s Historic Environment Team.

If you have any information regarding The Blue Bell hotel, or any of the pubs listed as part of the projects selection, find the project on Facebook or at its website tdrheritage.co.uk/innsites or contact via email with tdrheritage@gmail.com.