A Brief History of Albrighton

The village of Albrighton dates back to Saxon times, when Albric settled the area after the battle of Wednesbury in 591. Following the Norman Conquest the land passed through various Lords of the Manor, and Albrighton was granted Borough status in 1303, renewed in 1662.

From the 1500s the Talbot family held the manor; in 1517 Sir John Talbot was granted permission to build a watermill, creating the pool now part of the Donington Nature Reserve. Button making and clock making later became local industries, with the first clock installed at St. Mary's Church around 1790.

Albrighton grew from an agricultural village into a commuter village after the Second World War, with the building of RAF Cosford in 1938 significantly increasing the population. Gas, mains water and electricity arrived between 1868 and 1919, and the village gained schools, a library, post office and fire service as it expanded.