Whixall
Whixall is the third largest inland village in England, civil parish in Shropshire, England, which is documented in the Domesday Book as having been in existence in 1086. The nearest towns are Whitchurch, to the north, and Wem, to the south.
The parish lies on the border with the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Its close proximity to Wales is shown by a hamlet called Welsh End.
Within the parish boundaries (encompassing seven square miles) are various hamlets including Abbey Green. The Llangollen Canal of the Shropshire Union Canal and the short Prees Branch of the Ellesmere Canal run through the parish.
Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a waterway in England and Wales that was planned to carry boat traffic between the rivers Mersey and Severn. The proposal would create a link between the Port of Liverpool and the mineral industries in north east Wales and the manufacturing centres in the West Midlands. However, the canal was never completed as intended because of its rising costs and failure to generate the expected commercial traffic. This stretch of the canal was built along the southern edge of Whixall Moss by William Jessop and Thomas Telford between 1797 and 1804 and became part of the Shropshire Union in 1846. Whixall moss can be easily accessed from the canal tow path by crossing Roundthorn Bridge towards Marl Allotment.
Prees Branch Canal Nature Reserve
Prees Branch Canal Nature Reserve is a Shropshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve in the civil parish of Whixall, Shropshire, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the presence of rare pondweeds (Potamogeton), and also is the home of watervoles. Dragonflies and other invertebrates occur in the water, on the banks and in the air above. The reserve contains a number of uncommon plants and is visited by birds such as the kingfisher and waterfowl. Otters are sometimes seen here.
The Prees Branch canal was originally meant to be an extension of the Ellesmere Canal (now the Llangollen Canal) to Prees, but was only constructed as far as Quina Brook. It is only navigable as far as a marina, beyond which the reserve is effectively a long pond and its banks.