Tong

History

The village of Tong in Shropshire has an interesting past that includes the surveying of the area by two railway companies in the 1840s. While the Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton Railway was built further south, the Shrewsbury and Leicester Direct Railway was never constructed. In 1963, the village was bypassed due to heavy traffic and a tragic incident involving a child who was killed under a lorry on the A41 road that used to run through it.

Based in Tong, the village is known for its church, St Bartholews, which is said to house the supposed grave of Little Nell, a character from Charles Dickens's book, The Oldiosity Shop. The church is believed to have been visited by Dickens himself, and the grave is said to have been created due to the popularity the book in America. Although the grave is not real, a headstone was erected by a local verger and postmaster, George H. Boden.