It is a controlled flood area, meaning that water is allowed to flow across the open fields and held for a few hours until the river levels fall.

Melverley was situated on the Potts Railway Line designed to link Shrewsbury with the small village of Llanymynech, near Oswestry.

A viaduct was built at Melverley in order for the line to cross the Severn but this crashed into the river in 1902.

Today, little evidence of the railway remains at Melverley save for some bricks marking the platform edge.

This is a single-track road with passing places but is unusually direct and level compared to other country lanes in the area.