Everything about Shropshire totally explained
Shropshire, alternatively known as
Salop or abbreviated
Shrops, is a
county in the
West Midlands region of
England. It borders
Wales to the west. Shropshire is one of England's most rural and sparsely populated counties, with the population of the
non-metropolitan/shire county 289,100 - making it the
least populated two-tier governed area in the
United Kingdom. The shire county and its districts will be replaced with a
unitary authority on 1st April 2009. The borough of
Telford and Wrekin, included in Shropshire for
ceremonial purposes, has been a unitary authority since 1998.
The
county town is
Shrewsbury, which is culturally and historically important, although
Telford, which was constructed around a number of older towns, most notably
Wellington,
Dawley and
Madeley, is today the most populous. Other notable towns are
Oswestry in the north-west,
Bridgnorth in the south-east and
Ludlow to the south. The
Ironbridge Gorge area has become known as the 'Birthplace of Industry' but this is disputed by some, since industrial activity was present in other areas before industry existed in the Ironbridge area. The term was coined as an advertisement in an attempt to enhance the status of the town. It is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, which covers
Ironbridge,
Coalbrookdale and a part of
Madeley. There are additionally other notable historic industrial sites located around the county such as
Broseley,
Snailbeach and
Highley as well as the
Shropshire Union Canal.
The
Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers about a quarter of the county, mainly in the south.
The Wrekin is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the county, though the highest hills are the
Clee Hills,
Stiperstones and the
Long Mynd.
Wenlock Edge is another significant geographical and geological landmark, and the
River Severn,
Great Britain's longest river, runs through the county. Shropshire is landlocked, and with an area of 1,346 mi², is England's largest inland county.
History
The area now considered Shropshire was annexed to
Mercia by King
Offa in the eighth century, at which time he built two significant dykes there to defend his territory against the
Welsh or at least demarcate it. In subsequent centuries, the area suffered repeated Danish invasion, and fortresses were built at
Bridgnorth and Chirbury.
After the
Norman Conquest in 1066, major estates in Shropshire were granted to Normans, including
Roger de Montgomerie, who ordered significant constructions, particularly in Shrewsbury, the town of which he was
Earl. Many defensive castles were built at this time across the county to defend against the Welsh and enable effective control of the region, including
Ludlow Castle and
Shrewsbury Castle. Also in this period, a number of religious foundations were formed, the county largely falling at this time under the diocese of Hereford and that of Coventry and Lichfield. Some areas in later times fell under the diocese of St. Asaph until it ceased to exist in 1920.
The county was a central part of the
Welsh Marches during the medieval period and was often embroiled in the power struggles between powerful
Marcher Lords, the
Earls of March and successive monarchs.
The county also contains a number of historically significant towns, including
Shrewsbury,
Ludlow and
Oswestry. Additionally, the area around
Coalbrookdale in the county is seen as highly significant, as it's regarded as one of the birthplaces of the
Industrial Revolution. The village of
Edgmond, near Newport, is the location of the lowest recorded temperature (in terms of weather) in England and Wales.
Etymology
Salop is an old abbreviation for Shropshire, once used on envelopes or telegrams, and comes from the Anglo-French 'Salopesberia'. It has now been replaced by the more contemporary 'Shrops' although Shropshire residents are still referred to as 'Salopians'
County extent
The border with Wales was defined in the 16th century - the hundreds of Oswestry (including
Oswestry) and Pimhill (including
Wem), and part of
Chirbury had prior to the
Laws in Wales Act formed various Lordships in the
Welsh Marches.
The present day ceremonial county boundary is almost the same as the historic one. Notably there has been the removal of several
exclaves and
enclaves. The largest of the exclaves was
Halesowen, which became part of Worcestershire in 1844 (now part of the
West Midlands county), and the largest of the enclaves was Herefordshire's
Farlow in South Shropshire, also transferred in 1844, to Shropshire. Alterations have been made on Shropshire's border with all neighbouring English counties over the centuries. Gains have been made to the south of Ludlow (from Herefordshire), to the north of Shifnal (from Staffordshire) and to the north (from Cheshire) and south (from Staffordshire) of Market Drayton. The county has lost land in two places - to Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
Geography
Geographically, Shropshire is divisible into two distinct halves - North and South. The county has a highly diverse
geology.
North Shropshire
Politically, North Shropshire is composed of Oswestry district, North Shropshire district, Shrewsbury and Atcham borough and the borough of Telford and Wrekin.
The North Shropshire Plain is an extension of the flat and fertile
Cheshire Plain. It is here that most of the county's large towns, and population in general, are to be found.
Shrewsbury at the centre,
Oswestry to the north west,
Whitchurch to the north,
Market Drayton to the north east and
Newport and the Telford conurbation (Telford, Wellington, Oakengates, Donnington and Shifnal) to the east. The land is fertile and agriculture remains a major feature of the landscape and the economy. The
River Severn runs through the lower half of this area (from Wales in the west, eastwards), through Shrewsbury and down the
Ironbridge Gorge, before heading south to
Bridgnorth.
The area around
Oswestry has more rugged geography than the North Shropshire Plain and the western half is over an extension of the
Wrexham Coalfield and there are also copper deposits on the border with
Wales. Mining of stone and sand
aggregates is still going on in
Mid-Shropshire, notably on
Haughmond Hill, near
Bayston Hill and around the village of
Condover. Lead mining also took place at
Snailbeach and the
Stiperstones, but this has now ceased. Other primary industries, such as forestry and fishing, are to be found too.
The
A5 and
M54 run from
Wolverhampton (to the east of the county) across to Telford, around Shrewsbury parallel to the line of
Watling Street an
ancient trackway. The A5 then turns north west to Oswestry, before heading north into Wales in the Wrexham area. This is an important artery and the corridor is where most of Shropshire's modern commerce and industry is found, notably in Telford new town. There are also a number of railway lines crossing over the area, which centre at Shrewsbury. To the south west of Telford, near the Ironbridge Gorge, is
Ironbridge Power Station.
The new town of Telford is built partly on a former industrial area centred on the East Shropshire Coalfield as well as on former agricultural land. There are still many ex-colliery sites to be found in the area, as well as disused mine shafts. This industrial heritage is an important tourist attraction, as is seen by the growth of museums in the
Ironbridge,
Coalbrookdale and
Jackfield area.
Blists Hill museum and historical (
Victorian era) village is a major tourist attraction as well as the Iron Bridge itself. In addition,
Telford Steam Railway runs from
Horsehay.
South Shropshire
» For information specifically on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, see Shropshire Hills AONB.
Politically, the area is composed of South Shropshire district and Bridgnorth district.
South Shropshire is more rural, with fewer settlements and no large towns, and its landscape differs greatly from that of North Shropshire. The area is dominated by significant hill ranges and river valleys, woods, pine forests and 'batches', a colloquial term for small valleys and other natural features. Farming is more pastoral than the arable found in the north of the county. The only substantial towns are
Ludlow, with a population of around 10,000 people,
Bridgnorth and
Church Stretton. The
Shropshire Hills AONB is located in the south-west, covering an area of 804 km²; it forms the only specifically protected area of the county. Inside this area is the popular
Long Mynd, a large plateau of 536 m
Stiperstones and 516 metres high to the East of the
Long Mynd, overlooking
Church Stretton.
The
A49 is the main road through the area, running north to south, from Shrewsbury to
Herefordshire. A railway line runs through the area on the same route as the A49 with stations at Church Stretton,
Craven Arms and Ludlow. The (heritage)
Severn Valley Railway runs from Bridgnorth into
Worcestershire.
Because of its valley location and character, Church Stretton is sometimes referred to as
Little Switzerland. Nearby are the old mining and quarrying communities on the
Clee Hills, notable geological features in the
Onny Valley and
Wenlock Edge and fertile farmland in the
Corve Dale. The
River Teme drains this part of the county, before flowing into
Worcestershire to the South and joining the River Severn.
One of the Clee Hills, the
Brown Clee Hill, is the county's highest peak at 546 m.
South West Shropshire, or simply "Clun", is a little known and remote part of the county, with
Clun Forest,
Offa's Dyke and the
River Clun. The small towns of
Clun and
Bishop's Castle are in this area. The countryside here's very rural and is in parts wild and forested. To the south of Clun is the Welsh town of
Knighton.
Climate
The
climate of Shropshire is generally moderate. Rainfall averages 760 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in), influenced by being in the
rainshadow of the
Cambrian Mountains from warm, moist
frontal systems of the
Atlantic Ocean which bring generally light precipitation in Autumn and Spring. The hilly areas in the south and west are much colder in the winter, due to their high elevation, they share a similar climate to that of the
Welsh Marches and
Mid-Wales. The flat northern plain in the north and east has a similar climate to that of the rest of the
West Midlands.
The only weather station in the county is located at
Shawbury, which is in the north, between
Shrewsbury and
Market Drayton.
Politics
Shropshire has
five constituencies, four of which returned Conservative MPs at the 2005 general election and one, Telford, returned a Labour MP. This is a marked change from the 2001 general election result, where the county returned only one Conservative, three Labour and a Liberal Democrat to the Commons (see maps to the right).
The current MPs of Shropshire are:
David Wright, Labour, Telford (covering the town of Telford)
Owen Paterson, Conservative, North Shropshire (covering the North Shropshire district and Oswestry borough)
Philip Dunne, Conservative, Ludlow (covering the South Shropshire and (the majority of) Bridgnorth districts)
Daniel Kawczynski, Conservative, Shrewsbury and Atcham (covering the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Mark Pritchard, Conservative, The Wrekin (covering Telford and Wrekin borough, minus Telford, and including a small area of Bridgnorth district)
In 2005 there was also a County Council election in which the Conservatives gained overall control of the shire county. Telford and Wrekin Borough Council remained at the time under Labour control but has since gone to no-overall control, with a Conservative executive. Being a rural county, there are a number of independent councillors on the various councils in the county.
The Conservatives gained complete control of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council in the May 2006 local elections.
Divisions and environs
The area under the control of the county council, or shire county, is divided into five non-metropolitan districts. They are North Shropshire, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Shropshire and Bridgnorth. Telford and Wrekin is a unitary authority which forms part of the county for various functions such as Lord Lieutenant but doesn't come under county council control. Oswestry, Shrewsbury & Atcham and Telford & Wrekin have the status of boroughs. The county including Telford and Wrekin, the ceremonial county, borders Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and the Welsh preserved counties of Powys and Clwyd.
Local government reform
see also: 2009 structural changes to local government in England and Shropshire Council
In 2006 a local government white paper supported proposals for new unitary authorities to be set up in England in certain areas. Existing non-metropolitan counties with small populations, such as Cornwall, Northumberland and Shropshire, are favoured by the government to be covered by unitary authorities in one form or another (the county can either become a single unitary authority, or be broken into a number of unitary authorities). Existing unitary authority areas within these counties' ceremonial boundaries (such as Telford and Wrekin) won't be affected and there will be no boundary changes.
Shropshire County Council, supported by South Shropshire District Council and Oswestry Borough Council, proposed to the government that the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire become a single unitary authority (for example the district/borough councils would be abolished). This was opposed by the other 3 districts in the county and rejected overwhelmingly by residents in 3 separate parish referenda. The process would be similar to that of the Isle of Wight in the early 1990s, when its districts were abolished, leaving a unitary county authority. The ceremonial county of Shropshire would therefore consist of two unitary authority areas - Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire. The new unitary authority of Shropshire would be one of the largest in England in terms of area.
There has been political opposition to the proposals, on the grounds of loss of local democracy and abolishing councils rated as "excellent" or "good", chiefly from Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council. The proponents, however, feel that the move will save funds and allow the area to gain more regional prominence.
The proposal to create a Shropshire unitary authority, covering the area of the existing non-metropolitan county, is supported by the DCLG and 1st April 2009 has been set as the date for the re-organisation to take place. The districts and their councils will be abolished and the county council will become (as the "continuing authority") the new unitary authority. Elections to the new authority's council won't take place however until May or June 2009.
Part of the proposals include parishing and establishing a town council for the currently unparished area of Shrewsbury. This would create one of the largest civil parishes in England, with a population of over 70,000.
Transport
» See also: Railways of Shropshire
Shropshire is connected to the rest of the United Kingdom via a number of road and rail links. Historically, rivers in the county and the Shropshire Union Canal were used for transport also, although their use in transport is now significantly reduced. The county's main transportation hub is Shrewsbury, through which many significant roads and railways pass and join.
Major roads in the county include the M54 motorway, which connects Shropshire to the rest of the motorway network, and more specifically to the West Midlands county. The A5 also runs through the county, in an east-west direction. The road formerly ran through Shrewsbury, although a large dual-carriageway bypass has since been built. Other major trunk roads in the county include the north-south A49, the A53 and the A41.
There are a number of major railway lines running through the county, including the Welsh Marches Line, the Cambrian Line, the Heart of Wales Line and the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line. The two train operating companies working in the county are London Midland and Arriva Trains Wales. A new company, Wrexham & Shropshire, will commence services from Shropshire to London Marylebone station, in spring 2008.
Shropshire is also the home of two major water supply aqueducts, the Elan aqueduct running through South Shropshire carrying water from Elan Valley to Birmingham and the Vyrnwy Aqueduct running through North Shropshire delivering water from Lake Vyrnwy to Liverpool.
Towns and villages
Shropshire has no cities, but 22 towns, of which 2 can be considered major. Telford is the largest town in the county with a population of 138,241 (which is approximately 30% of the total Salopian populace); whereas the county town of Shrewsbury has a lower, but still sizeable population of 70,560 (15%). The other sizeable towns are Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Newport and Ludlow. The historic town of Wellington now forms part of the Telford conurbation. The majority of the other settlements can be classed as villages or small towns. The larger settlements are primarily concentrated in a central belt that roughly follows the A5/M54 roadway. Other settlements are concentrated on rivers, for example Ironbridge on the Severn, as these waterways were historically vital to trade.
Further Information
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