Shropshire
| Shropshire | |
|---|---|
| |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Ceremonial & (smaller) Administrative County |
| Region: | West Midlands |
| Area: - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area | Ranked 13th 3,487 km² Ranked 14th 3,197 km² |
| Admin HQ: | Shrewsbury |
| GB-SHR | |
| ONS code: | 39 |
| NUTS 3: | UKG22 |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop. | Ranked 42nd 445,780 128 / km² Ranked 34th 285,204 |
| Ethnicity: | 97.3% White 1.2% S.Asian |
| Politics | |
| Shropshire County Council http://www.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/ | |
| Executive: | Labour & Liberal Democrat & Independents |
| MPs: | Peter Bradley, Matthew Green, Paul Marsden, Owen Paterson, David Wright |
| Districts | |
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It is one of England's most rural counties. The current county town is Shrewsbury, but was traditionally Ludlow, whose castle was once a royal residence and the seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches, and the largest town is by far the major industrial centre and New town of Telford. It also contains Coalbrookdale, where the Industrial Revolution started and Ironbridge, where the world's first iron bridge was constructed.
The county is sub-divided into districts - Bridgnorth, North Shropshire, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Shropshire. It used to contain Telford and Wrekin, which is now a separate unitary authority, but considered part of Shropshire for ceremonial purposes.
The county was called Salop in legal documents for some centuries. When a county council for the county was set up in 1888, it was called 'Salop County Council'. It renamed itself 'Shropshire County Council' with effect from April 1, 1980.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Geography 3 Towns and villages 4 Places of interest 5 Famous People 6 List of MPs 7 Trivia 8 Links |
Cradle of Industry
Quite why a remote, rural county on the Welsh border, was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, mystifies many people.
The main reason for this is Shropshire's diverse geology.
Shropshire is the geological "capital" of the U.K, as just about every rock type in Northern Europe is found within its borders, as are coal, lead, copper and iron ore deposits. In addition to this, the River Severn flows through the county and has been used for the transportation of goods and services for centuries.
Geography
Geographically, Shropshire is divisible into several distinct areas:
Oswestry Football Club played in the Welsh League.
- Central Shropshire, is a farming area, but has more varied terrain than northern Shropshire as the River Severn has shaped the landscape (and the economy) of the area.
- Shrewsbury, is a large market town in the centre of the county, and has traditionally been regarded with suspicion, often hostility, by the rest of the county, particularly by the inhabitants of the very rural South West. Shrewsbury itself is a polarised town, with a very affluent district around Copthorne which contrasts sharply with the run down inner suburbs of Bayston Hill and Harlescott.
- Telford and the Wrekin Unitary Authority, is in the east of the county, and is its industrial core. It is the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.
- South East Shropshire, contains both a (relatively) large town in Bridgnorth, fertile farmland in the Severn Valley and ex-mining communities in the Wyre Forest Coalfield (Highley, Alveley and the Stottesden area) and around Broseley (part of the Wrekin Coalfield).
- South West Shropshire, is the part of the county that tourists come to visit: the views are stunning and the area around Church Stretton is known as Little Switzerland. It includes the ancient town of Ludlow, old mining communities on the Clee Hills, notable geological features in the Onny Valley and Wenlock Edge, and fertile farmland in the Corve Dale.
Towns and villages
- All Stretton, Alveley, Aston Munslow, Atcham
- Baschurch, Bayston Hill, Bishop's Castle, Bridgnorth, Broseley
- Coalbrookdale, Church Stretton, Clun, Chirbury, Craven Arms, Church Preen
- Dawley, Diddlebury, Dorrington
- Eaton, Bishop's Castle, Eaton, Wenlock Edge, Ellesmere, Eyton
- Ford
- Grafton, Great Sutton, Gretton,
- Hatton, Highley, Hilton, Hope, Hope Bowdler, Homer
- Leigh, Ludlow, Little Stretton, Longville in the Dale, Longner
- Market Drayton, Much Wenlock, Munslow, Monkhopton
- Newcastle, Shropshire, Newport
- Oswestry
- Pontsbury, Pickescott
- Ratlinghope, Richards Castle, Rushbury
- Shawbury, Shifnal, Shipley, Shrewsbury, Snailbeach, Stiperstones
- Telford, Ticklerton
- Wall under Heywood, Wem, Whitchurch
Places of interest
- The Long Mynd, (means "long mountain", overlooks Church Stretton)
- The Stiperstones
- Clee Hill, (hill near(ish) Ludlow, ex-coalmining and famed for the unusual accent of the locals)
- The Brown Clee
- Cardingmill Valley
- Caer Caradoc
- Mitchells Fold, (a bronze age stone circle)
- Wroxeter, (a ruined Roman city and Legionary fortress)
- Attingham Park
- Boscobel House
- Burford House
- Snailbeach, (a historic lead mining village)
- Hopton Castle, (scene of a Civil War massacre)
- Moreton Corbet Castle
- Stokesay Castle
- Ludlow Castle
- Whittington Castle
- Langley Chapel
- Blists Hill, (preserved 19th century Industrial community)
- The Ironbridge, (the worlds first iron bridge)
- Wenlock Edge, (a long wooded ridge and the Geological capital of the UK)
- Shropshire Union Canal
- Offa's Dyke Path, a long distance footpath
Famous People
- Robert Clive
- Abraham Darby
- Charles Darwin
- William Farr
- George Jeffreys of Wem, (infamous judge)
- Len Murray, (former head of the T.U.C)
- Wilfred Owen
- Barbara Pym
- Sir Philip Sidney
- Mary Webb (1881-1927), authoress
- Matthew Webb, (first man to swim the English Channel)
- Billy Wright
- Lord and Lady Craven of Stokesay Castle
List of MPs
- Peter Bradley, Labour, The Wrekin
- David Wright, Labour, Telford
- Owen Paterson, Conservative, Shropshire North
- Matthew Green, Liberal Democrat, Ludlow
- Paul Marsden, Liberal Democrat+, Shrewsbury and Atcham
Trivia
The Shropshire Regiment burned down the White House in the War of 1812.