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Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The
demonym A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...
for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.
) is a
ceremonial county Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenant, lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch's repres ...
in the West Midlands of England, on the border with Wales. It is bordered by
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
to the north-east,
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
to the east,
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
to the south-east,
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
to the south, and the Welsh principal areas of
Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
and
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
to the west and north-west respectively. The largest settlement is
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
, while
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
is the
county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
. The county has an area of and a population of 498,073. Telford in the east and Shrewsbury in the centre are the largest towns. Shropshire is otherwise rural, and contains
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
s such as
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
in the north-west,
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...
in the north-east,
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
in the south-east, and
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
in the south. For
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
purposes the county comprises the
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
areas of
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
and
Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after The Wrekin, a prominent hill to the ...
. The county
historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
had a large exclave around
Halesowen Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, ...
and Oldbury, which are now in the West Midlands county. The south-west and far west of the county are upland. The
Shropshire Hills The Shropshire Hills are a dissected Highland, upland area and one of the natural regions of England. They lie wholly within the county of Shropshire and encompass several distinctive and well-known landmarks, such as the Long Mynd, Wenlock Edge ...
occupy most of the south-west and include the
Stiperstones The Stiperstones () is a distinctive hill in Shropshire, England. The quartzite rock of the ridge formed some 480 million years ago. During the last Ice Age Stiperstones lay on the eastern margin of the Welsh ice sheet. The hill itself was no ...
,
Clee Hills The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England near Ludlow, consisting of Brown Clee Hill , the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill . They are both in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Geogra ...
,
Long Mynd The Long Mynd is a heath and moorland plateau that forms part of the Shropshire Hills in Shropshire, England. The high ground, which is common land and designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, lies between the Stiperstones range t ...
plateau, and the
Wenlock Edge Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughly ...
escarpment. Together with
the Wrekin The Wrekin ( ) is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire Council, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of ...
, which stands isolated to the west of Telford, they have been designated a
national landscape An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of rural area, countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for protected area, conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 202 ...
. To their west is the upland
Clun Forest Clun Forest () is a remote, rural area of open pastures, moorland and mixed deciduous/coniferous woodland in the southwest part of the English county of Shropshire and also just over the border into Powys, Wales. It was once a Royal hunting for ...
, and in the far north-west of the county are the
Oswestry uplands The Oswestry Uplands are a small natural region in the English county of Shropshire on the border with Wales. The Oswestry Uplands have been designated as Natural Area No. 41 and National Character Area No. 63 by Natural England and its predecess ...
. The north of the county is a plain, and the far north contains
Wixall Moss Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve (NNR) which straddles the border between England and Wales, near Whixall and Ellesmere in Shropshire, England and Bettisfield in Wrexham County Borough ...
, part of a national nature reserve. The south-east is a sandstone plateau which forms part of the catchment of the
Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
, the county's major river; it enters Shropshire in the west and flows through Shrewsbury before turning south-east and exiting into Worcestershire south of Bridgnorth. There is evidence of
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
and
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
human occupation in Shropshire, including the Shropshire bulla pendant. The
hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
at
Old Oswestry Old Oswestry () is a large early Iron Age hill fort in the Welsh Marches near Oswestry in north west Shropshire, England. The earthworks, which remain one of the best preserved hill forts in the UK, have been described as "The Stonehenge of the ...
dates from the
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
, and the remains of the city of
Viroconium Cornoviorum Viroconium or Uriconium, formally Viroconium Cornoviorum, was a Roman city, one corner of which is now occupied by Wroxeter, a small village in Shropshire, England, about east-south-east of Shrewsbury. At its peak, Viroconium is estimated t ...
date from the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
period. During the
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
era the area was part of
Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...
. During the
High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...
the county was part of the
Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
, the border region between Wales and England; from 1472 to 1689 Ludlow was the seat of the
Council of Wales and the Marches The Council of Wales and the Marches () or the Council of the Marches, officially the Court of the Council in the Dominion and Principality of Wales, and the Marches of the same was a regional administrative body founded in Shrewsbury. ...
, which administered justice in Wales and Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. During the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
Shropshire was
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
, and Charles II fled through the county—famously hiding in an
oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...
—after his final defeat at the
Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1642 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...
. The area around
Coalbrookdale Coalbrookdale is a town in the Ironbridge Gorge and the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called The Gorge, Shro ...
is regarded as one of the birthplaces of the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
and has been designated a UNESCO
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.


History


Prehistory and antiquity

Evidence of
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
occupation of a religious form dating back before 2,000 BC, was discovered in 2017 in the grounds of a church, the medieval Church of the Holy Fathers in
Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...
, Shrewsbury, making it Britain's oldest place of worship. The Shropshire bulla ("bulla" is Medieval Latin for "a round seal", Classical Latin for "bubble, blob", plural bullae), also known as the Shropshire sun pendant, is a Late Bronze Age gold pendant found by a metal detectorist in 2018 in Shropshire. At Mitchel's Fold there is a Bronze Age stone circle set in dramatic moorland on
Stapeley Hill Stapeley Hill is a sacred saddleback shaped hill in south-west Shropshire, near the village of Priestweston, not far from another landmark, Corndon Hill. The hill is home to the Mitchell's Fold stone circlebr>Along the path leading from the ...
. The area was once part of the lands of the
Cornovii The Cornovii is the name by which two, or three, Iron Age tribes in Britain, tribes were known in Roman Britain. One tribe was in the area centred on present-day Shropshire, one was in Caithness in northernmost Scotland, and there was probably on ...
, which consisted of the modern day counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, north Staffordshire, north Herefordshire, and eastern parts of Powys. This was a tribal
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
kingdom. Their capital in pre-
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
times was probably a
hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
on
the Wrekin The Wrekin ( ) is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire Council, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of ...
. There is an important Iron Age Hill fort at
Old Oswestry Old Oswestry () is a large early Iron Age hill fort in the Welsh Marches near Oswestry in north west Shropshire, England. The earthworks, which remain one of the best preserved hill forts in the UK, have been described as "The Stonehenge of the ...
earthworks, this has been linked to where King Arthur’s
Guinevere Guinevere ( ; ; , ), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First mentioned in literature in the early 12th cen ...
was born and called "the
Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...
of the Iron Age." According to tradition, Caracticus made his last stand against the Romans in Shropshire.
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
's 2nd century ''Geography'' names one of their towns as being
Viroconium Cornoviorum Viroconium or Uriconium, formally Viroconium Cornoviorum, was a Roman city, one corner of which is now occupied by Wroxeter, a small village in Shropshire, England, about east-south-east of Shrewsbury. At its peak, Viroconium is estimated t ...
(
Wroxeter Wroxeter ( ) is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Wroxeter and Uppington, in the Shropshire district, in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is beside the River Severn, south-east of Shrewsbury. In 1961 the ...
), which became their capital under Roman rule and one of the largest settlements in Britain.


Middle Ages


Early period

After the Roman occupation of Britain ended in the 5th century, the Shropshire area was in the eastern part of the Welsh
Kingdom of Powys The Kingdom of Powys (; ) was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern two-thirds of the modern county of Pow ...
; known in Welsh poetry as the ''Paradise of Powys''. As 'Caer Guricon' it is a possible Shrewsbury was the site of the seat of the
Kingdom of Powys The Kingdom of Powys (; ) was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern two-thirds of the modern county of Pow ...
in the Early Middle Ages. This would date establishment of the town to the 500s CE under
Brochwel Ysgithrog The traditional arms of Brochwel Ysgithrog, 242x242px Brochwel son of Cyngen (, died c. 560), better known as Brochwel Ysgithrog, was a king of Powys in eastern Wales. The unusual epithet ''Ysgithrog'' has been translated as "of the canine teet ...
. It is believed the area of Shrewsbury was settled in the 5th century by refugees from the nearby Roman City of
Viroconium Cornoviorum Viroconium or Uriconium, formally Viroconium Cornoviorum, was a Roman city, one corner of which is now occupied by Wroxeter, a small village in Shropshire, England, about east-south-east of Shrewsbury. At its peak, Viroconium is estimated t ...
, most physical evidence dates from the 7th century. Oswestry saw conflict in the early mediaeval period and is reputed to be the place of death of
Oswald of Northumbria Oswald (; c 604 – 5 August 641/642Bede gives the year of Oswald's death as 642. However there is some question of whether what Bede considered 642 is the same as what would now be considered 642. R. L. Poole (''Studies in Chronology and H ...
in 641 or 642 CE. Oswald was later regarded as a saint, with
Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...
saying that the spot where he died came to be associated with
miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...
s, and people took dirt from the site, which led to a hole being dug as deep as a man's height.Bede, '' Historia Ecclesiastica'', Book III, chapter 9.
King Offa Offa ( 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death in 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of ...
of
Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...
annexed the entirety of Shropshire over the course of the 8th century from Powys, with Shrewsbury captured in 778, with two dykes built to defend, or at least demarcate it from the Welsh. King Offa converted the palace of the rulers of Powys into his first church, dedicated to
St Chad Chad (died 2 March 672) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon monk. He was an abbot, Bishop of the Northumbrians and then Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People. After his death he was known as a saint. He was the brother of Bishop C ...
(a foundation that still survives in the town and operated on that initial site for over 1000 years, moving in 1792). In later centuries,
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
s repeatedly invaded and fortresses were built at
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
(912) and
Chirbury Chirbury () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Chirbury with Brompton, in the Shropshire district, in west Shropshire, England. It is situated in the Vale of Montgomery, close to the Wales–England border ( at its nea ...
(913). In 914,
Æthelflæd Æthelflæd ( – 12 June 918) ruled as Lady of the Mercians in the English Midlands from 911 until her death in 918. She was the eldest child of Alfred the Great, king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and his wife Ealhswith. Æthelflæd ...
, Lady of the Mercians, fortified Shrewsbury, along with two other fortresses, at ''Scergeat'' (a currently unknown location) and ''Weardbyrig'', Viking rides from the north traveling south were reaching
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
at this time (910CE). In the early tenth century, the relics of St Alkmund were translated to Whitchurch, this was also probably the work of Æthelflæd. There is evidence to show that by the beginning of the 900s, Shrewsbury was home to a
mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
. Archaeological excavations at the site of Shrewsbury castle in 2019 have indicated that the castle itself may have been a fortified site in the time of the Saxons.


High medieval period

After the
Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
in 1066, major estates in Shropshire were granted to Normans, including Roger de Montgomerie and later his son
Robert de Bellême The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
, who ordered significant constructions, particularly in Shrewsbury, the town of which he was
Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
. 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 Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
and
Shrewsbury Castle Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It stands on a hill in the neck of the meander of the River Severn on which the town originally developed. The castle, directly above Shrewsbury railway station, is ...
. The western frontier with Wales was not finally determined until the 14th century. Also in this period, a number of religious foundations were formed, the county largely falling at this time under the
Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral i ...
and that of Coventry and Lichfield. Some parishes in the north-west of the county in later times fell under the Diocese of St. Asaph until the Disestablishmentarianism, disestablishment of the Church in Wales in 1920, when they were ceded to the Lichfield diocese. The county was a central part of the
Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
during the medieval period and was often embroiled in the power struggles between powerful Marcher Lords, the Earls of March and successive monarchs.


Modern history

From 1457, Henry VI of England, King Henry VI created for his son, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, a Council to rule Wales and the Marches,
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, and Duchy of Cornwall, Cornwall, which became the Council of the Marches. Shropshire was governed via this council for several centuries. According to historian John Davies (historian), John Davies, at its peak under Sir Henry Sidney and for a period thereafter the Council:
represented a remarkable experiment in regional government. It administered the law cheaply and rapidly; it dealt with up to twenty cases a day and George Owen of Henllys, George Owen stated that the 'oppressed poor' flocked to it.John Davies, ''A History of Wales'', Penguin, 1993,


Civil War

During the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
, Shropshire was a
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
stronghold, under the command of Sir Francis Ottley. In the autumn of 1642, Charles I of England, Charles I had a temporary capital at Shrewsbury, though he immediately moved to Oxford after the events of the Battle of Wem. Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Prince Rupert established his headquarters in the town on 18 February 1644, being welcomed by Shrewsbury's aldermen.


Victorian era

Much Wenlock was the birthplace of the Modern Olympic Games, modern Olympic movement.


Culture and cultural references


Literature and legends

In the High Medieval period the Shropshire area influenced important poetry: the poet William Langland, writer of Piers Plowman, was born in Cleobury Mortimer, and the 14th-century alliterative poem St. Erkenwald (poem), St Erkenwald is written in a local dialect. The only copy of the ancient poem 'Life and Death' was also found in Shropshire. In this period the county was also associated in divers places and ways with Arthurian legends, for instance at Hawkstone, where there is a legend that one of the caves of Hawkstone Park was the burial ground of King Arthur, and the Arthurian story of the giants Tarquin and Tarquinus is located, or Whittington Castle and linked to the Holy Grail since the 13th century.
Old Oswestry Old Oswestry () is a large early Iron Age hill fort in the Welsh Marches near Oswestry in north west Shropshire, England. The earthworks, which remain one of the best preserved hill forts in the UK, have been described as "The Stonehenge of the ...
has been identified as a possible home of Guinevere.
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
site features heavily in the folk-story of Fulk FitzWarin, outlawed Lord of Whittington, Shropshire and a possible inspiration for the ''Robin Hood'' legend. Parts of Shropshire are inside the ancient Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden, which was the part if the English Midlands, that in antiquity and into the Early Modern Period was bounded by the Roman roads including to the North by the Watling Street and to the west by Wales. This forest was the Setting of Shakespeare's ''As You Like It,'' and that play is acknowledged to potentially be a cultural monument to Rowland Hill (MP), Sir Rowland Hill, a prominent Tudor statesman and publisher of the Geneva Bible from the county. Shropshire was the original seat of prominence of the Cotton family who held the Cotton library, Cotton Library before it was taken to found the British Library. Shrewsbury Abbey features in ''The Cadfael Chronicles''; Brother Cadfael is a member of the community at the Abbey. The poet A. E. Housman used Shropshire as the setting for many of the poems in his first book, ''A Shropshire Lad''. Moreover, many of Malcolm Saville's children's books are set in Shropshire. Additionally, D. H. Lawrence's novella, ''St. Mawr'', is partially set in the Stiperstones area of South Shropshire. The early 20th century novelist and poet Mary Webb was born in Shropshire and lived most of her life there, and all her novels are set there, most notably ''Precious Bane'', with its powerful evocation of the Shropshire countryside. A Mary Webb School, school in Pontesbury bears her name. Shropshire is widely believed to have been an influence for J. R. R. Tolkien's landscape of the Shire in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Specifically, the Wrekin (as The Lonely Mountain) and Ellesmere (as Laketown) are said to have inspired the English fantasy writer. In Susanna Clarke's ''Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'' (2004), Jonathan Strange is from the county, and some parts of the book are set there. Another fictional character from Shropshire is Mr Grindley, from Charles Dickens' ''Bleak House''. P. G. Wodehouse's fictional Blandings Castle, the ancestral home of Lord Emsworth, is located in Shropshire. Also from Shropshire is Psmith, a fictional character in a series of Wodehouse's novels. In Oscar Wilde's ''The Importance of Being Earnest'', Algernon attempts to trick Jack into revealing the location of his country home by inferring he resides in Shropshire. The 1856 Anti-Tom literature, plantation literature novel ''White Acre vs. Black Acre'' by William M. Burwell features two Shropshire farms acting as an allegory for Slavery in the United States, American slavery – "White Acre Farm" being the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist Northern United States, and "Black Acre Farm" being the slaveholding Southern United States. The angel Aziraphale, a principal character in ''Good Omens'', was credited with designing Shropshire by Terry Pratchett. In the novel ''Howards End'', Mr. Wilcox's daughter gets married in Shropshire. Part of the novel is set near Clun.


Theology

Shropshire was the native county and rural seat of power of Rowland Hill (MP), Sir Rowland Hill, who coordinated and published the 1560 Geneva Bible. This important Bible was the senior Bible of English Protestantism for the early decades of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement.


Drama

Prior to the Reformation, there are accounts of major festivals in the county. The "first flowerings of English drama" in the Tudor period are considered to be in the town, according to the 18th century Poet laureate and scholar Thomas Warton. Whitsuntide and mystery plays were performed in the founding years of Shrewsbury School under Thomas Ashton (schoolmaster), Thomas Ashton; they attracted the attention of Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth I. Later this was expressed in the many arbours built in Shrewsbury for that town's particular tradition of pageantry and performance.


Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, Shakespeare memorialised the Battle of Shrewsbury in ''Henry IV, Part 1'', in Acts IV (Scenes and 3) and V (Scenes 1–5). The arrest of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Buckingham referred to in ''Richard III (play), Richard III'' (Act IV, scene iv) happened near Wem. Ludlow castle is also referred to in the same play (Act II, scene ii). There is a tradition that the Stanley monuments in St Bartholomew's Church, Tong are the work of Shakespeare.


Other playwrights

William Wycherley was born at Clive, Shropshire, Clive near Shrewsbury, although his birthplace has been said to be Trench Farm to the north near Wem later the birthplace of another writer, John Ireland (writer), John Ireland, who was said to have been adopted by Wycherley's widow following the death of Ireland's parents. The playwright George Farquhar's 1706 play ''The Recruiting Officer'' is set in Shrewsbury.


Birthplace of English ballet and pantomime

The "father of English ballet", as well as the originator of pantomime, John Weaver (dancer), John Weaver, developed his art in Shrewsbury. A second generation dancing master in the town, he founded English ballet, founded pantomime, and wrote on the philosophy, theology, statecraft and biology embedded in his era's understating of dance. Later in life he came to publish on the subject of dance, which he located in a wider understanding of his culture as representing a component of Ptolemy, Ptolemaic harmony and an earnest part of the statecraft of his time.


Architecture

The first known architectural project of Inigo Jones is the Cotton monument in the Church of St Chad, Norton in Hales, Norton-in-Hales. There are a number of important buildings in the county. The world's first iron-framed building was built in Shrewsbury at the Ditherington Flax Mill, Flaxmill Maltings: the techniques pioneered in that building were necessary preconditions for skyscrapers. John Nash (architect), Nash and Humphry Repton, Repton were active at Attingham Park. A rare Anglo-Saxon hall, which was a high status building from the Anglo Saxon period, and possibly a feasting hall or palace, was excavated at nearby Attingham Park, Attingham in 2018; the dating window is between 400 AD and 1066.


Film and television

The landscape around Hawkstone Park was used to represent parts of Narnia in the BBC's TV adaptation of C. S. Lewis's books in ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' in 1988 and ''Prince Caspian'' a year later. The 1984 film version of Charles Dickens' ''A Christmas Carol (1984 film), A Christmas Carol'' was filmed in Shrewsbury. The 2005 sitcom ''The Green Green Grass'' is set in Shropshire and was filmed near Ludlow. The 2007 film ''Atonement (2007 film), Atonement'' was partly filmed in the county. The 2023 BBC adaptation of ''Bleak House'' was filmed partly in Shropshire.


Emblems


Coat of arms

The blazon for the coat of arms of the county of Shropshire is:
erminois, three Pile (heraldry), pile Azure (color), azure, two issuant from the chief and one in base, each charged with a leopard's face
The arms were officially granted on 18 June 1896 and continued by the new authority in 2009. The heads are often referred to as "the loggerheads". This is thought to originate from the practice of carving a leopard head as a Motif (visual arts), motif on the head of the log used as a battering ram.


Flag

The Shropshire county flag is a banner of arms taken from its coat of arms. It was registered with the Flag Institute in March 2012. It shows three leopard heads ('loggerheads') on a gold and blue background.


County flower

In a national poll in 2002, conducted by Plantlife, Plantlife International, the round-leaved sundew (''Drosera rotundifolia'') was chosen as Shropshire's Floral emblem, county flower. The round-leaved sundew is a crimson-coloured carnivorous plant, insectivorous plant that requires a boggy habitat. Due to habitat loss its range is now dramatically reduced, and Shropshire's Longmynd is one of the few areas in England where it can now be found.


Shropshire Day

Shropshire's List of county days in the United Kingdom, county day is on 23 February, the feast day of Mildburh, St Milburga, abbess of Wenlock Priory. St Milburga was the daughter of Anglo-Saxon king Merewalh, who founded the abbey within his sub-kingdom of Magonsæte. The town adjoining the priory is now known as Much Wenlock, and lies within the boundaries of the modern county of Shropshire.


Motto

Shropshire's motto is ''Floreat Salopia'', meaning "May Shropshire flourish". British Rail loco No.31147 was named 'Floreat Salopia'.


Etymology

Shropshire is first recorded in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' annal for 1006. The origin of the name is the Old English ''Scrobbesbyrigscīr'', meaning "
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
shire", "the shire of the fortified place in the scrublands" (or "shrubs", the modern derivative). Salop is an old name for Shropshire, historically used as an abbreviated form for post or telegrams; it is thought to derive from the Anglo-French "Salopesberia". It is nowadays normally replaced by Shrops, although Shropshire residents are still referred to as Salopians. Salop is also an alternative name for the county town, Shrewsbury, which shares the motto ''Floreat Salopia''.


Geography

When a county council for the county was first established in 1889, it was called Salop County Council. Following the Local Government Act 1972, Salop became the official name of the county. The name was not well-regarded locally, and a subsequent campaign led by a local councillor, John Kenyon, succeeded in having both the county and council renamed as Shropshire in 1980. This took effect from 1 April of that year.


County extent

The border with Wales was defined in the 16th century – the Hundred (county division), hundreds of Oswestry (including
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
town) and Pimhill (including Wem) and part of
Chirbury Chirbury () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Chirbury with Brompton, in the Shropshire district, in west Shropshire, England. It is situated in the Vale of Montgomery, close to the Wales–England border ( at its nea ...
had prior to the Laws in Wales Act formed various Lordships in the
Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
. 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 Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, ...
, which became part of
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
in 1844 (and is now part of the West Midlands county), and the largest of the enclaves was Herefordshire's Farlow, Shropshire, 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. Geographically, Shropshire is divisible into two distinct halves – north and south. The county has a highly diverse Geology of Shropshire, geology. The West Midlands Green Belt extends into eastern Shropshire, covering an area north from Highley, to the east of Bridgnorth, north to the eastern side of Telford, leaving Shropshire eastwards alongside the A5. This encompasses Shifnal, Cosford, Shropshire, Cosford and Albrighton, Bridgnorth, Albrighton, and various other villages paralleling Dudley and Wolverhampton.


North Shropshire

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, are to be found.
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
at the centre,
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
to the north west, Whitchurch, Shropshire, Whitchurch to the north,
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...
to the north east, and Newport, Shropshire, Newport and the Telford conurbation (Telford, Wellington, Shropshire, Wellington, Oakengates, Donnington, Telford, 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 Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
. The area around
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
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 Construction aggregate, aggregates is still going on in Shrewsbury and Atcham, 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 The Stiperstones () is a distinctive hill in Shropshire, England. The quartzite rock of the ridge formed some 480 million years ago. During the last Ice Age Stiperstones lay on the eastern margin of the Welsh ice sheet. The hill itself was no ...
, but this has now ceased. Other primary industries, such as forestry and fishing, are to be found too. The A5 road (Great Britain), A5 and M54 motorway, 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, was 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 Coalbrookdale is a town in the Ironbridge Gorge and the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called The Gorge, Shro ...
, Broseley 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

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. Farming is more pastoral than the arable found in the north of the county. The only substantial towns are
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
, with a population of around 12,000 people,
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
and Church Stretton. The Shropshire Hills AONB is located in the south-west, covering an area of ; it forms the only specifically protected area of the county. Inside this area is the popular
Long Mynd The Long Mynd is a heath and moorland plateau that forms part of the Shropshire Hills in Shropshire, England. The high ground, which is common land and designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, lies between the Stiperstones range t ...
, a large plateau of overlooking Church Stretton and to its west, the rocky ridge of
Stiperstones The Stiperstones () is a distinctive hill in Shropshire, England. The quartzite rock of the ridge formed some 480 million years ago. During the last Ice Age Stiperstones lay on the eastern margin of the Welsh ice sheet. The hill itself was no ...
. The A49 road, A49 is the main road through the area, running north to south, from Shrewsbury to
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
. A railway line runs through the area on the same route as the A49 with stations at Church Stretton, Craven Arms and Ludlow. The steam heritage Severn Valley Railway runs from Bridgnorth into Worcestershire along the Severn Valley (England), Severn Valley, terminating at Kidderminster Town railway station, Kidderminster. Because of its valley location and character, Church Stretton is sometimes called Little Switzerland, and is depicted in ''Little Switzerland (landscape), Little Switzerland''. Nearby are the old mining and quarrying communities on the
Clee Hills The Clee Hills are a range of hills in Shropshire, England near Ludlow, consisting of Brown Clee Hill , the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill . They are both in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Geogra ...
, notable geological features in the River Onny, Onny Valley and
Wenlock Edge Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughly ...
and fertile farmland in 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 . It is the List of English counties by highest point, 13th highest Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#County tops, county top in England. South West Shropshire is a markedly rural part of the county, with
Clun Forest Clun Forest () is a remote, rural area of open pastures, moorland and mixed deciduous/coniferous woodland in the southwest part of the English county of Shropshire and also just over the border into Powys, Wales. It was once a Royal hunting for ...
, Offa's Dyke, the River Clun, Shropshire, River Clun and the River Onny. The small towns of Clun and Bishop's Castle are in this area. To the south of Clun is the Welsh border town of Knighton, Powys, Knighton.


Natural regions

Natural England recognised the following national character areas that lie wholly or partially within Shropshire: *
Shropshire Hills The Shropshire Hills are a dissected Highland, upland area and one of the natural regions of England. They lie wholly within the county of Shropshire and encompass several distinctive and well-known landmarks, such as the Long Mynd, Wenlock Edge ...
* Shropshire and Staffordshire Plain * Oswestry Uplands * Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau * Teme Valley * Herefordshire Lowlands * Clun and North West Herefordshire Hills * Whixall Moss


Climate

The climate of Shropshire is 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 Precipitation (meteorology)#Frontal activity, 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 The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
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. Being rural and inland, temperatures can fall more dramatically on clear winter nights than in many other parts of England. It was at Harper Adams University, in Edgmond, Shropshire, Edgmond, where on 10 January 1982 the lowest temperature weather record for England was broken (and is kept to this day): . The only major Met Office weather station in the county is located at Shawbury, which is in the north, between
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
and
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...
.


Geology

Shropshire has a huge range of different types of rocks, stretching from the Precambrian until the Holocene. In the northern part of the county there are examples of Jurassic, Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic. Centrally, Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Carboniferous and Permian predominate. And in the south it is predominantly Silurian and Quaternary. Shropshire has a number of areas with Silurian and Ordovician rocks, where a number of Seashell, shells, corals and trilobites can be found. Mortimer Forest and Wenlock Edge are examples where a number of fossils can be found.


Statistical

For Eurostat purposes, the county (less the unitary district of
Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after The Wrekin, a prominent hill to the ...
) is a NUTS statistical regions of the United Kingdom, NUTS 3 region (code UKG22). The two Shropshire unitary areas (covering all of the ceremonial county), together with the authorities covering the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region.


Economy

Rayburn Range and Aga Rangemaster Group are based in
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
; the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, PDSA is in St George's and Priorslee, Telford. The Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), MoD have a significant depot at Lilleshall and Donnington. Here are also high-technology industries such as Unimation, Nikon, Hitachi Maxell, Ricoh, Capgemini, Fujitsu and Electronic Data Systems. In Hadley Castle, Denso Manufacturing UK Ltd make Car air conditioning, car air-conditioning systems and GKN Wheels make car wheels. Makita Manufacturing Europe at Hortonwood, Telford is the only plant in the UK that makes power tools. Müller (company), Müller Dairy Ltd is based in
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...
, and Palethorpes, part of Pork Farms which makes own-label sausages. At Crudgington, Dairy Crest made Country Life butter and Clover (spread), Clover until February 2015, and have their Technical Centre. Anglo Beef Processors (ABP Food Group) are at Harlescott in the north of Shrewsbury. Uniq plc have a plant at Minsterley and make chilled desserts for Tesco. BT have their National Network Management Centre (Whittington House) in Whittington, Shropshire. Military helicopter training in the UK takes place at RAF Shawbury, alongside training for the RAF's air traffic controllers (ATC).


Towns and villages

Shropshire has no City status in the United Kingdom, cities, but 22 towns, of which two can be considered major.
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
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 In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...
of
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
has a lower, but still sizeable population of 71,715 (15%). The other sizeable towns are
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
,
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
, Newport, Shropshire, Newport and
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
. The historic town of Wellington, Shropshire, Wellington now makes up part of the Telford conurbation. The majority of the other settlements can be classed as villages or towns such as Much Wenlock or Whitchurch, Shropshire, Whitchurch. Several villages have larger populations than the smallest town, Clun. The largest of these, Bayston Hill, is the 10th most populous settlement in the county. The names of several villages close to the border are of Welsh language, Welsh origin, such as Gobowen and Selattyn. The larger settlements are primarily concentrated in a central belt that roughly follows the A5 road (Great Britain), A5/M54 motorway, M54 roadway. Other settlements are concentrated on rivers, for example Bridgnorth and Ironbridge on the Severn, or Ludlow on the Teme, as these waterways were historically vital for trade and a supply of water. The town of
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
was created by the merger and expansion of older, small towns to the north and east of The Wrekin. These towns now have sizeable populations that now make up the population of Telford: Wellington, Shropshire, Wellington (20,430), Madeley, Shropshire, Madeley (17,935), Dawley (11,399) and Oakengates (8,517), but the Telford and Wrekin borough towns incentive aims to make Oakengates into the largest of the towns. Shropshire (Detached), Historically, all or parts of the towns of
Halesowen Halesowen ( ) is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically an exclave of Shropshire and, from 1844, in Worcestershire, ...
, Smethwick and Oldbury, as well as the Quinton, Birmingham, Quinton suburb of Birmingham, were in Shropshire.


Politics


Parliamentary constituencies

The county has five Parliamentary constituencies in Shropshire, parliamentary constituencies. In the July 2024 General Election, two returned Conservative MPS, two Labour and one Liberal Democrat. At the 2005 general election, four returned Conservative MPs, Telford, returned a Labour MP. This was a marked change from the 2001 general election result, where the county returned only one Conservative, three Labour and a Liberal Democrat MP to the House of Commons (see maps to the right) (Labour = Red, Conservatives = Blue and Liberal Democrats = Orange). The current MPs of Shropshire, following the 2024 General Election, are: * Shaun Davies (politician), Shaun Davies, Labour, Telford (UK Parliament constituency), Telford (covering the town of
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
) * Helen Morgan (politician), Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat, North Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency), North Shropshire (covering the former North Shropshire and Oswestry (borough), Oswestry districts, now coextensive with the North area committee) * Stuart Anderson (politician), Stuart Anderson, Conservative, South Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency), South Shropshire (covering the former
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
and (the majority of) Bridgnorth districts; now co-extensive with the South area committee except for the part covered by The Wrekin constituency) * Julia Buckley, Labour, Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency), Shrewsbury (covering the former Shrewsbury and Atcham (UK Parliament constituency), Shrewsbury and Atcham district; now co-extensive with the Central area committee) * Mark Pritchard (politician), Mark Pritchard, Conservative, The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency), The Wrekin (covering
Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after The Wrekin, a prominent hill to the ...
borough, minus Telford, and including a small area of the former Bridgnorth district/South area committee) *Note (*), The Wrekin (historic UK Parliament constituency) was split at the 1997 election. 2021 refers to the by election in North Shropshire only.


Divisions and environs

Most of the
ceremonial county Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenant, lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch's repres ...
of Shropshire is covered for purposes of local government by Shropshire Council, a unitary authority established in 2009.
Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after The Wrekin, a prominent hill to the ...
is a unitary authority, with borough status, which forms part of the county for various functions such as Lord Lieutenant but is a separate local authority from Shropshire Council. Many services are shared by both authorities, such as the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, fire and rescue service, and the two authorities co-operate on some projects such as mapping flood risk. The new unitary authority for Shropshire, Shropshire Council, divides the county into three areas, each with its own area committee: North, Central and South. These area committees deal with town and country planning matters. With the parishing of the formerly unparished area of Shrewsbury in 2008, the entire ceremonial county is now Civil parishes in England, parished. The sizes of parishes varies enormously in terms of area covered and population resident. Shrewsbury is the most populous parish in the county (and one of the most populous in England) with over 70,000 residents, whilst Boscobel, Shropshire, Boscobel is the smallest parish in Shropshire by geographical area and by population, with just 12 residents according to the 2001 census. The smaller parishes (with populations of less than 200) usually have a joint Parish councils in England, parish council with one or more neighbouring parishes, or in some instances, have a parish meeting (such as in Sibdon Carwood). The urban area of Telford is divided into many parishes, each covering a particular suburb, some of which are historic villages or towns (such as Madeley, Shropshire, Madeley). The parish remains an important sub-division and tier of local government in both unitary authority areas of Shropshire.


Local government 1974–2009

In 1974 the non-metropolitan county of Salop was constituted, covering the entire county. After a local campaign, the council voted 48-5 to revert to Shropshire from 1 April 1980. There was a two-tier system of local government, constituting a county council (as the upper tier) and six non-metropolitan district, district councils – Bridgnorth (district), Bridgnorth, North Shropshire, Oswestry (borough), Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, The Wrekin. In 1998 The Wrekin became a unitary authority, administratively separate from the county council, and became Telford and Wrekin. The two-tier structure remained in the remainder of the county and was the least populated two-tier area in England. Oswestry and Shrewsbury & Atcham were each granted borough status in 1974. Telford and Wrekin became a borough in 2002.


2009 restructuring

In 2006 a local government white paper supported proposals for new unitary authority, unitary authorities to be set up in England in certain areas. Existing non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties with small populations, such as Cornwall, Northumberland and Shropshire, were favoured by the government to be covered by unitary authorities in one form or another (the county either becoming a single unitary authority, or be broken into a number of unitary authorities). For the counties in the 2009 reorganisation, existing unitary authority areas within the counties' Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial boundaries (such as Telford and Wrekin) were not to be affected and no boundary changes were planned. 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. This was opposed by the other three districts in the county, with Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council taking their objection to the High Court in a judicial review. The proposal to create a Shropshire unitary authority, covering the area of the existing non-metropolitan county, was supported by the Department of Communities and Local Government, DCLG and 1 April 2009 was set as the date for the re-organisation to take place. The first elections to Shropshire Council took place on 4 June 2009, with the former Shropshire County Council being the continuing authority and its councillors became the first members of the new Shropshire Council on 1 April. Part of the proposals include civil parish, parishing and establishing a town council for Shrewsbury. The parish was created on 13 May 2008 and is the second most populous civil parishes in England, civil parish in England (only Weston-super-Mare has a greater population) with a population of over 70,000.


Political control of councils

Shropshire Council was under Conservative control from the first election held in 2009 until that of 2025, when the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats took control; Telford and Wrekin Council has been under Labour Party (UK), Labour control since 2011.


Economy

Traditionally, agriculture has dominated the economy of Shropshire. The area later became more service-oriented. The county town of
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
, the historic castle-dominated
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
, the International Olympic Movement's reputed birthplace Much Wenlock and the industrial birthplace of Ironbridge Gorge are the foremost tourism, tourist areas in Shropshire, along with the restored canal-network which provides narrowboat holidays on the Shropshire Union Canal and other canals in the region. The natural beauty of the county draws people to all areas. In 2024, Shropshire was listed on the ABTA's list of global destinations to watch for its 'beautiful landscapes, towns and villages'. Industry is mostly found in
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
,
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
, Whitchurch, Shropshire, Whitchurch,
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...
and Shrewsbury, though small industrial estates have developed in most of the market towns as well as on former airfields in rural areas. In towns such as Whitchurch, much of the high street is predominantly composed of small independent business which specialise in handmade items or antiques. Shrewsbury is becoming a centre for distribution and warehousing, as it is located on a nodal point of the regional road-network.Lords Hansard text for 20 Jul 200920 July 2009 (pt 0002)
. Publications.parliament.uk (20 July 2009). Retrieved 25 August 2011.
In Telford, a new Telford International Railfreight Park, rail freight facility was opened in 2009 by Telford and Wrekin Council at Donnington, Telford, Donnington with the future goal of extending the line to Stafford. Telford and Shrewsbury are the county's two main retail centres, with contrasting styles of shopping – Shrewsbury's largely historic streets and Telford's large modern mall, Telford Shopping Centre. Shrewsbury also has two medium-sized shopping centres, the indoor "Pride Hill" and Darwin Shopping Centre, "Darwin" centres (both located on Pride Hill), and (prior to its demolition in 2024) a smaller, partially covered, "Riverside Mall". Shrewsbury's location as the nearest substantial town for those in a large area of Powys, mid-Wales helps it draw in considerable numbers of shoppers, notably on Saturdays. Well-known companies in Shropshire include Müller (company), Müller Dairy (UK) Ltd in
Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and civil parish on the banks of the River Tern in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is located between the towns of Whitchurch, Shropshire, Wh ...
. The Royal Air Force operates two bases at DCAE Cosford, RAF Cosford and RAF Shawbury, and the charity People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, PDSA has its head office in St George's and Priorslee, Priorslee, Telford.


Statistics

Below is the chart of regional gross value added for the non-metropolitan county (that is, excluding Telford & Wrekin) of Shropshire at current basic prices, with figures in millions of British Pound sterling, pounds sterling. With the statistics for the borough of
Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after The Wrekin, a prominent hill to the ...
included, the following represents the ceremonial county:


Education

The Shropshire Council area has a completely comprehensive school, comprehensive education system, whilst in the borough of Telford and Wrekin there are two selective schools, both of which are located in Newport, Shropshire, Newport—these are the Haberdashers' Adams, Haberdashers' Adams School and Newport Girls' High School (both of which are ranked within the top thirty schools in the country). In Telford itself is the Thomas Telford School, ranked as one of the best comprehensive schools in England. Some Shropshire children attend schools in Wales, including Llanfyllin High School. The county has many independent schools, such as Oswestry School (founded in 1407), Shrewsbury School, (founded in 1552), and Ellesmere College (founded in 1884). There are three sixth-form colleges located in Shropshire: the New College, Telford, Shrewsbury Sixth Form College and Ludlow College. Haberdashers’ Adams and Newport Girls' High Schools both provide sixth-form education as well as secondary education. There are also two institutions of higher education in Shropshire, the Telford campus of the University of Wolverhampton and in Edgmond, near Newport, Harper Adams University, which formerly offered mostly agriculture-based degrees but is expanding its range of provision. A third higher education institution was created in Shrewsbury in 2015, which is a campus of the University of Chester. In Ironbridge, the University of Birmingham operates the Ironbridge Institute in partnership with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which offers postgraduate and professional development courses in heritage. Shropshire has the highest educational attainment in the West Midlands region.


Transport

Shropshire is connected to the rest of the United Kingdom via a number of road and rail links. Historically, rivers and later canals in the county were used for transport also, although their use in transport is now significantly reduced. The county's main transport hub is Shrewsbury, through which many significant roads and railways pass and join. Canals of the United Kingdom, Canals in Britain were originally constructed for the transport of goods, but are now mainly used for leisure. In northern Shropshire three canals with a total navigable length of are managed by the Canal & River Trust: the Shropshire Union Canal (from north of Adderley to near Knighton, Stafford, Staffordshire, Knighton), the Llangollen Canal (from Chirk Aqueduct to Grindley Brook) and the Montgomery Canal (from its beginning at Frankton Junction to Llanymynech). In addition, the Shrewsbury Canal, Shrewsbury and Newport Canal potentially could be restored in the future. 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 road (Great Britain), 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 road, A49, the A53 road, A53 and the A41 road, A41. There are a number of major Railways of Shropshire, railway lines running through the county, including the Welsh Marches Line, the Heart of Wales Line, the Cambrian Line, the Shrewsbury to Chester Line and the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line, as well as heritage railways including the well established Severn Valley Railway. The Cambrian Heritage Railway exists in
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
. The three train operating companies working in the county are West Midlands Trains, Transport for Wales Rail, Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast. A new company, Wrexham & Shropshire, commenced services from Shropshire to Marylebone railway station, London Marylebone, in spring 2008 but the service was discontinued on 28 January 2011 leaving Shrewsbury without a direct link to the capital. Virgin Trains (the operator at the time) recommenced services from Shrewsbury to Euston railway station, London Euston on 11 December 2014, having withdrawn them in the late 1990s, however, their successor Avanti West Coast is set to withdraw service once again in June 2024. Two major water supply Pipeline transport, aqueducts run across Shropshire; 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.


Media

The county is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central television, and BBC Radio Shropshire. County-wide commercial radio stations are Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Heart West Midlands, Capital North West and Wales, Smooth West Midlands and Sunshine Radio (Ludlow), Sunshine Radio (serving
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
and southern parts of Shropshire). The ''Shropshire Star'' newspaper covers the county.


Places of interest

* Acton Scott, Acton Scott Heritage Farm, nr. Church Stretton * Adcote nr.
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
* Attingham Park, Atcham * Benthall Hall, Broseley * Blists Hill, Madeley (Shropshire), Madeley * Boscobel House, nr. Wolverhampton * Bridgnorth Cliff Railway,
Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...
* Bridgnorth Castle, Bridgnorth * Brown Clee Hill, South Shropshire * Buildwas Abbey, Buildwas * Burford, Shropshire, Burford House * Caer Caradoc, nr. Church Stretton * Cambrian Heritage Railway,
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
and Llynclys * Chetwynd Park, Newport, Shropshire, Newport * Long Mynd, Cardingmill Valley, Church Stretton * Clun Castle, Clun * Flounder's Folly, nr. Craven Arms * Fordhall Farm, Fordhall castle and farm * Haughmond Hill, nr. Shrewsbury * Haughmond Abbey * Hawkstone Park, North Shropshire * Hopton Castle, nr. Craven Arms * Ironbridge Gorge * Humphrey Kynaston, Kynaston's Cave, nr. Nesscliffe * Langley Chapel, nr. Shrewsbury * Lilleshall Abbey, nr Newport * Long Mynd, The Long Mynd, Church Stretton *
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
,
Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...
* Mitchell's Fold, nr.
Chirbury Chirbury () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Chirbury with Brompton, in the Shropshire district, in west Shropshire, England. It is situated in the Vale of Montgomery, close to the Wales–England border ( at its nea ...
* Moreton Corbet Castle, Moreton Corbet * Newport Guildhall, Newport * Offa's Dyke Path,
Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
* Puleston Cross, Newport * Severn Valley Railway, Bridgnorth * Shrewsbury Abbey, Shrewsbury *
Shrewsbury Castle Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It stands on a hill in the neck of the meander of the River Severn on which the town originally developed. The castle, directly above Shrewsbury railway station, is ...
, Shrewsbury * Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), South Shropshire * Shropshire Union Canal * Snailbeach Lead Mines nr. Shrewsbury * South Telford Heritage Trail,
Telford Telford () is a town in the Telford and Wrekin borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Shropshire, England. The wider borough covers the town, its suburbs and surrounding towns and villages. The town is close to the county's eastern b ...
* Soulton Hall nr. Wem * St Laurence Church, Ludlow * The Stiperstones, nr Pontesbury * Stokesay Castle, nr Craven Arms * Sunnycroft, Wellington, Shropshire, Wellington * Telford Steam Railway, Telford * Titterstone Clee Hill, nr. Ludlow *
Wenlock Edge Wenlock Edge is a limestone escarpment near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England and a site of special scientific interest because of its geology. It is over long, running southwest to northeast between Craven Arms and Much Wenlock, and is roughly ...
, Much Wenlock * Much Wenlock Priory, Wenlock Priory * White Ladies Priory * Whittington Castle, nr.
Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the England–Wales border, Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5 road (Great Britain), A5, A483 road, A483 and A495 road, A495 ro ...
* The Wrekin (and Ercall Hill, Ercall) nr. Wellington, Shropshire, Wellington * Viroconium Cornoviorum, Wroxeter Roman City,
Wroxeter Wroxeter ( ) is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Wroxeter and Uppington, in the Shropshire district, in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is beside the River Severn, south-east of Shrewsbury. In 1961 the ...
, nr. Atcham




Notable people

* Abraham Darby I, Abraham Darby, early industrialist * Adrian Jones (sculptor), Adrian Jones, sculptor of the Quadriga at Hyde Park Corner * Barbara Pym, novelist * Carol Decker, lead singer of the 1980s pop group T'Pau (band), T'Pau, went to school in Shropshire * Charles Babbage, early computing pioneer, lived at Dudmaston Hall in 1814 * Charles Darwin, eminent naturalist developed the theory of evolution by natural selection, born in Shrewsbury * Chris Hawkins, radio presenter and DJ, born in Loppington * Craig Phillips, of Newport, winner of Big Brother 2000 (UK), ''Big Brother'' 2000 * Dominic Sandbrook, historian and TV presenter * Edith Pargeter (1913–1995), author * Edmund Plowden (1518–1585), legal scholar and theorist * Sir Edmund Plowden (colonial governor), Edmund Plowden (1590–1659), proprietor, Earl Palatine and Governor of New Albion * Edric the Wild, Anglo-Saxon magnate * Edward Waring (1736–1798), mathematician * Eglantyne Jebb of Ellesmere, social reformer and founder of the Save the Children Fund * Fred Jordan (singer), Fred Jordan, farm worker from Ludlow and one of the great traditional England, English singers * George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, George Jeffreys, of Wem, infamous judge * Georgina Frederica Jackson, compiler of ''Shropshire Word-Book'' * Greg Davies, comedian and actor grew up in Wem * Humphrey Kynaston (died 1534), highwayman * Isobel Cooper (Izzy), opera singer from Much Wenlock * Ivan Jones (author), Ivan Jones, writer of ''The Ghost Hunter'' * Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter and producer, creator of Emmy-winning TV show 'Succession (TV series), Succession', and co-creator of comedy TV shows 'Peep Show (British TV series), Peep Show' and 'Fresh Meat (TV series), Fresh Meat' * John Benbow, Admiral of the White, born in Shrewsbury * John Mytton, 'Mad Jack' Mytton, Regency rake, MP, gambler and horseman * John Wilkinson (industrialist), John Wilkinson, of Broseley, industrialist * Jonathan Corbett, TV presenter * K. K. Downing, guitarist with Judas Priest * Lara Jones, writer of the Poppy Cat books * Len Murray, former head of the Trades Union Congress, T.U.C. * John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, Lord Acton, 19th century historian * Mal Lewis Jones, writer * Mary Beard (classicist), Mary Beard, classicist and public personality at Cambridge University * Mary Webb (1881–1927), author * Mirabel Osler, author * Pete Postlethwaite, actor, lived near Church Stretton until his death in 2011 * Sir Philip Sidney, prominent Elizabethan * Richard Lee I, first member of the Lee family of America. Ancestor of Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist), Thomas Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Richard Henry Lee, Henry Lee III, Thomas Sim Lee, and Confederate States of America, Confederate General Robert E. Lee. * Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, 'Clive of India', born near Market Drayton * Rowland Hill (MP), Sir Rowland Hill, coordinator of the Geneva Bible and possible inspiration for ''As You Like It'' * Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, Napoleonic era general * Roy Wood, of Wem, in the band Wizzard * Stewart Lee, stand-up comedian, writer and director * Sybil Ruscoe, TV and radio presenter * Trevor Rees-Jones (bodyguard), Trevor Rees-Jones, bodyguard and author * Tricia Sullivan, American science fiction author, lives in Shropshire * Wilfred Owen, leading First World War poet * William Farr, epidemiologist and early bio-statistician * William Henry Griffith Thomas (1861–1924), evangelical Anglican theologian * William Wycherley, English Restoration, Restoration dramatist and playwright known for ''The Country Wife'' * William Sommers, court jester of Henry VIII of England was born in Shropshire


Sports

* Alison Williamson, of Church Stretton, archery Olympic bronze medalist * Amy Bagshaw, international gymnast * Billy Wright (footballer born 1924), Billy Wright, born in Ironbridge, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer and England captain * David Edwards (footballer, born 1986), David Edwards, footballer (born in Pontesbury), Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C & Wales * Ernie Clements, cyclist * Gordon Richards (jockey), Sir Gordon Richards (1902–1986), 26 times flat racing Champion Jockey, born at Donnington Wood * Harry Weetman, golfer, born Oswestry * Ian Woosnam, golfer, born Oswestry, grew up at St. Martin's * Joe Hart, born in Shrewsbury, Celtic F.C., Celtic and England goalkeeper * Matthew Jones (footballer, born 1980), Matthew Jones, footballer * Matthew Webb, first man to swim the English Channel * Sandy Lyle, golfer, born Shrewsbury * William Penny Brookes, from Much Wenlock, founder of Wenlock Olympian Games


Sport

There are a significant number of sporting clubs and facilities in Shropshire, many of which are found in Shrewsbury#Sport, Shrewsbury and Telford#Sport, Telford in addition to a number of clubs found locally throughout the county. Shropshire is home to a variety of established amateur, semi-pro and professional sports clubs. The county is home to one of five National Sports Centres. Situated at Lilleshall Hall just outside Newport, Shropshire, Newport in Lilleshall, this is where the England national football team, 1966 England National football team trained for two weeks prior to their success in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, World Cup of 1966.


Football

The three highest association football, football (and only professional) clubs in the county are Shrewsbury Town F.C., Shrewsbury Town (EFL League One), A.F.C. Telford United (Southern Football League, Southern League Premier Division Central) and The New Saints F.C., The New Saints (Welsh Premier League) in Oswestry. There are numerous semi-professional football clubs in the lower leagues. The sport governing body, governing body in the county is the Shropshire Football Association, who organise a number of county-wide cup competitions, including the Shropshire Senior Cup. In 2020 the Shropshire County Football League was created, replacing the Shropshire Premier League. the following Shropshire clubs play in these English leagues (the highest team of each club shown only): Also, some clubs situated near the Welsh border play in the Welsh football league system, Welsh league system:


Other sports

The historic Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games (begun 1850) are held annually in Much Wenlock during the second weekend in July. A four-day festival, the Games include cricket, volleyball, tennis, bowls, badminton, triathlon, 10k road race, track and field events, archery, five-a-side football, veteran cycle events, clay pigeon shooting and a golf competition. The county :Golf clubs and courses in Shropshire, has a number of private and public golf courses, including the Church Stretton#Golf course, Church Stretton Golf Club, situated on the slopes of the
Long Mynd The Long Mynd is a heath and moorland plateau that forms part of the Shropshire Hills in Shropshire, England. The high ground, which is common land and designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, lies between the Stiperstones range t ...
. It is the oldest 18-hole golf course in Shropshire, opened in 1898, and one of the highest in the United Kingdom. There is one notable horse racing racecourse in Shropshire, near Ludlow, the Ludlow Racecourse. The area also has a rich motorsports heritage, with the Loton Park Hillclimb and Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit situated near Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Motocross Club has staged motocross events in the area for over 30 years. There is additionally an ice hockey club in the county, the Telford Tigers. One of the biggest one-day events in Shropshire and the biggest one-day cycle race in the UK is the Shropshire Star Newport Nocturne, founded 1970; held every four years, it is Britain's only floodlit cycle race. The county has one American football team, Shropshire Revolution, which was founded in 2006, and is a club in the British American Football League. Former teams in the county have included the Wrekin Giants, which ran from 1985 to 1989 and the Shropshire Giants which ran in 1989. Shropshire has a number of rugby clubs, including Newport (Salop) Rugby Union Football Club, the highest-leveled team in the county, playing in the National League 3 Midlands.


See also

* 7603 Salopia – an asteroid named after the county * 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot, 53rd Regiment of Foot – former British Army regiment * Diocese of Shrewsbury – Roman Catholic diocese which covers all of Shropshire * Healthcare in Shropshire * Shropshire Archives – collects and makes accessible archives and books relating to the county * Shropshire Blue cheese


References


Citations


Notes


Further reading

* Gareth Roddy
"'Westward on the high-hilled plains': the literature of Shropshire and the early twentieth century imagination, 1896–c.1939"
''Contemporary British History'', vol. 33, no. 1 (2019), pp. 28–51.


External links


Shropshire Council

BBC Shropshire news

''Shropshire Star''

Images of Shropshire
at the English Heritage Archive
The History of Parliament: the House of Commons – Shropshire, County, 1386 to 1831
{{Authority control Shropshire, Ceremonial counties of England Counties of the Welsh Marches Counties of England established in antiquity