Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or even Shrops) occurs as traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. A ceremonial county borders Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and a Welsh ceremonial counties of Powys and Clwyd.

Shropshire is one of England's virtually all rural counties. A county town is Shrewsbury, although the new town of Telford is the largest town. Likewise in that rural county is Coalbrookdale, where a Industrial Revolution started, Ironbridge, where the world's 1st cast-iron bridge was constructed & Ditherington, where the world's 1st iron framed building was built. (Watch a "cradle of industry" segment in the image below).

a 2005 estimate of a people of the administrative county of Shropshire was put at 286,700 - making the county the little 2-tier administrative county within England. For this understanding it has been suggested by the select few that a county be a one authority, similar to it of the Isle of Wight, where a zone councils were abolished allowing sole a county council. All a same the size & diversity of the county then far system this possibility retired. The food and drug administration's plans of regional assemblies within England, which would keep close at hand intended the one formulas of local government, has too been assumed hang on to.

A county was known as Salop within legal documents for the select few centuries, a title deriving from either 'Salopesbiry', an older title for the shire town, Shrewsbury. While the council for the county was set up around 1888, it was known as 'Salop County Council'. A title was never popular, & a council renamed itself 'Shropshire County Council' around 1980. But, a term "Salopian", from either "Salop", is however wont to mean "from Shropshire". A latin catchword of "Floreat Salopia" (will Shropshire/Shrewsbury flourish) is too utilized for Shropshire & Shrewsbury in crests & emblems.

The County Today

A ceremonial county of Shropshire is now split higher into a administrative county of Shropshire and a unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin borough. Shropshire, a administrative county, is so split higher into 5 districts - Shrewsbury and Atcham borough, Oswestry borough, North Shropshire district, South Shropshire district and Bridgnorth district. A administrative county is so farther sub-divided into parishes, except for the town of Shrewsbury. A metropolitan area covered per county has non changed substantially since a county's creation in the 11th Century. A modern day ceremonial county is a equivalent when the traditional county, except for the removal of many exclaves and enclaves. A largest of the exclaves was Halesowen, which became part of Worcestershire in the 19th Century, and a largest of the enclaves was Farlow in South Shropshire.

Cradle of Industry

Quite how come this remote, rural county on a Welsh border became the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution is mystifying to many population. A understanding, nevertheless, is primarily due to Shropshire's diverse geology. Shropshire is the "geological capital" of the UK, when upright about each rock nature and severity in Northern Europe is noticed within its borders, as come coal, lead, copper and iron ore deposits. Additionally to this, a River Severn flows through the county & has been utilized for the transport of goods and services for centuries.

Geography

Geographically, Shropshire is divisible into ii distinct halves - Northerly & South.

Northerly Shropshire

Politically - Oswestry dominion, Northerly Shropshire territorial dominion, Shrewsbury & Atcham borough & a (one authority) borough of Telford & Wrekin.

A Northward Shropshire Plain is an extension of the flat & fertile Cheshire Gap. These are on this button that virtually all of the county's big towns, & people generally, come to exist as uncovered. Shrewsbury at a centre, Oswestry north west, Whitchurch in a north, Market Drayton north east & the Telford sprawl (Telford, Wellington, Newport, Oakengates, Donnington & Shifnal) to the east. a l& is fertile & agriculture remains a major feature of the landscape and the economy. A River Severn runs across a lower half of the Northern metropolitan area, through Shrewsbury & the Ironbridge Gorge, before running south to Bridgnorth.

A vicinity in the area of Oswestry has more rugged geographics than a N Shropshire Plain & a american half is on top an extension of the Wrexham Coalfield and there are besides copper deposits on the border with Wales. Mining of stone & sand aggregates is still running inside in Northerly Shropshire, notably in Haughmond Hill, near Bayston Hill and around a village of Condover. More primary industries, like forestry & camping, come to exist as witnessed as well.

A A5 and M54 run from Wolverhampton (to the east of the county) across to Telford, around Shrewsbury so northerly west to Oswestry, prior to running n into Wales in the Wrexham region. This is an significant artery & a corridor is in which virtually all of Shropshire's modern commerce & industry is obtained, notably within Telford newly town. There are besides a total of railway lines crossing on top the locality, which centre at Shrewsbury. In a south west of Telford, touching the Ironbridge Gorge, is Buildwas Power Station.

the newly town of Telford is rest on a previous industrial vicinity centred on the East Shropshire Coalfield. There are however several pit heaps to exist when obtained in the area, besides as obsolete mine shafts. This industrial heritage is an significant tourer attraction, every bit is seen per incubation of museums in the Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale and Jackfield area. Blists Hill museum and historical (Victorian era) village is a major holidaymaker attraction besides when a Iron Bridge itself.

In the south Shropshire

Politically - South Shropshire territory & Bridgnorth dominion; Ludlow constituency.

South Shropshire is further rural, by owning fewer settlements & there are no big towns, & its landscape differs greatly than that of Northward Shropshire. A locality is dominated by hill ranges & vale, forests & glens, & more natural features. Farming is extra pastural than a arable encountered north of the county. A single real towns come Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Church Stretton.

A A49 is the main road through the front yard, heading northward to south, from either Shrewsbury to Herefordshire. a railway line diarrhea through the metropolitan area on the equivalent route when the A49 by having stations at Church Stretton, Craven Arms and Ludlow. Infrastructure is usually quite unfortunate to the south of the county, however this fmoo from principally to the low people density. A Severn Valley Railway runs from Bridgnorth into Worcestershire.

Church Stretton is referred to as "Little Switzerland" due to its valley location & character. Nearby come a old mining communities on the Clee Hills, notable geological features in the Onny Valley and Wenlock Edge and fertile farmland in the Corve Dale. A River Teme drains this part of the county, prior to flow into Worcestershire to the South.

South West Shropshire, or even just "Clun", occurs as little known & remote a share of the county, using Clun Forest, Offa's Dyke and the River Clun. A settlement of Clun and Bishop's Castle are in this area. A countryside on this text is very rural & is within area uncivilized & forested. To the South of Clun is the Welsh town of Knighton.

Towns and villages

Watch a list of places in Shropshire.

Shropshire has there is no cities, however Xxi towns (of which Pentad may become considered to be major - Shrewsbury, Telford, Oswestry, Bridgnorth & Ludlow) & hundreds of villages.

Understand likewise a :Category: Towns in Shropshire and :Category: Villages in Shropshire.

Places of Interest

Attingham Park, (Atcham) Blists Hill, (preserved 19th century industrial/victorian age community) Boscobel House, (on border by using Staffordshire) Brown Clee Hill, (highest peak within Shropshire) Burford House Caer Caradoc, (near Church Stretton) Cardingmill Valley, (Church Stretton) Haughmond Hill, (forest park on a edge of Shrewsbury by using the medieval Haughmond Abbey ruins) Hawkstone Park, (large rural park & follies in north Shropshire) Hopton Castle, (scene of a Civil War massacre) The Ironbridge, (the world's first iron bridge) Langley Chapel The Long Mynd, (means "long mountain", overlooks Church Stretton) Ludlow Castle Mitchells Fold, (a bronze age stone circle) Moreton Corbet Castle Offa's Dyke Path, a long distance footpath Shropshire Hills AONB Shropshire Union Canal Snailbeach, (a historic lead mining village) The Stiperstones, (mountainous ridge near Pontesbury, including the "Devil's Chair") Stokesay Castle Titterstone Clee Hill, (hill near Ludlow, ex-coalmining and famous for the unusual accent of the locals) Wenlock Edge, (a long wooded ridge & a geological capital of the UK) Whittington Castle Wroxeter, (a ruined Roman city and legionnaire fort)

Famous People

Robert Clive "Clive of India" Lords and Ladies Craven (of Stokesay Castle) Abraham Darby Charles Darwin William Farr Chris Hawkins (of Loppington), radio presenter, DJ, and celebrity George Jeffreys of Wem, (infamous judge) Len Murray, (former head of the T.U.C) Wilfred Owen Edmund Plowden (1518-1585)—legal scholar and theorist Sir Edmund Plowden (1590-1659)—Proprietor, Earl Palatine & Governor of New Albion Barbara Pym [http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/blog/ Morris Telfod] Creator of "A Salopian Odyssey", philosopher, traveler & lotto enthusiast. T'Pau, pop group Sir Philip Sidney Mary Webb (1881-1927), authoress Matthew Webb, (first human to swimming a English Channel) Billy Wright Norton I, Emperor of the United States of America

Besides, British poet A.E. Housman used Shropshire as the setting for many of the poems in his first book, A Shropshire Lad.

Politics

Shropshire has five constituencies, four of which returned Conservative MPs at the 2005 general election & 1, Telford, returned a Labour MP. This occurs as marked vary from either the 2001 general election effect, in which a county returned sole of these Conservativist, ternion Labour & a Liberal Democrat MP (understand maps following).

David Wright, Labour, Telford Owen Paterson, Conservative, North Shropshire (covering the Northward Shropshire territorial dominion & Oswestry borough) Philip Dunne, Conservative, Ludlow (covering the South Shropshire & Bridgnorth territory) Daniel Kawczynski, Conservative, Shrewsbury and Atcham Mark Pritchard, Conservative, The Wrekin (covering Telford & Wrekin borough, minus Telford and including the little metropolitan area of Bridgnorth dominion)

Inside 2005 there was too a County Council election & the Conservativist gained overall control of the administrative county. Telford & Wrekin Unitary Authority remains under Labour control. Existence the rural county, there are the total of independent council member on the various councils in the county.

Trivia

Oswestry Football Club play in the Welsh League.

Shropshire holds a record for the coldest temperature recorded within England and Wales (weather caring). This was assault January 10, 1982, in Edgmond at -26.1 C. A ensuing day a coldest daytime maximal temperature recorded within England occurred in the county, at -11.3 C.

Shrewsbury has a tallest town crier in a world, at 7ft 2in, & nowadays too the tallest MP in the United Kingdom - Daniel Kawczynski is 6ft 8.5in tall.

A ceremonial county of Shropshire is the United Kingdom's big inland (surrounded totally by land) county.

There are 701 public houses in the county. Look at a Category:Pubs inside Shropshire.

A 1985 television programme Blott on the Landscape was filmed mainly inside South Shropshire, notably around Ludlow. A recently begun sitcome The Green Green Grass is set inside Shropshire & is filmed touching Bridgnorth.