I.

Introduction

Shropshire, county, west-central England, bounded by the Welsh unitary authority of Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Herefordshire and Worcestershire to the south, and the Welsh unitary authority of Powys to the west. The county's position on the border with Wales meant that for some eight centuries after the Saxon conquest of the area it was the scene of constant conflict. Later, when the Welsh became more interested in trade than in warfare, Shropshire became a quiet and largely agricultural county. The previous name for the county, Salop, was originally a name for Shrewsbury and is still used as an abbreviation. The area of Shropshire is 3,490 sq km (1,348 sq mi).

II.

Land and Resources

Shropshire is divided by the River Severn, which rises in Powys, flows through Shrewsbury, and then south-east to the county of Hereford and Worcester. To the south and west of the river, the county comprises a continuation of the Welsh mountain ranges, and is made up of a series of ridges, running north-east to south-west—including Stiperstones, the Long Mynd, the Caradoc Hills, Wenlock Edge, and the Clee Hills. The last named reaches a height of 546 m (1,792 ft); Brown Clee is the highest point. The Caradoc Hills terminate on the north side of the Severn in The Wrekin, a hill that rises from the plain to a height of 407 m (1,334 ft). These ridges consist variously of Cambrian rocks, slate, gritstone, sandstone, and limestone. To the north and east of the Severn, the county consists of gently undulating lowlands; in the far north-west there is an area of marshland, peat-bogs, and small lakes.

The principal river of Shropshire is the Severn, which is now barely navigable within the county, although formerly boats could sail as far north as Shrewsbury. Its tributaries include the Vyrnwy, the Perry, the Tern, and the Worfe. The River Teme flows from west to east across the southern part of Shropshire, and the Dee forms a part of the northern boundary with Cheshire. Canals link the Severn with the Dee, the Mersey, and the Stour. The Shropshire Union Canal crosses the eastern side of the county. The Countryside Agency has designated the Shropshire Hills in the south-west of the county as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The climate of Shropshire is generally moderate. Average annual rainfall is in the region of 760 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in).

III.

Wildlife

The Shropshire countryside is home to many animals, such as badgers, voles, hares, and rabbits. Birds to be seen regularly include buzzards, dippers, grey wagtails, herons, and pied flycatchers.

IV.

Population and Administration

The population of Shropshire was estimated in 2001 to be 283,240. The main towns are Shrewsbury (population, 1991, 64,219), Bridgnorth (1991, 11,229), and Oswestry (2001, 37,308). Other towns of note are Church Stretton (1991, 3,435), Ludlow (1991, 9,040), Market Drayton (1991, 9,482), and Whitchurch (1991, 7,868).

The county is administered from the Shirehall, Shrewsbury. The county at present has a county council and five district councils: Bridgnorth, North Shropshire, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Atcham, and South Shropshire. The administrative structure of Shropshire changed as a result of the Local Government Act 1992, which revised the structure of local government in England. In April 1998, one of the old district councils was separated from the county to become a new unitary authority, Telford and Wrekin; it remains geographically part of Shropshire. The rest of the county retains the existing two-tier structure of county and district councils. The police authority is the West Mercia Constabulary, with headquarters in Hindlip, Worcester. A Crown Court sits at Shrewsbury.

V.

Education and Culture

Oswestry School was founded in 1407, and Shrewsbury School in 1552. The masque Comus by John Milton was first performed in the 11th-century Ludlow Castle in 1634. A. E. Housman is often thought of as a Shropshire poet because of his best-known work, A Shropshire Lad, although he was in fact born in Worcestershire. He is buried in the churchyard of Ludlow's 15th-century church. In particular, Housman is associated with Much Wenlock, which was also the home for many years of the novelist Mary Webb. Oswestry was the birthplace of Wilfred Owen, the World War I poet, who was killed in 1918 at the age of 25.

The house of the notorious Judge George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem can be seen in Wem, and a short distance south of the town is the village of Clive, where the Restoration playwright William Wycherley was born about 1640. Clive of India was born in Market Drayton in 1725, and the grammar school there still has a desk carved with his initials. Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury in 1809.

Founded in 1886, Shrewsbury Town FC plays its home games at Gay Meadow and is the only professional football club in the county. The side plays in the English Football League, but has also won the Welsh Cup on six occasions.

Shropshire Pie is traditionally made with rabbit, although nowadays chicken may be substituted. Pork, artichokes, and egg are other essential ingredients. Small forcemeat balls, made with bacon, mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and egg, are placed on the piecrust. Shropshire Pie is eaten either hot or cold.

VI.

Places of Interest

In addition to the beauty of the River Severn, the charm of the lakes around Ellesmere, and the magnificent scenery of the upland ranges, including the Long Mynd and the jagged crags of Stiperstones, Shropshire has much of interest to offer in its towns. The county is noted for its black-and-white timber-framed buildings, and houses in this style are to be widely seen—Shrewsbury and Ludlow both have some excellent examples. Shrewsbury Castle was rebuilt by Edward I in the latter part of the 13th century, but still retains its Norman gateway; some of the town's ancient walls also remain. The castle now accommodates the Shropshire Regimental Museum. Bridgnorth is divided by the Severn into the Higher Town, on a cliff that rises to 60 m (200 ft), and the Lower Town on the river bank. Stokesay Castle, some 16 km (10 mi) south of Church Stretton, is a remarkably well-preserved 13th-century fortified manor house. Some parts of the Roman town of Viroconium have been excavated at Wroxeter. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians and St Peter of Alcantara, built in the mid-19th century, is in Shrewsbury.

In the early 18th century, Abraham Darby came to Coalbrookdale, the mining area of Shropshire, to begin smelting ironstone with coke. Ironstone, limestone, charcoal, and sulphur-free coal, from which the coke could be produced, were all readily available—and so was water-power and transport, on the River Severn. Here, it is sometimes claimed, the Industrial Revolution began, its most striking testimonial being the cast-iron bridge, erected in 1779, which spans the Severn, and is a major tourist attraction at Ironbridge, the little town named after the structure itself, and now a World Heritage site. A group of museums nearby tell the story not only of Abraham Darby's achievements, and the cast iron industry, but of the local Coalport china works. Modern technology can be seen at the Aerospace Museum, near Shifnal. Just south of Church Stretton is the Acton Scott Historic Working Farm, which preserves farming methods of many years ago.

VII.

Economy

The county is still primarily agricultural. Sheep and cattle are raised in the south with markets at Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, and Ludlow; and a flourishing milk-producing area lies in the north. The crops grown are mostly root crops, such as potatoes and sugar beet. The county's industry includes the processing of agricultural products, electronics, plastics, and the manufacturing of electrical equipment and machine tools. Shropshire has one of the country's highest concentrations of foreign manufacturing investment. Coal and stone are produced by opencast mining.

VIII.

History

Bronze Age round barrows are found near Ludlow in the south of the county, and there are stone circles on Stapeley Hill. The remains of a large number of Iron Age hill forts have been discovered, including those at Earls Hill, Bury Ditches, Hopesay, The Wrekin, Old Oswestry, and Caer Caradoc (supposedly the scene of the last battle between Caractacus and the Romans). The 1st-century Roman legionary fortress at Viroconium (Wroxeter) was one of the largest towns in Roman Britain, and was connected with London by Watling Street. Before the Saxon invasion, the Princes of Powys ruled in the area, and had their capital at Shrewsbury, which was then called Pengwern. When the Saxons conquered the area, Watt's Dyke and Offa's Dyke were constructed, forming a protective boundary between Mercia and Wales.

After the Norman Conquest, much of the county was used as hunting grounds, but conflict with the Welsh continued, and a large number of castles were built to provide a line of defence against their raids. In 1138 Shrewsbury Castle was taken on behalf of the empress Matilda, but was soon captured by Stephen of Blois. Both Shrewsbury and Ludlow were held in the 13th century by Simon de Montfort. By that time, wool had become of major importance to Shropshire, bringing considerable wealth to Ludlow, Bridgnorth, and to Shrewsbury. Now that peace with the Welsh had been established, Shrewsbury was the principal market town for most of north Wales. In 1403, Henry IV defeated Sir Henry Percy, or Hotspur, at the Battle of Shrewsbury, and thereby established himself as undisputed king of England. Ludlow Castle was the boyhood home of the Little Princes, the future Edward V and his brother, Richard, Duke of York, until they left for the Tower of London, and their mysterious disappearance, traditionally blamed on Richard III. In the English Civil War, the county was mostly Royalist in its sympathies—Shrewsbury was briefly used as a base by Charles I and Prince Rupert—but the town was captured by the Parliamentarians in 1645; Bridgnorth and Ludlow surrendered in 1646.