Shropshire (pop. 323,606) is a unitary authority (unit of local government) in England on the border with Wales. It is mainly a farming area. However, Shropshire was one of the first areas to develop engineering during the Industrial Revolution in the 1700’s. Since then, engineering has always been an important industry in Shropshire.
Shropshire has much beautiful countryside. Visitors can also see several ancient castles, built to keep out invaders from Wales. The area was the scene of fierce border fighting between English and Welsh forces for many hundreds of years. Shropshire covers an area of about 1,234 square miles (3,197 square kilometers). Shrewsbury is its administrative center.
People and government
Recreation.
Shropshire provides good opportunities for a wide range of sports. Many people enjoy fishing or boating on the River Severn. Competitive boating regattas are held every year at Bridgnorth, Ironbridge, and Shrewsbury. Boating is popular near Ellesmere.
The Midland Gliding Club has its headquarters near Church Stretton. Motor clubs organize hill climbing or motorcycle scrambling at Hawkstone near Wem, and at Loton, near Alberbury. At Lilleshall, the Lilleshall National Sports Centre provides residential courses for a wide variety of organized sports. The sports center is run by the Sports Council.
Cultural events in Shropshire include annual festivals at Ludlow and Bridgnorth. Both festivals specialize in plays by William Shakespeare.
Local government.
An elected council supervises the Shropshire unitary authority, which is responsible for providing a full range of local services. The West Mercia Constabulary polices Shropshire. The Crown Court meets at Shrewsbury.
Economy
Agriculture
is an important part of Shropshire’s economy. Half of the farms are less than 30 acres (12 hectares) in size. Farmers in the fertile eastern lowlands grow mainly barley, beets, potatoes, sugar beets, and wheat.
Dairy farmers work in the northern and western parts of Shropshire, where clay soils provide rich pasture land. Farmers keep mainly Friesian or Ayrshire cattle. Some farmers also breed pigs, feeding them partly on cow’s milk.
Farmers in southwestern Shropshire graze beef cattle, mainly Herefords, on the area’s hilly land. Some also cultivate barley, oats, wheat, and green crops, mainly for cattle food. Farmers in the hills rear sheep.
Manufacturing.
Industries in Shropshire include electronics, light engineering, plastics, and the production of clothing, concrete, and iron and steel goods. Telford has a wide range of industries. Its products include bricks, concrete and earthenware pipes, industrial robots, iron and steel, and photocopiers.
Bridgnorth has factories that produce aluminum foil, electrical parts, and precast concrete. Factories in the market town of Oswestry manufacture engineering goods, kitchenware, and processed foods.
Transportation and communication.
Shrewsbury is the center of Shropshire’s rail system. A main line links Shrewsbury with Birmingham, by way of Telford and Wolverhampton. Other lines link Shrewsbury with Chester, by way of Wrexham, and with Manchester, western Wales, Cardiff, and South Wales.
Shropshire’s road system also converges on Shrewsbury. The M54 links Shrewsbury and Telford to the national motorway system.
Shropshire has only one daily newspaper, the Shropshire Star, which is published in Telford. Weekly newspapers are published for many towns. Radio Shropshire, a local radio station of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), operates from Shrewsbury.
Land and climate
Location and size.
Shropshire is bordered by Cheshire East Unitary Authority on the north, Telford and Wrekin Unitary Authority and Staffordshire County on the east, County of Herefordshire Unitary Authority and Worcestershire County on the south, and Wrexham and Powys on the west. The Shropshire unitary authority extends about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from east to west and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from north to south.
Land features.
About three-fifths of Shropshire is lowlands. Uplands cover the mid-south, southwest, and northwest of the authority. The River Severn divides the two regions. Ancient rocks form the hills, including the Clee Hills, Wenlock Edge, and Long Mynd, which is 1,696 feet (517 meters) high. The hills become moorland near the Welsh border. The Clun Forest runs along part of the border. The lowlands in the northeastern half of Shropshire average 200 feet (60 meters) above sea level. The Wrekin, an isolated hill rising 1,335 feet (407 meters), stands near Telford. This hill is of volcanic origin.
The Severn is the main river of Shropshire. The River Teme flows along part of Shropshire’s southern boundary and joins the Severn just south of Worcester.
Climate.
Rainfall in Shropshire averages between 24 and 30 inches (60 and 75 centimeters) a year. Temperatures in the region average 39 °F (4 °C) in January and 61 °F (16 °C) in July.
History
The present-day village of Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury, occupies the site of the ancient Roman city of Viroconium. The Roman city stood at the junction of several Roman roads, including Watling Street. The Romans developed Viroconium as an industrial center, and it finally became the fourth city of Roman Britain. Some relics of the city remain on the site of the town.
The Shropshire area became part of the Kingdom of Mercia in the 700’s. Offa, the greatest of the kings of Mercia, planned the earthwork now called Offa’s Dyke to mark the border between the Kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdoms to the west. The name Shropshire, an abbreviation of Shrewsburyshire, was first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 1006. During the Norman era, which began in the 1060’s, the area also became known as Salop. Its residents became known as Salopians.
The English king Edward I started campaigns against the Welsh in 1276. In 1282, Edward’s forces surrounded the Welsh prince Llewelyn and his people and starved them into surrender. Shrewsbury was an important base for the wars in northern Wales.
In 1709, Abraham Darby succeeded in smelting iron ore with coke, instead of charcoal, at Coalbrookdale, near Ironbridge. This development took pressure off England’s forests, because wood is used to make charcoal. Coke is derived from coal. Eventually, coke forges that used locally mined coal sprang up all over the area.
Shropshire became famous for crafts such as ironworking, making pottery, and firing encaustic tiles (tiles with colored designs). The first iron rails were cast at Coalbrookdale. China made in Coalport was once famous throughout the world. Shropshire’s people made clogs for the workers in the Lancashire cotton mills. But many of these old crafts have died out.
In 1888, the newly created Salop County Council took over the administration of the county of Shropshire. In 1972, the county was officially renamed the County of Salop. In 1980, the county’s name was changed back to Shropshire. Part of eastern Shropshire became the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin in 1998. In 2009, Shropshire became a unitary authority.
A number of famous people are associated with Shropshire. Robert Clive, a British soldier and administrator in India, was born in the county of Shropshire in 1725. The British naturalist Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury in 1809. The British poet A. E. Housman is associated with Shropshire because he wrote a book of verse titled A Shropshire Lad (1896).
