Telford
Encyclopedia
Telford is a large new town
in the borough of Telford and Wrekin
and ceremonial county
of Shropshire
, England
, approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) east of Shrewsbury
, and 30 miles (48.3 km) west of Birmingham
. With an estimated population of 162,300 in 2009, Telford is by far the largest town in Shropshire, and one of the fastest growing towns in the United Kingdom.
It is named after Thomas Telford
, the famous civil engineer
. The town was built in the 1960s and 1970s as a new town
on previously industrial and agricultural land. Like other planned towns
of the era, Telford was created from the merger of other, smaller settlements, most notably the towns of Wellington
, Oakengates
, Madeley
and Dawley
. Telford Shopping Centre
, a modern shopping mall, was constructed at the new town's geographical centre, along with an extensive Town Park
. The M54 motorway
was completed in 1983, connecting the town with the West Midlands conurbation
.
Telford now includes Ironbridge Gorge
, a scenic tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town advertises itself as "The Birthplace of Industry", due to its proximity to Coalbrookdale
and other places in the Ironbridge Gorge area, which are internationally recognised as being important to the Industrial Revolution
, and being to a large extent constructed on the Shropshire Coalfield. The River Severn
flows along its southernmost boundary.
Early settlement in the area was thought to be on the land that sloped up from the Weald Moors
(an area north of the town centre) towards the line along which the Roman Watling Street
was built. Farmland surrounded three large estates in the tenth century, namely Wellington
, Wrockwardine
and Lilleshall
.
From the 13th century there was urban development in Wellington and Madeley
, where Wenlock Priory founded a new town. Six monastic houses, founded in the 11th and 12th centuries, had large interests in the area's economic growth. They collectively acquired almost half of the area, and profited from coal and ironstone mines and iron smithies on their estates.
The New Town was first designated on 16 January 1963 as Dawley New Town, covering 9100 acres (36.8 km²) of Dawley
, Wenlock
, Oakengates
, Wellington Rural District and Shifnal Rural District
. Development started, guided by the Dawley New Town Development Corporation, with the first homes on the new Sutton Hill housing estate being occupied in 1967. Initial planning and design concepts for Dawley New Town were produced by the Birmingham-based John Madin Design Group.
The Minister proposed an extension of 12000 acres (48.6 km²) in 1968 (taking in the historic area of Ironbridge Gorge
), which saw objections and a public inquiry take place. The Dawley New Town (Designation) Amendment (Telford) Order was made on 29 November 1968, extending the New Town area by 10143 acres (41 km²) of "land lying within the urban districts of Oakengates and Wellington and the rural districts of Shifnal and Wellington". This Order also renamed the new town Telford, after the Scottish-born civil engineer Thomas Telford
who, in 1787, became Surveyor of Public Works for Shropshire. Other suggested names at the time were Dawelloak and Wrekin Forest City.
Most of the infrastructure was constructed from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s with the major housing and commercial development occurring over three decades up to the early 1990s when the Development Corporation was wound up to be replaced by Commission for the New Towns, later English Partnerships, and most of the property was handed over to the then Wrekin District Council. In 1983, after fierce opposition and three public enquiries, the M54 motorway
was completed, connecting the town to the M6
and thence the rest of the UK's motorway network. Other major roads are the A5, A518
and A442
, which is commonly known as the Eastern Primary or EP, and is officially branded Queensway.
Many of the new town's residents were originally from the West Midlands
conurbation
, which includes Wolverhampton
, Birmingham
, Dudley
and Walsall
. The vast majority of the council house tenants in Telford were rehoused from inner city slums in Birmingham. Some controversy and bad feeling still exists in some communities as a result of what some saw as the influx of those from the city slums. The name "overspill" was often used as a derogatory term for these residents. Some individuals still refuse to put Telford in their address, instead using the original local name (such as Wellington
or Dawley
).(citation needed-own research?)
In 2007, a £250 million regeneration plan for the town centre was announced, which will include the pedestrianisation of the road surrounding the shopping centre, and the creation of new cafés, bars and shops which will lead to 1,750 new jobs. The reason for this expansion is that the original "centre" was only ever a shopping place with no real heart (See Shropshire Star June 3, 2004). Since the "centre" closed early evening, there was no nightlife at all in the area, the only major local entertainment areas being in Oakengates and Wellington.
Telford town centre lies approximately 21 kilometres (13 mi) east/south-east
of Shrewsbury
and 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) north-west
of Wolverhampton
. The town comprises 7,803 hectares (30.13 square miles) and its southern and eastern parts, between the Severn Gorge and Donnington Wood
, include the East Shropshire coalfield. North and north-west Telford lie beyond the coalfield's boundary fault on sandstone beds
which, along with other Triassic
formations, prevail over much of the North Shropshire
plain. The town centre stands on a watershed, with land to the south draining towards the River Severn
, and to the north the land slopes gently down towards the Weald Moors. The town is dominated by the Wrekin, a large hill of 407 m (1335 ft), located south-west of Wellington, straddling the border with the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham
.
Within the borough of Telford & Wrekin, the town is entirely parished
. Telford has no single town council because of this, and the Mayor of the Borough of Telford and Wrekin is also de facto the town's mayor. The town is also divided into Wards, within the Telford and Wrekin
borough. These are used for electoral purposes and demographic surveys. Telford was created politically - but its attempts to make a cohesive town from the fusion of other independent, smaller towns: Wellington
, Madeley
, Hadley
, Oakengates
, Dawley
, Ironbridge
and Donnington
have largely been successful. Despite this, the town has much clearer divisions than in other older towns, such as nearby Shrewsbury, which have developed into one consolidated urban area over time. Some small settlements to the south such as a part of Ironbridge and Broseley
, while part of the Telford Urban Area, are administered by Shropshire Council
.
Telford is the only settlement within the Telford parliamentary constituency
, although some suburbs, such as Wellington, are located in The Wrekin
, a neighbouring constituency. Telford has been held by Labour since its creation in 1997, and the current MP is David Wright
. The neighbouring Wrekin constituency has varying support between the Conservatives and Labour, due to its mix of rural and urban (Newport
) areas. It is currently held by the Conservatives however, under MP Mark Pritchard. Telford is administratively part of the West Midlands region
.
and so to grow to a town of 70,000 or more. By 1968 Telford was intended to take an additional 50,000 and grow to a town of 220,000 or more by 1991. By 1983, however, Telford's population was just under 108,000, and it was generally thought that it might not reach 120,000 by the late 1980s.
Telford has a younger than average population, and a higher rate of teenage pregnancy than the national average, as well as relatively high levels of income deprivation with 15% of residents living in low income households. In addition the level of statutorily homeless households in 2004/05 was above average for England. The Telford and Wrekin
area is a popular commuter zone, containing some relatively rural areas in the North and West of the borough. These are popular with commuters to the West Midlands conurbation
, due to the good transport links provided by the A5/M54
.
Telford's population is prodominantly White
, comprising 93.8% of the population. The next largest ethnic group is those of Asian
descent, comprising 3.3% of the population, which is again less than the West Midlands at 8.0%, and England at 5.3%. However, the town and borough remains comparatively more ethnically diverse than the ceremonial county, with South Shropshire
for example being 97.8% white.
During the economic crisis of the late 1960s (with unemployment doubling nationally during the second half of the decade), unemployment in the then-new town was initially high.
However, in 1967 Halesfield Industrial Estate was founded on the south-eastern edge of the town - the first real answer to Telford's unemployment problems. Other large estates followed, in 1973 with Stafford Park just east of the town centre and in 1979 with Hortonwood, to the north, helping ease the unemployment crisis in a decade which saw an almost unbroken rise in unemployment.
In total, half a million square metres of factory space were provided between 1968 and 1983, making Telford an attractive investment area.
By 1976, Telford had begun to recruit industry from the U.S.A., Europe, and Japan. The foreign firms required larger factories, and they began to be built at Stafford Park. By 1983 over 2,000 jobs in Telford were provided by around 40 (mostly American) foreign companies. In contrast to industry in the Black Country
at the time, these new companies focused on high-technology industries rather than the heavy and metal-finishing industries.
The new arrivals included the American company Unimation and three firms from Japan: Nikon
U.K. Ltd., which opened a warehouse at Halesfield in 1983; video tape manufacturers Hitachi Maxell at Apley Castle in 1983; and office equipment manufacturers Ricoh
, who took a 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) site for a factory at Priorslee next to the M54
, and formed the first in Telford's new enterprise zone.
Consequently, from the later 1970s, Telford began to attract high-technology firms and to diversify its industry, and the promotion of the Service industry also began to prosper, in the Telford Town Centre area. However, a deepening national recession meant that, despite the creation of new jobs, there were net job losses from 1979. Unemployment grew from 3.4 per cent in 1969 to over 8 per cent in 1972 and 22.3 per cent in 1983; long-term unemployment rose even faster. Nevertheless the rate of increase in unemployment was slowing down by 1983 and was making some progress against national and regional trends.
Unemployment in Telford was still around the 20% mark - nearly double the national average at the time - as late as 1986. The Lawson Boom
of the next three years saw that figure fall dramatically by the end of the decade
, only for it to rise to a similarly high figure again by 1992 as a result of the early 1990s recession.
Telford has attracted several large IT services companies, including EDS
who support the MOD contract from the Euston Park site, as well as a vast array of clients across the world from the Plaza building. Also Capgemini
and Fujitsu
employ a significant number of staff in the area, mainly supporting their governmental client, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The expansion in these job sectors provided a great asset to Telford's economic recovery after 1992. By August 2007, the success story of Telford's economy had seen unemployment shrink to 3.3% - a fraction of its peak 15 years earlier.
However, the subsequent recession
meant that unemployment in the area had risen to 5% by February 2011.
The Shropshire Star
evening newspaper is based at Ketley, Telford.
In recent times there have been significant job losses, with the movement of 500 Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) jobs at the MoD base at Sapphire House, Telford, to Bristol. The closure of the local sugar beet factory at Allscott in 2007 is another recent example.
The commercial centre of the town is the aptly named Telford Town Centre, located off Junction 5 of the M54 motorway
. It is home to the administrative headquarters of Telford & Wrekin council, the large Telford Shopping Centre (and the accompanying Town Park
), various office blocks, such as the blue office towers (Telford Plaza), and the Windsor Life building. The Forge retail park and a large Odeon Cinema
are also located in the area, as well as Thomas Telford School
, which is within walking distance. Telford also houses one of the Midland's only ice skating rinks near the newly built Telford International Centre (TIC). The TIC comprises a number of hall and event spaces. It holds parties, conferences, concerts and is the current home of the UK Snooker Championship in December.
A major Shropshire landmark, also now part of Telford, is The Iron Bridge
, located in Ironbridge
. It was the first bridge of its size in the world made out of cast iron
. In the same area is the Ironbridge Gorge
, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most important landmark in the area is The Wrekin
. There is also the Lilleshall Monument erected to the Duke of Sutherland
, which has recently been restored.
, a City Technology College
(CTC), which claims to have a 100% pass rate at GCSE level, with all students achieving at least 4 GCSEs grades A*-C, placing it at number one in the entire country for Key Stage 4
attainment. It was students of this school who were chosen to construct Airfix
models of planes and tanks, and to assist Top Gear co host James May
construct a life size model of a World War Two Spitfire on the first episode of the series James May's Toy Stories
. Abraham Darby Academy (Performing Arts, Business and Enterprise), formerly known as Abraham Darby Specialist School For The Performing Arts, provides specialist performing arts education and is home to one of the UK's best school concert bands which has performed at prestigious venues such as Birmingham Symphony Hall, Royal Festival Hall London, Royal Albert Hall
and also Carnegie Hall
, New York
.
Further education is handled by Telford College of Arts and Technology
(TCAT) and Telford New College
, a sixth-form college located in Wellington
. There are three other sixth form
s located in the Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic School (The Oscar Romero sixth form centre), Abraham Darby Academy and Thomas Telford School
.
8 miles (12.9 km) to the north are Adams' Grammar School
and Newport Girls High School
selective schools located in nearby Newport
.
Telford is also home to The University of Wolverhampton
Business School (UWBS) campus and the School of the Built Environment. Harper Adams University College
, a famous college for land-based education is located near the town of Newport.
Madeley Academy is a sport college and a building that was built and opened in September 2009.
Telford is situated at the terminus of the M54 motorway
, a spur of the M6
linking the town with Wolverhampton
and the West Midlands
, and on the A5 road between Shrewsbury
and Cannock
. The town also has three railway stations: Wellington
, Oakengates
and Telford Central
, which are on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton Line. In addition, there are two further stations isolated from the national network, Spring Village and Horsehay & Dawley, at Telford Steam Railway
, situated at Horsehay
. A new direct train service to London was launched by Wrexham & Shropshire in 2008. The venture however proved unprofitable and ceased to operate on Friday 28 January 2011, leaving Shropshire as the only English county without a direct train link to London.
Telford's rapidly growing population still has a relatively low car ownership. In 2004 Telford & Wrekin council was awarded 'Beacon Status' for improving access to public transport. Being a new town with a planned transport infrastructure, the town features relatively few traffic problems, in comparison to the urban areas of Birmingham
or medieval streets of Shrewsbury
. The M54 reduces through-traffic on local roads, and the A442 Queensway acts as a north-south artery road.
, are originally from Telford and Shrewsbury, and formed while studying at New College Telford while the former bass player; Thomas Darby, still lives there. After New College, the band moved to Woodhouse in Leeds where the band started to develop its sound further. The Band T'Pau are also from Telford (Wellington) and Shrewsbury with some of the band member(s) now formed a group called Dawson. Former WBC super middleweight champion boxer Richie Woodhall
, grew up in Woodside, Telford
.
The former 2 time BDO world champion darts player Ted Hankey
(The Count) lives in the Aqueduct area of Telford.
Mark Hadley founder and owner of woodenart resides in Telford. Dave Wright lives and works in Telford.
AFC Telford United Football Club are currently playing in Blue Square Premier League after a successful play-off campaign in 2011, and their current manager is Andy Sinton
, who as a player was capped by England
and played for clubs including Queen's Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur
.
AFC Telford's achievements include Best Shropshire Senior Cup Performance: Final - 3 Times, and Promotion to Conference North
in 2007, after beating Witton Albion in the play-offs 3-1. Also, they won the Setanta Shield Trophy by beating Forest Green Rovers
on penalties in 2009. They were formed in 2004 on the bankruptcy of the previous Telford United
club, who had competed in the Football Conference
- the highest level of football outside the professional league - for 25 years since its inception in 1979 as the Alliance Premier League. AFC Telford have now regained a place in the top flight of non-league football.
Ice hockey in the town is represented by 2 teams. One is the Telford Tigers, an English Premier League (EPL or EPIHL) ice hockey team originally formed in 1985. The other are the Telford Titans
, an ENL
Team, which represents development hockey feeding from the excellent youth development and were last year crowned league champions.
There have been many American football
teams in the town, although presently Shropshire Revolution
a British American Football League
, founded in 2006, is the only club in the town and the county of Shropshire. Previous clubs include Wrekin Giants
(1985–1989), Shropshire Giants (1989), and Cannock Chase Giants (1989-1993/4).
Telford Raiders
are the town's Rugby League club, although there have been other Rugby League Clubs in Telford historically, such as the Telford All Blacks and Shropshire Scorpions. Telford Hornets represent the town at Rugby Union.
Telford also hosted the UK Snooker Championship
, from 2007 to 2010. The championship moved from York
in 2007 but will return to the re-furbished Barbican Centre in York for 2011.
The Shropshire Golf Centre is located near Muxton
, to the northeast of Telford. This has three nine hole courses, a 13 hole par three academy course and driving range. Other courses include the Municipal course at Horsehay, The Wrekin Golf Club and Telford Golf and Country Club.
There are also several local cricket clubs, many of whom compete in local leagues and some in the Birmingham league. The largest of these is Wellington where many Shropshire County matches are also played but St Georges, Madeley
and Lilleshall
also run cricket clubs in or on the outskirts of the town.
{http://www.bmka.co.uk.Telford kickboxing & karate,Hadley learning centre, Hadley.TF1 5NU}
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
in the borough of Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
and ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) east of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, and 30 miles (48.3 km) west of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. With an estimated population of 162,300 in 2009, Telford is by far the largest town in Shropshire, and one of the fastest growing towns in the United Kingdom.
It is named after Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
, the famous civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. The town was built in the 1960s and 1970s as a new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
on previously industrial and agricultural land. Like other planned towns
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
of the era, Telford was created from the merger of other, smaller settlements, most notably the towns of Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
, Oakengates
Oakengates
Oakengates is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, and now forms part of the new town of Telford...
, Madeley
Madeley, Shropshire
Madeley is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, now part of the new town of Telford. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8th century...
and Dawley
Dawley
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford...
. Telford Shopping Centre
Telford Shopping Centre
Telford Shopping Centre is a indoor super-regional shopping centre in Telford, Shropshire, England. It is located in the geographical and economic centre of the new town, on land which was previously undeveloped. It is the largest shopping area in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, being located...
, a modern shopping mall, was constructed at the new town's geographical centre, along with an extensive Town Park
Telford Town Park
- Parks for People :The Parks for People funding programme is a joint initiative between the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund,offering grants for projects that regenerate public parks of national, regional or local heritage value. Telford & Wrekin Council were recently advised of their...
. The M54 motorway
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
was completed in 1983, connecting the town with the West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
.
Telford now includes Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge
The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
, a scenic tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town advertises itself as "The Birthplace of Industry", due to its proximity to Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale
Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides...
and other places in the Ironbridge Gorge area, which are internationally recognised as being important to the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, and being to a large extent constructed on the Shropshire Coalfield. The River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
flows along its southernmost boundary.
Early history
Weald Moors
The Weald Moors are located in the ceremonial county of Shropshire north of Telford, stretching from north and west of the town of Newport towards Wellington....
(an area north of the town centre) towards the line along which the Roman Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
was built. Farmland surrounded three large estates in the tenth century, namely Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
, Wrockwardine
Wrockwardine
Wrockwardine is a village and civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies north of The Wrekin and the M54/A5, and west of Wellington.There is a church, St Peter's, dating back to Saxon times....
and Lilleshall
Lilleshall
Lilleshall is a village in Shropshire, England.It lies between the towns of Telford and Newport, on the A518, in the Telford and Wrekin borough and the Wrekin constituency....
.
From the 13th century there was urban development in Wellington and Madeley
Madeley, Shropshire
Madeley is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, now part of the new town of Telford. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8th century...
, where Wenlock Priory founded a new town. Six monastic houses, founded in the 11th and 12th centuries, had large interests in the area's economic growth. They collectively acquired almost half of the area, and profited from coal and ironstone mines and iron smithies on their estates.
Modern history
Dawley
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford...
, Wenlock
Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock, earlier known as Wenlock, is a small town in central Shropshire, England. It is situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford...
, Oakengates
Oakengates
Oakengates is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, and now forms part of the new town of Telford...
, Wellington Rural District and Shifnal Rural District
Shifnal Rural District
Shifnal was a rural district in Shropshire, England from 1894 to 1974.It was created from the Shifnal rural sanitary district by the Local Government Act 1894...
. Development started, guided by the Dawley New Town Development Corporation, with the first homes on the new Sutton Hill housing estate being occupied in 1967. Initial planning and design concepts for Dawley New Town were produced by the Birmingham-based John Madin Design Group.
The Minister proposed an extension of 12000 acres (48.6 km²) in 1968 (taking in the historic area of Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge
The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
), which saw objections and a public inquiry take place. The Dawley New Town (Designation) Amendment (Telford) Order was made on 29 November 1968, extending the New Town area by 10143 acres (41 km²) of "land lying within the urban districts of Oakengates and Wellington and the rural districts of Shifnal and Wellington". This Order also renamed the new town Telford, after the Scottish-born civil engineer Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
who, in 1787, became Surveyor of Public Works for Shropshire. Other suggested names at the time were Dawelloak and Wrekin Forest City.
Most of the infrastructure was constructed from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s with the major housing and commercial development occurring over three decades up to the early 1990s when the Development Corporation was wound up to be replaced by Commission for the New Towns, later English Partnerships, and most of the property was handed over to the then Wrekin District Council. In 1983, after fierce opposition and three public enquiries, the M54 motorway
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
was completed, connecting the town to the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
and thence the rest of the UK's motorway network. Other major roads are the A5, A518
A518 road
The A518 is a road in the United Kingdom which runs from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire to Telford, Shropshire via Stafford and Newport. Between Uttoxeter and Stafford it is a single carriageway, with a staggered junction with the dual carriageway A51...
and A442
A442 road
The A442 is a main road which passes through the counties of Worcestershire and Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England.-Route:From Droitwich in Worcestershire it runs towards Kidderminster where it meets the A449 from Worcester...
, which is commonly known as the Eastern Primary or EP, and is officially branded Queensway.
Many of the new town's residents were originally from the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
, which includes Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
and Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
. The vast majority of the council house tenants in Telford were rehoused from inner city slums in Birmingham. Some controversy and bad feeling still exists in some communities as a result of what some saw as the influx of those from the city slums. The name "overspill" was often used as a derogatory term for these residents. Some individuals still refuse to put Telford in their address, instead using the original local name (such as Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
or Dawley
Dawley
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford...
).(citation needed-own research?)
In 2007, a £250 million regeneration plan for the town centre was announced, which will include the pedestrianisation of the road surrounding the shopping centre, and the creation of new cafés, bars and shops which will lead to 1,750 new jobs. The reason for this expansion is that the original "centre" was only ever a shopping place with no real heart (See Shropshire Star June 3, 2004). Since the "centre" closed early evening, there was no nightlife at all in the area, the only major local entertainment areas being in Oakengates and Wellington.
Geography
Boxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) north-west
Boxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
of Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. The town comprises 7,803 hectares (30.13 square miles) and its southern and eastern parts, between the Severn Gorge and Donnington Wood
Donnington Wood
Donnington Wood is part of the new town of Telford in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England.Famous former jockey, Sir Gordon Richards was born here. A local pub in nearby Donnington, was named after him, "The Champion Jockey". This was replaced firstly by...
, include the East Shropshire coalfield. North and north-west Telford lie beyond the coalfield's boundary fault on sandstone beds
Bunter (geology)
Bunter beds are sandstone deposits containing rounded pebbles, such as can notably be found in Warwickshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Devon and Dorset in England...
which, along with other Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
formations, prevail over much of the North Shropshire
North Shropshire
North Shropshire was a local government district in Shropshire, England. The district council was based at Edinburgh House, in Wem. Other settlements included the towns of Ellesmere, Market Drayton, Wem and Whitchurch, as well as the large villages of Shawbury and Baschurch...
plain. The town centre stands on a watershed, with land to the south draining towards the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, and to the north the land slopes gently down towards the Weald Moors. The town is dominated by the Wrekin, a large hill of 407 m (1335 ft), located south-west of Wellington, straddling the border with the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England.Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflection of the incorporation into the borough of the former...
.
Governance
- For more information on Parish divisions, see list of civil parishes in Shropshire.
Within the borough of Telford & Wrekin, the town is entirely parished
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
. Telford has no single town council because of this, and the Mayor of the Borough of Telford and Wrekin is also de facto the town's mayor. The town is also divided into Wards, within the Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
borough. These are used for electoral purposes and demographic surveys. Telford was created politically - but its attempts to make a cohesive town from the fusion of other independent, smaller towns: Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
, Madeley
Madeley, Shropshire
Madeley is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, now part of the new town of Telford. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8th century...
, Hadley
Hadley, Shropshire
Hadley is a part of the new town of Telford in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies approximately 5 miles north-west of Telford Town Centre, and is registered under the parish of Hadley and Leegomery...
, Oakengates
Oakengates
Oakengates is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, and now forms part of the new town of Telford...
, Dawley
Dawley
Dawley is a small town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Today it forms part of the new town of Telford...
, Ironbridge
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
and Donnington
Donnington, Shropshire
Donnington is a hamlet in the English county of Shropshire. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington.It lies near to Charlton Hill, which rises to above sea level.- External links :...
have largely been successful. Despite this, the town has much clearer divisions than in other older towns, such as nearby Shrewsbury, which have developed into one consolidated urban area over time. Some small settlements to the south such as a part of Ironbridge and Broseley
Broseley
Broseley is a small town in Shropshire, England with a population of 4,912 . The River Severn flows to the north and east of the town. Broseley has a town council and is part of the area controlled by Shropshire Council. The first iron bridge in the world was built in 1779 to link Broseley with...
, while part of the Telford Urban Area, are administered by Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
.
Telford is the only settlement within the Telford parliamentary constituency
Telford (UK Parliament constituency)
Telford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, although some suburbs, such as Wellington, are located in The Wrekin
The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)
The Wrekin is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, a neighbouring constituency. Telford has been held by Labour since its creation in 1997, and the current MP is David Wright
David Wright (politician)
David Wright is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Telford since 2001. He was an assistant government whip from June 2009 to May 2010.-Early and personal life:...
. The neighbouring Wrekin constituency has varying support between the Conservatives and Labour, due to its mix of rural and urban (Newport
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
) areas. It is currently held by the Conservatives however, under MP Mark Pritchard. Telford is administratively part of the West Midlands region
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
.
Demography
In 1963 Dawley new town was intended to take 50,000 people from the West Midlands conurbationWest Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
and so to grow to a town of 70,000 or more. By 1968 Telford was intended to take an additional 50,000 and grow to a town of 220,000 or more by 1991. By 1983, however, Telford's population was just under 108,000, and it was generally thought that it might not reach 120,000 by the late 1980s.
Telford has a younger than average population, and a higher rate of teenage pregnancy than the national average, as well as relatively high levels of income deprivation with 15% of residents living in low income households. In addition the level of statutorily homeless households in 2004/05 was above average for England. The Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
area is a popular commuter zone, containing some relatively rural areas in the North and West of the borough. These are popular with commuters to the West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
, due to the good transport links provided by the A5/M54
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
.
Telford's population is prodominantly White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, comprising 93.8% of the population. The next largest ethnic group is those of Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
descent, comprising 3.3% of the population, which is again less than the West Midlands at 8.0%, and England at 5.3%. However, the town and borough remains comparatively more ethnically diverse than the ceremonial county, with South Shropshire
South Shropshire
South Shropshire was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district in south west Shropshire, England.South Shropshire was the most rural district of one of the UK's most rural counties, the population of the district was 40,410 in 2001 spread out over 1,027 km² of forest, mountains,...
for example being 97.8% white.
Economy
| Date | Population | No. of Jobs | % of Jobs on Ind. Estates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 74,750 | 35,671 | 1.4 |
| 1969 | 76,200 | 35,710 | 2.4 |
| 1970 | 78,200 | 35,948 | 5.1 |
| 1971 | 80,800 | 36,191 | 7.2 |
| 1972 | 84,200 | 36,743 | 9.3 |
| 1973 | 87,100 | 39,861 | 11.4 |
| 1974 | 89,000 | 40,928 | 13.2 |
| 1975 | 90,000 | 40,986 | 12.3 |
| 1976 | 93,980 | 42,036 | 14.9 |
| 1977 | 97,900 | 43,637 | 15.4 |
| 1978 | 100,300 | 44,681 | 16.8 |
| 1979 | 102,000 | 44,247 | 18.2 |
| 1980 | 104,200 | 42,397 | 18.3 |
| 1981 | 104,200 | 39,414 | 16.8 |
| 1982 | 106,600 | 38,852 | 18.2 |
| 1983 | 107,700 | 39,037 | 19.9 |
During the economic crisis of the late 1960s (with unemployment doubling nationally during the second half of the decade), unemployment in the then-new town was initially high.
However, in 1967 Halesfield Industrial Estate was founded on the south-eastern edge of the town - the first real answer to Telford's unemployment problems. Other large estates followed, in 1973 with Stafford Park just east of the town centre and in 1979 with Hortonwood, to the north, helping ease the unemployment crisis in a decade which saw an almost unbroken rise in unemployment.
In total, half a million square metres of factory space were provided between 1968 and 1983, making Telford an attractive investment area.
By 1976, Telford had begun to recruit industry from the U.S.A., Europe, and Japan. The foreign firms required larger factories, and they began to be built at Stafford Park. By 1983 over 2,000 jobs in Telford were provided by around 40 (mostly American) foreign companies. In contrast to industry in the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
at the time, these new companies focused on high-technology industries rather than the heavy and metal-finishing industries.
The new arrivals included the American company Unimation and three firms from Japan: Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
U.K. Ltd., which opened a warehouse at Halesfield in 1983; video tape manufacturers Hitachi Maxell at Apley Castle in 1983; and office equipment manufacturers Ricoh
Ricoh
or Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established in 1936 on February 6th, as , a company in the RIKEN zaibatsu. Its headquarters is located in Ricoh Building in Chūō, Tokyo....
, who took a 22 acres (89,030.9 m²) site for a factory at Priorslee next to the M54
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
, and formed the first in Telford's new enterprise zone.
Consequently, from the later 1970s, Telford began to attract high-technology firms and to diversify its industry, and the promotion of the Service industry also began to prosper, in the Telford Town Centre area. However, a deepening national recession meant that, despite the creation of new jobs, there were net job losses from 1979. Unemployment grew from 3.4 per cent in 1969 to over 8 per cent in 1972 and 22.3 per cent in 1983; long-term unemployment rose even faster. Nevertheless the rate of increase in unemployment was slowing down by 1983 and was making some progress against national and regional trends.
Unemployment in Telford was still around the 20% mark - nearly double the national average at the time - as late as 1986. The Lawson Boom
Lawson Boom
"Lawson Boom" is a term used to describe the macroeconomic conditions prevailing in the United Kingdom at the end of the 1980s, which were indelibly associated with the policies of Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson....
of the next three years saw that figure fall dramatically by the end of the decade
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, only for it to rise to a similarly high figure again by 1992 as a result of the early 1990s recession.
Telford has attracted several large IT services companies, including EDS
Electronic Data Systems
HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...
who support the MOD contract from the Euston Park site, as well as a vast array of clients across the world from the Plaza building. Also Capgemini
Capgemini
Capgemini is a French global IT services company, one of the world's largest management consulting, outsourcing and professional services companies with a staff of 114,274 operating in 40 countries. It is headquartered in Paris and was founded in 1967 by Serge Kampf, the current chairman, in...
and Fujitsu
Fujitsu
is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....
employ a significant number of staff in the area, mainly supporting their governmental client, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The expansion in these job sectors provided a great asset to Telford's economic recovery after 1992. By August 2007, the success story of Telford's economy had seen unemployment shrink to 3.3% - a fraction of its peak 15 years earlier.
However, the subsequent recession
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
meant that unemployment in the area had risen to 5% by February 2011.
The Shropshire Star
Shropshire Star
The Shropshire Star is a regional newspaper covering the whole of Shropshire, plus parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, the Llangollen area and northern Powys in the United Kingdom.-About:The editor is Keith Harrison....
evening newspaper is based at Ketley, Telford.
In recent times there have been significant job losses, with the movement of 500 Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) jobs at the MoD base at Sapphire House, Telford, to Bristol. The closure of the local sugar beet factory at Allscott in 2007 is another recent example.
Landmarks
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
. It is home to the administrative headquarters of Telford & Wrekin council, the large Telford Shopping Centre (and the accompanying Town Park
Telford Town Park
- Parks for People :The Parks for People funding programme is a joint initiative between the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund,offering grants for projects that regenerate public parks of national, regional or local heritage value. Telford & Wrekin Council were recently advised of their...
), various office blocks, such as the blue office towers (Telford Plaza), and the Windsor Life building. The Forge retail park and a large Odeon Cinema
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
are also located in the area, as well as Thomas Telford School
Thomas Telford School
Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford, Shropshire, England. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any comprehensive school in England in 2008 and 2009.-Background:...
, which is within walking distance. Telford also houses one of the Midland's only ice skating rinks near the newly built Telford International Centre (TIC). The TIC comprises a number of hall and event spaces. It holds parties, conferences, concerts and is the current home of the UK Snooker Championship in December.
A major Shropshire landmark, also now part of Telford, is The Iron Bridge
The Iron Bridge
The Iron Bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, by the village of Ironbridge, in Shropshire, England. It was the first arch bridge in the world to be made out of cast iron, a material which was previously far too expensive to use for large structures...
, located in Ironbridge
Ironbridge
Ironbridge is a settlement on the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, in Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of The Gorge, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin...
. It was the first bridge of its size in the world made out of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
. In the same area is the Ironbridge Gorge
Ironbridge Gorge
The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there...
, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most important landmark in the area is The Wrekin
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 and Telford and Wrekin. Rising to a height of above the Shropshire Plain, it is a prominent and well-known landmark, marking the entrance to Shropshire...
. There is also the Lilleshall Monument erected to the Duke of Sutherland
George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland KG, PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as The Marquess of Stafford from 1803 to 1833, was a British politician, diplomat, landowner and patron of the arts. He is estimated to have been the...
, which has recently been restored.
Education
Telford has a number of primary and secondary schools. Of particular notability is Thomas Telford SchoolThomas Telford School
Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford, Shropshire, England. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any comprehensive school in England in 2008 and 2009.-Background:...
, a City Technology College
City Technology College
In England, a City Technology College is a state-funded all-ability secondary school that charges no fees but is independent of local authority control, being overseen directly by the Department for Education....
(CTC), which claims to have a 100% pass rate at GCSE level, with all students achieving at least 4 GCSEs grades A*-C, placing it at number one in the entire country for Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
attainment. It was students of this school who were chosen to construct Airfix
Airfix
Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. In Britain, the name Airfix is synonymous with the hobby, a plastic model of this type is often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even if made by another manufacturer....
models of planes and tanks, and to assist Top Gear co host James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
construct a life size model of a World War Two Spitfire on the first episode of the series James May's Toy Stories
James May's Toy Stories
James May's Toy Stories is a television series presented by James May. The series was commissioned for BBC Two from Plum Pictures. The first episode, "Airfix", was shown on BBC Two at 8:00 pm on Tuesday 27 October 2009....
. Abraham Darby Academy (Performing Arts, Business and Enterprise), formerly known as Abraham Darby Specialist School For The Performing Arts, provides specialist performing arts education and is home to one of the UK's best school concert bands which has performed at prestigious venues such as Birmingham Symphony Hall, Royal Festival Hall London, Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and also Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Further education is handled by Telford College of Arts and Technology
Telford College of Arts and Technology
Telford College of Arts and Technology is a further education college in Telford, Shropshire, England. It operates from one main site and many in-company training sites and community-based courses spread out across Shropshire and the whole of the United Kingdom...
(TCAT) and Telford New College
New College, Telford
New College Telford is a sixth form college situated in Wellington, an area within Telford, Shropshire, England. The college caters for 16 - 19 years olds, but also offers part time courses to the rest of the community, principally adults...
, a sixth-form college located in Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
. There are three other sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
s located in the Blessed Robert Johnson Catholic School (The Oscar Romero sixth form centre), Abraham Darby Academy and Thomas Telford School
Thomas Telford School
Thomas Telford School is a City Technology College in Telford, Shropshire, England. Often referred to as 'TTS', it achieved the highest GCSE pass rate of any comprehensive school in England in 2008 and 2009.-Background:...
.
8 miles (12.9 km) to the north are Adams' Grammar School
Adams' Grammar School
Adams' Grammar School is a selective state grammar school in Newport, Shropshire, rated by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills as a Grade 1 outstanding school , the latest OFSTED report concludes "this is a truly impressive school"...
and Newport Girls High School
Newport Girls High School
Newport High School is an all girls school in Newport, Shropshire, England. The school was opened in the 1920s. The school is selective and is an all girls intake. In 2003, the school started to take in a double intake of around 56 students a year and reached its full capacity in the 2007-2008...
selective schools located in nearby Newport
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
.
Telford is also home to The University of Wolverhampton
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford...
Business School (UWBS) campus and the School of the Built Environment. Harper Adams University College
Harper Adams University College
Harper Adams University College is a higher education institution located close to the village of Edgmond , in Shropshire, England. It is the UK's leading specialist provider of higher education for the agri-food chain and rural sector....
, a famous college for land-based education is located near the town of Newport.
Madeley Academy is a sport college and a building that was built and opened in September 2009.
Transport
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
, a spur of the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
linking the town with Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, and on the A5 road between Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
. The town also has three railway stations: Wellington
Wellington (Shropshire) railway station
Wellington railway station serves the town of Wellington, Shropshire, England. It is situated on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton Line. Trains are operated by London Midland and Arriva Trains Wales.-History:...
, Oakengates
Oakengates railway station
Oakengates railway station serves the town of Oakengates, part of the new town of Telford, England. It lies on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton Line and has two platforms...
and Telford Central
Telford Central railway station
Telford Central railway station serves the new town of Telford, England. It is situated close to the town centre, the main commercial district of the town...
, which are on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton Line. In addition, there are two further stations isolated from the national network, Spring Village and Horsehay & Dawley, at Telford Steam Railway
Telford Steam Railway
The Telford Steam Railway is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.The railway is operated by volunteers on Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter to the end of September, and at Christmas...
, situated at Horsehay
Horsehay
Horsehay is a village on the western outskirts of Dawley, which, along with several other towns and villages, now forms part of the new town of Telford in Shropshire, England. Horsehay lies in the Dawley Hamlets parish, and on the northern edge of the Ironbridge Gorge area.Its name is Anglo Saxon...
. A new direct train service to London was launched by Wrexham & Shropshire in 2008. The venture however proved unprofitable and ceased to operate on Friday 28 January 2011, leaving Shropshire as the only English county without a direct train link to London.
Telford's rapidly growing population still has a relatively low car ownership. In 2004 Telford & Wrekin council was awarded 'Beacon Status' for improving access to public transport. Being a new town with a planned transport infrastructure, the town features relatively few traffic problems, in comparison to the urban areas of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
or medieval streets of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. The M54 reduces through-traffic on local roads, and the A442 Queensway acts as a north-south artery road.
Notable people
The band, The Sunshine UndergroundThe Sunshine Underground
The Sunshine Underground are an English, Leeds based indie rock band. The Sunshine Underground play a variety of punk, funk and indie, featured on their debut album, Raise the Alarm, released by City Rockers on August 28, 2006...
, are originally from Telford and Shrewsbury, and formed while studying at New College Telford while the former bass player; Thomas Darby, still lives there. After New College, the band moved to Woodhouse in Leeds where the band started to develop its sound further. The Band T'Pau are also from Telford (Wellington) and Shrewsbury with some of the band member(s) now formed a group called Dawson. Former WBC super middleweight champion boxer Richie Woodhall
Richie Woodhall
Richie Woodhall is a former English World Champion super-middleweight boxer. He lost his last fight to his friend Joe Calzaghe in 2000, and subsequently retired in 2002....
, grew up in Woodside, Telford
Woodside, Telford
Woodside is a residential area of Telford, Shropshire, England.In 1963, Dawley New Town was designated in the area surrounding towns and villages such as Ironbridge, Dawley and Wellington, to ease the housing problem in the West Midlands conurbation some 20 miles away...
.
The former 2 time BDO world champion darts player Ted Hankey
Ted Hankey
Edward "Ted" Hankey is an English darts player who is a two-time BDO World Professional Darts Champion. His nickname is The Count and his walk on music is Be On Your Way by DJ Zany. Hankey built up a large following due to his obsession with and resemblance to Dracula...
(The Count) lives in the Aqueduct area of Telford.
Mark Hadley founder and owner of woodenart resides in Telford. Dave Wright lives and works in Telford.
Sport
Telford is home to a variety of established amateur, semi-pro and professional sports clubs.AFC Telford United Football Club are currently playing in Blue Square Premier League after a successful play-off campaign in 2011, and their current manager is Andy Sinton
Andy Sinton
Andrew "Andy" Sinton born 19 March 1966 in Cramlington, Northumberland, is an English former professional footballer and current manager of A.F.C. Telford United...
, who as a player was capped by England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and played for clubs including Queen's Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
AFC Telford's achievements include Best Shropshire Senior Cup Performance: Final - 3 Times, and Promotion to Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
in 2007, after beating Witton Albion in the play-offs 3-1. Also, they won the Setanta Shield Trophy by beating Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
on penalties in 2009. They were formed in 2004 on the bankruptcy of the previous Telford United
Telford United F.C.
Telford United F.C. was an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire.The club existed under various names for a total of 132 years from its formation in 1872. The club was founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979 and played at this level for 25 years before being wound up in...
club, who had competed in the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
- the highest level of football outside the professional league - for 25 years since its inception in 1979 as the Alliance Premier League. AFC Telford have now regained a place in the top flight of non-league football.
Ice hockey in the town is represented by 2 teams. One is the Telford Tigers, an English Premier League (EPL or EPIHL) ice hockey team originally formed in 1985. The other are the Telford Titans
Telford Titans
For the Telford English Premier Ice Hockey League team see Telford TigersThe Telford Titans are an English National League ice hockey team that formed in 2007...
, an ENL
English National Ice Hockey League
The English National Ice Hockey League is an amateur ice hockey league below the English Premier Ice Hockey League which is administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is split into two conferences, north and south...
Team, which represents development hockey feeding from the excellent youth development and were last year crowned league champions.
There have been many American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
teams in the town, although presently Shropshire Revolution
Shropshire Revolution
The Shropshire Revolution are a British American football team based in Telford, Shropshire, in the Midlands, England.The Team are currently members of the British American Football Association Community League....
a British American Football League
British American Football League
The British American Football League was the United Kingdom's primary American Football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee....
, founded in 2006, is the only club in the town and the county of Shropshire. Previous clubs include Wrekin Giants
Wrekin Giants
The Wrekin Giants, later the Shropshire Giants, and, subsequently, the Cannock Chase Giants were an American football team based in Telford, Shropshire, in England, in the United Kingdom...
(1985–1989), Shropshire Giants (1989), and Cannock Chase Giants (1989-1993/4).
Telford Raiders
Telford Raiders
Telford Raiders ARLFC are a rugby league club based in the town of Telford in Shropshire, England. Their first team plays in the Midlands Regional division of the Rugby League Conference and they have a development team in the Midlands Rugby League as well as an active junior development...
are the town's Rugby League club, although there have been other Rugby League Clubs in Telford historically, such as the Telford All Blacks and Shropshire Scorpions. Telford Hornets represent the town at Rugby Union.
Telford also hosted the UK Snooker Championship
UK Snooker Championship
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...
, from 2007 to 2010. The championship moved from York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in 2007 but will return to the re-furbished Barbican Centre in York for 2011.
The Shropshire Golf Centre is located near Muxton
Muxton
Muxton is an ancient village between Lilleshall and Donnington in Shropshire, England. It now forms part of the new town of Telford, though it is on the town's very northern outskirts.Population was 4,245 as of December 2002....
, to the northeast of Telford. This has three nine hole courses, a 13 hole par three academy course and driving range. Other courses include the Municipal course at Horsehay, The Wrekin Golf Club and Telford Golf and Country Club.
There are also several local cricket clubs, many of whom compete in local leagues and some in the Birmingham league. The largest of these is Wellington where many Shropshire County matches are also played but St Georges, Madeley
Madeley, Shropshire
Madeley is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, now part of the new town of Telford. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8th century...
and Lilleshall
Lilleshall
Lilleshall is a village in Shropshire, England.It lies between the towns of Telford and Newport, on the A518, in the Telford and Wrekin borough and the Wrekin constituency....
also run cricket clubs in or on the outskirts of the town.
Closest cities, towns and villages
External links
{http://www.bmka.co.uk.Telford kickboxing & karate,Hadley learning centre, Hadley.TF1 5NU}