View source for Shropshire

{{Short description|County in England}}
{{About|the county|the unitary authority|Shropshire (district)|other uses|Shropshire (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Salopia|the beverage|Saloop}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox English county
| official_name = Shropshire
| image_main = {{multiple images
|border=infobox
|perrow=1 2
|total_width=270px
| image1 = The Shropshire Hills - geograph.org.uk - 6083545.jpg
| image2 = Shrewsbury Market Hall and clock tower - geograph.org.uk - 3711724.jpg
| image3 = The Iron Bridge, Side Angled View.jpg
                              }}
| image_caption = The Townbrook Valley from the [[Long Mynd]]; the clock tower of [[Shrewsbury Market Hall]]; and [[the Iron Bridge]], [[Ironbridge]]
| locator_map = Shropshire UK locator map 2010.svg
| map_caption = Shropshire within England
| coordinates = {{Coord|52|37|N|2|43|W|region:GB-SHR_type:adm1st|display=title, inline}}
| region = [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]]
| established_date = [[Historic counties of England|Ancient]]
| lord_lieutenant_office = Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire
| lord_lieutenant_name = Anna Turner JP<ref>{{cite web |title=Shropshire Lieutenancy {{!}} Shropshire Council |url=https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/legal-and-democratic-services/shropshire-lieutenancy/ |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=20 April 2020}}</ref>
| high_sheriff_office = High Sheriff of Shropshire
| high_sheriff_name = Jane Trowbridge JP
| area_total_km2 = 3490
| area_total_rank = 13th
| ethnicity = <small>Figures for [[Shropshire (district)|Shropshire UA]]:</small><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2011/may/19/ethnic-breakdown-england-wales|work = The Guardian|date = 19 May 2011|title = Ethnic breakdown of England and Wales mapped|last = Rogers|first = Simon}}</ref><br>93.8% White, British<br>1.9% White, other<br>1.5% S. Asian<br>0.9% Mixed<br>0.6% White, Irish<br>0.6% Black
| districts_map = [[File:Shropshire numbered districts.svg|200px]]
| districts_key = {{Colorsample|#FEFE77}} Unitary
| districts_list = # [[Shropshire (district)|Shropshire]]
# {{nowrap|[[Telford and Wrekin]]}}
| MPs = [[Parliamentary constituencies in Shropshire|List of MPs]]
| police = [[West Mercia Police]]
| unitary_council1 = [[Shropshire Council]]
| unitary_council2 = [[Telford and Wrekin Council]]
| iso_code = GB-SHR
}}

'''Shropshire''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|r|ɒ|p|ʃ|ər|,_|-|ʃ|ɪər}}; abbreviated '''Salop'''<ref name=":1">Also used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The [[demonym]] for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.{{unbulleted list citebundle|{{cite web |title=Salopian definition and meaning |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/salopian |access-date=20 June 2023 |publisher=Collins Dictionary}}|{{cite web |title=Salop definition and meaning |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/salop |access-date=8 April 2018 |publisher=Collins Dictionary}}}}</ref>) is a [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] in the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] of England, on the [[England–Wales border|border with Wales]]. It is bordered by [[Cheshire]] to the north-east, [[Staffordshire]] to the east, [[Worcestershire]] to the south-east, [[Herefordshire]] to the south, and the Welsh principal areas of [[Powys]] and [[Wrexham County Borough|Wrexham]] to the west and north-west respectively. The largest settlement is [[Telford]], while [[Shrewsbury]] is the [[county town]].

The county has an area of {{Convert|3487|km2|sqmi|abbr=in}} and a population of 498,073. Telford in the east and Shrewsbury in the centre are the largest towns. Shropshire is otherwise rural, and contains [[market town]]s such as [[Oswestry]] in the north-west, [[Market Drayton]] in the north-east, [[Bridgnorth]] in the south-east, and [[Ludlow]] in the south. For [[Local government in England|local government]] purposes the county comprises the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] areas of [[Shropshire (district)|Shropshire]] and [[Telford and Wrekin]]. The county [[Historic counties of England|historically]] had a [[Shropshire (Detached)|large exclave]] around [[Halesowen]] and [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]], which are now in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] county.

The south-west and far west of the county are upland. The [[Shropshire Hills]] occupy most of the south-west and include the [[Stiperstones]], [[Clee Hills]], [[Long Mynd]] plateau, and the [[Wenlock Edge]] escarpment. Together with [[the Wrekin]], which stands isolated to the west of Telford, they have been designated a [[National Landscape|national landscape]].<ref>[http://www.shropshirehillsaonb.co.uk/ Shropshire Hills AONB]. Shropshire Hills AONB. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.shropshirerocks.org/shropshiregeologicaltrail/wenlockedge/ shropshirerocks.org: Wenlock Edge] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119150456/http://www.shropshirerocks.org/shropshiregeologicaltrail/wenlockedge/ |date=19 November 2008}}</ref> To their west is the upland [[Clun Forest]], and in the far north-west of the county are the [[Oswestry Uplands|Oswestry uplands]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Clun and North West Herefordshire Hills |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/clun-and-north-west-herefordshire-hills/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oswestry Uplands |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/oswestry-uplands/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The north of the county is a plain,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/shropshire-cheshire-and-staffordshire-plain/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and the far north contains [[Whixall Moss]], part of a [[National nature reserve (United Kingdom)|national nature reserve]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fenn's, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve (leaflet) |url=https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/30029 |access-date=4 September 2023 |website=Natural England}}</ref> The south-east is a [[Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau|sandstone plateau]] which forms part of the catchment of the [[River Severn|Severn]], the county's major river;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau |url=https://nationalcharacterareas.co.uk/mid-severn-sandstone-plateau/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[Natural England]] |language=en-US}}</ref> it enters Shropshire in the west and flows through Shrewsbury before turning south-east and exiting into Worcestershire south of Bridgnorth.

There is evidence of [[Neolithic British Isles|Neolithic]] and [[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]] human occupation in Shropshire, including the [[Shropshire bulla]] pendant. The [[hillfort]] at [[Old Oswestry]] dates from the [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]], and the remains of the city of [[Viroconium Cornoviorum]] date from the [[Roman Britain|Roman]] period.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Old Oswestry Hillfort |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/old-oswestry-hillfort/history/ |access-date=4 September 2023 |website=English Heritage}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Wroxeter Roman City |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wroxeter-roman-city/history/ |access-date=4 September 2023 |website=English Heritage}}</ref> During the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] era the area was part of [[Mercia]]. During the [[High Middle Ages]] the county was part of the [[Welsh Marches]], the border region between Wales and England; from 1472 to 1689 Ludlow was the seat of the [[Council of Wales and the Marches]], which administered justice in Wales and Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 November 2012 |title=The Council of Wales and the Marches |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fwales%2Fentries%2Fc63da957-f067-3e3a-bbcc-1d91dd3166d4 |access-date=4 September 2023 |agency=BBC |language=en}}</ref> During the [[English Civil War]] Shropshire was [[Cavalier|Royalist]], and [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] fled through the county—famously hiding in an [[Royal Oak|oak tree]]—after his final defeat at the [[Battle of Worcester]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boscobel House: Charles II and the Royal Oak |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/boscobel-house-and-the-royal-oak/history/charles-ii-and-the-royal-oak/ |access-date=4 September 2023 |website=English Heritage}}</ref> The area around [[Coalbrookdale]] is regarded as one of the birthplaces of the [[Industrial Revolution]] and has been designated a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>Trinder, ''A History of Shropshire'' (1980) p.77.</ref><ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/371 Ironbridge Page on UNESCO World Heritage website]. UNESCO (6 March 2007). Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Shropshire}}

=== Prehistory and antiquity ===
Evidence of [[Neolithic]] occupation of a religious form dating back before 2,000 BC, was discovered in 2017 in the grounds of a church, the medieval Church of the Holy Fathers in [[Sutton Farm|Sutton]], Shrewsbury, making it Britain's oldest place of worship.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 May 2017 |title=Shropshire church found to be UK's oldest sacred site still in use |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/18/shropshire-church-found-uks-oldest-sacred-site/ |publisher=The Telegraph}}</ref>

[[File:Shropshire Sun Pendant.jpg|thumb|The [[Shropshire bulla]] or sun pendant]]

The [[Shropshire bulla]] ("bulla" is Medieval Latin for "a round seal", Classical Latin for "bubble, blob", plural bullae), also known as the Shropshire sun pendant, is a Late Bronze Age gold pendant found by a metal detectorist in 2018 in Shropshire.<ref name="Portable Antiq Scheme">{{cite web |title=BULLA |url=https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/902916 |accessdate=19 January 2020 |website=Portable Antiquities Scheme |archive-date=22 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122183220/https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/902916 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At [[Mitchell's Fold|Mitchel's Fold]] there is a Bronze Age stone circle set in dramatic moorland on [[Stapeley Hill]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mitchell's Fold Stone Circle |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/mitchells-fold-stone-circle/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=English Heritage}}</ref>

[[File:Mitchell's Fold 1.jpg|thumb|[[Mitchell's Fold]] prehistoric stone circle]]
[[File:Hilfort d'Oswestry. Vue sur l'entrée de la colline fortifiée.jpg|thumb|[[Old Oswestry]] Hillfort (aerial image)]]

The area was once part of the lands of the [[Cornovii (Midlands)|Cornovii]], which consisted of the modern day counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, north Staffordshire, north Herefordshire, and eastern parts of Powys. This was a tribal [[celtic people|Celtic]] [[Iron Age]] kingdom. Their capital in pre-[[Roman Empire|Roman]] times was probably a [[hill fort]] on [[the Wrekin]]. There is an important Iron Age Hill fort at [[Old Oswestry]] earthworks, this has been linked to where [[King Arthur|King Arthur’s]] [[Guinevere]] was born and called "the [[Stonehenge]] of the Iron Age."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stummer |first=Robin |date=27 June 2015 |title=Hill fort said to be where King Arthur's Guinevere was born has lasted 3,000 years: now it's under siege |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/27/old-oswestry-hill-fort-housing-development |access-date=23 July 2023 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

[[File:Ruins of Viroconium bath house, Wroxeter - geograph.org.uk - 4039967.jpg|thumb|Ruins of [[Viroconium]] bath house, (location now known as Wroxeter). This was once the 4th largest city in Roman Britain.]]

According to tradition, [[Caratacus|Caracticus]] made his last stand against the Romans in Shropshire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roman Military Campaigns - Caratacus ap Cunobelin Catuvellaunum |url=https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/the-roman-conquest-of-britain/roman-military-campaigns-caratacus-ap-cunobelin-catuvellaunum/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=Roman Britain |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Ptolemy]]'s 2nd century ''Geography'' names one of their towns as being [[Viroconium Cornoviorum]] ([[Wroxeter]]), which became their capital under [[Roman Britain|Roman rule]] and one of the largest settlements in Britain.
{{Further|Hollandophyton|label1=Hollandophyton, the extinct plants}}

=== Middle Ages ===

==== Early period ====
After the Roman occupation of Britain ended in the 5th century, the Shropshire area was in the eastern part of the Welsh [[Kingdom of Powys]]; known in Welsh poetry as the ''Paradise of Powys''.

As 'Caer Guricon' it is a possible Shrewsbury was the site of the seat of the [[Kingdom of Powys]] in the Early Middle Ages. This would date establishment of the town to the 500s CE under [[Brochwel Ysgithrog]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wroxeter Hinterland Project |url=http://www.arch-ant.bham.ac.uk/bufau/research/wh/Lever/background.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925014012/http://www.arch-ant.bham.ac.uk/bufau/research/wh/Lever/background.html |archive-date=25 September 2006 |access-date=23 February 2008 |publisher=University of Birmingham }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Simon |title=Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles |date=2008 |publisher=Allen Lane |location=London |page=245}}</ref> It is believed the area of Shrewsbury was settled in the 5th century by refugees from the nearby Roman City of [[Viroconium Cornoviorum]], most physical evidence dates from the 7th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ruins of the Roman City of Uriconium, at Wroxeter, near Shrewsbury, by Thomas Wright |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/62425/62425-h/62425-h.htm |access-date=20 April 2023 |website=www.gutenberg.org}}</ref>

Oswestry saw conflict in the early mediaeval period and is reputed to be the place of death of [[Oswald of Northumbria]] in 641 or 642 CE. Oswald was later regarded as a saint, with [[Bede]] saying that the spot where he died came to be associated with [[miracle]]s, and people took dirt from the site, which led to a hole being dug as deep as a man's height.<ref name="Bede nine">Bede, ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum|Historia Ecclesiastica]]'', [[wikisource:Ecclesiastical History of the English People/Book 3#9|Book III, chapter 9]].</ref>

[[King Offa]] of [[Mercia]] annexed the entirety of Shropshire over the course of the 8th century from Powys, with Shrewsbury captured in 778, with [[Offa's Dyke|two dykes]] built to defend, or at least demarcate it from the Welsh.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shipley |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YZOSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT18 |title=Secret Shrewsbury |publisher=Amberley Publishing |year=2019 |isbn=978-1445678450}}</ref> King Offa converted the palace of the rulers of Powys into his first church, dedicated to [[Chad of Mercia|St Chad]] (a foundation that still survives in the town and operated on that initial site for over 1000 years, moving in 1792).<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Leighton |first=W. A. (William Allport) |date=1850 |title=A guide, descriptive and historical, through the Town of Shrewsbury |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62688/pg62688-images.html.utf8 |access-date=8 July 2023 |language=en}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

[[File:Offa's Dyke near Clun.jpg|thumb|Section of [[Offa's Dyke]] near the Shropshire town of [[Clun]], constructed after the Saxon annexation of the area in the 8th century AD]]

In later centuries, [[Viking]]s repeatedly invaded and fortresses were built at [[Bridgnorth]] (912) and [[Chirbury]] (913).<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Shropshire#History|display=Shropshire § History|volume=24|page=1021}}</ref>

[[File:Æthelflæd_as_depicted_in_the_cartulary_of_Abingdon_Abbey.png|thumb|The relics of [[Alkmund of Derby|St Alkmund]] were brought to [[Shrewsbury]] in the C10th, possibly by [[Æthelflæd]], lady of the Mercians, daughter of [[Alfred the Great]].]]

In 914,<ref>{{Cite ODNB|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/8907|title=Æthelflæd [Ethelfleda](d. 918)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author-link=Frank Stenton|last=Stenton|first= Frank|year=1971|title=Anglo-Saxon England|publisher= Oxford University Press|place=Oxford, UK|edition=3rd|isbn=978-0-19-280139-5 |pages=325–327}}</ref>{{efn|Tim Clarkson's biography has a detailed discussion of Æthelflæd' burhs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clarkson |first=Tim |title= Æthelflæd: The Lady of the Mercians|publisher=John Donald |location =Edinburgh, UK |year=2018|isbn=978-1-910900-16-1}}</ref>}} [[Æthelflæd]], Lady of the Mercians, fortified Shrewsbury, along with two other fortresses, at ''Scergeat'' (a currently unknown location) and ''Weardbyrig'',{{efn|thought to be [[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]],<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Matthew Blake and Andrew Sargent |title='For the Protection of all the People': Æthelflæd and her Burhs in Northwest Mercia |publisher=Keele University |year=2018}}</ref> which would make sense given the strategic importance of the Roman Road link via the [[Via Devana]].}} Viking rides from the north traveling south were reaching [[Bridgnorth]] at this time (910CE).<ref name=":2" /> In the early tenth century, the relics of [[Alkmund of Derby|St Alkmund]] were translated to Whitchurch, this was also probably the work of Æthelflæd.<ref>{{cite book |last=Meijns |first=Brigitte |title=England and the Continent in the Tenth Century |publisher=Brepols |year=2010 |isbn=9782503532080 |editor1-last=Rollason |editor1-first=David |location=Turnhout, Belgium |page=476 |chapter=The Policy on Relic Translations of Baldwin II of Flanders (879–918), Edward of Wessex (899–924), and Æthelflæd of Mercia (d.924): A Key to Anglo-Flemish Relations |author-link=Brigitte Meijns |editor2-last=Leyser |editor2-first=Conrad |editor3-last=Williams |editor3-first=Hannah}}</ref>

There is evidence to show that by the beginning of the 900s, Shrewsbury was home to a [[Mint (coin)|mint]].<ref name="localhistories.org">{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=Tim |title=Saxon and Medieval Shrewsbury |url=http://www.localhistories.org/shrewsbury.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315203401/http://www.localhistories.org/shrewsbury.html |archive-date=15 March 2012 |website=A Short History of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England |publisher=A World History Encyclopaedia }}</ref>

Archaeological excavations at the site of Shrewsbury castle in 2019 have indicated that the castle itself may have been a fortified site in the time of the Saxons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 November 2019 |title=Anglo-Saxon pottery identified from Shrewsbury Castle dig |url=https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2019/11/anglo-saxon-pottery/ |access-date=20 July 2023 |website=Shropshire Council Newsroom |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==== High medieval period ====
After the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest]] in 1066, major estates in Shropshire were granted to Normans, including [[Roger de Montgomerie]] and later his son [[Robert de Bellême]], who ordered significant constructions, particularly in Shrewsbury, the town of which he was [[Earl of Shrewsbury|Earl]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roger-de-Montgomery-1st-earl-of-Shrewsbury|title=Roger de Montgomery, 1st earl of Shrewsbury - Norman noble|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=14 December 2018}}</ref>

Many defensive castles were built at this time across the county to defend against the Welsh and enable effective control of the region, including [[Ludlow Castle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~jphb/shropshire/Ludlow_Castle.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114174452/http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~jphb/shropshire/Ludlow_Castle.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 November 2007|title=Ludlow Castle|date=14 November 2007|access-date=14 December 2018}}</ref> and [[Shrewsbury Castle]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20120909122105/http://www.shrewsburymuseums.com/castle Shrewsbury Museums Service – Shrewsbury Castle & The Shropshire Regimental Museum]. Shrewsburymuseums.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

The western frontier with Wales was not finally determined until the 14th century. Also in this period, a number of religious foundations were formed, the county largely falling at this time under the [[Diocese of Hereford]] and that of [[Diocese of Coventry and Lichfield|Coventry and Lichfield]]. Some parishes in the north-west of the county in later times fell under the [[Diocese of St. Asaph]] until the [[Disestablishmentarianism|disestablishment]] of the [[Church in Wales]] in 1920, when they were ceded to the Lichfield diocese.<ref name="Trinder">{{cite book|last=Trinder|first=Barrie|title=A History of Shropshire|year=1983|publisher=Phillimore|page=46}}</ref>

The county was a central part of the [[Welsh Marches]] during the medieval period and was often embroiled in the power struggles between powerful [[Marcher Lords]], the [[Earls of March]] and successive monarchs.<ref>[http://www.secretshropshire.org.uk/Content/Learn/Castles/MWar.asp Secret Shropshire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928195704/http://www.secretshropshire.org.uk/Content/Learn/Castles/MWar.asp |date=28 September 2011 }}. Secret Shropshire. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

=== Modern history ===
[[File:Ludlow Castle from Whitcliffe, 2011.jpg|thumb| [[Ludlow Castle]]: one of the seats of the Council of the Marches, and a long-term focus of the court around successive Princes of Wales]]

From 1457, [[Henry VI of England|King Henry VI]] created for his son, [[Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales|Prince Edward]], a Council to rule Wales and the Marches, [[Cheshire]], and [[Duchy of Cornwall|Cornwall]], which became the Council of the Marches.<ref name="griffiths">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Wales and the Marches in the Fifteenth Century |encyclopedia=Fifteenth Century England, 1399–1509: Studies in Politics and Society |publisher=Sutton Publishing |location=Bristol |last=Griffiths |first=Ralph |date=1972 |author-link=Ralph A. Griffiths |editor1-last=Chrimes |editor1-first=Stanley |pages=145–72 |editor1-link=S B Chrimes |editor2-last=Ross |editor2-first=Charles |editor2-link=Charles Ross (historian) |editor3-last=Griffiths |editor3-first=Ralph |editor3-link=Ralph A. Griffiths}}</ref> Shropshire was governed via this council for several centuries.

According to historian [[John Davies (historian)|John Davies]], at its peak under Sir [[Henry Sidney]] and for a period thereafter the Council:

<blockquote>represented a remarkable experiment in regional government. It administered the law cheaply and rapidly; it dealt with up to twenty cases a day and [[George Owen of Henllys|George Owen]] stated that the 'oppressed poor' flocked to it.<ref name="davies">John Davies, ''A History of Wales'', Penguin, 1993, {{ISBN|0-14-028475-3}}</ref></blockquote>

==== Civil War ====
{{main|Shropshire in the English Civil War}}
During the [[English Civil War]], Shropshire was a [[Cavalier|Royalist]] stronghold, under the command of Sir [[Francis Ottley]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=20940|title=Ottley, Sir Francis|first=Wright|last=Stephen}}</ref> In the autumn of 1642, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] had a temporary capital at Shrewsbury, though he immediately moved to Oxford after the events of the Battle of [[Wem]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]] established his headquarters in the town on 18 February 1644, being welcomed by Shrewsbury's aldermen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=JONES, Thomas I (1614-92), of Shrewsbury, Salop and Cerreghwfa, Mont. &#124; History of Parliament Online |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/jones-thomas-i-1614-92 |website=www.historyofparliamentonline.org |access-date=23 July 2023 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415191158/http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/jones-thomas-i-1614-92 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A stroll into the history of Shrewsbury |url=https://www.shropshireandbeyond.com/blog/a-stroll-into-the-history-of-shrewsbury |access-date=20 April 2023 |website=Shropshire and Beyond |language=en-GB}}</ref>

[[File:Shrewsbury Flaxmill-Maltings east side December 2018.jpg|thumb|The Flaxmill-Maltings, under restoration]]

===Victorian era===
[[Much Wenlock]] was the birthplace of the [[Modern Olympic Games|modern Olympic]] movement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Much Wenlock and the Wenlock Olympian Games |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Much-Wenlock/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=Historic UK |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Culture and cultural references ==
=== Literature and legends ===
In the High Medieval period the Shropshire area influenced important poetry: the poet [[William Langland]], writer of [[Piers Plowman]], was born in [[Cleobury Mortimer]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Langland |first=William |editor-first1=Charles W. |editor-first2=Edward T. |editor-last1=Dunn |editor-last2=Byrnes |chapter=Piers Plowman: (1372–79, Southwestern) |date=1990 |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315799209-35/piers-plowman-william-langland |title=Middle English Literature |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781315799209 |isbn=978-1-315-79920-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kaske |first=R. E. |date=1968 |title=Piers Plowman and Local Iconography |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/750639 |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=31 |pages=159–169 |doi=10.2307/750639 |jstor=750639 |s2cid=195050251 |issn=0075-4390|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and the 14th-century alliterative poem [[St. Erkenwald (poem)|St Erkenwald]]<ref name="Austin">{{Cite web |last=Austin |first=Sue |date=23 February 2024 |title=Shropshire Day: Natural beauty and culture help county celebrate its own patron saint's day |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/shrewsbury/2024/02/23/reasons-why-shropshire-should-celebrate-its-very-own-day-named-after-the-countys-patron-saint/ |access-date=23 February 2024 |website=www.shropshirestar.com |language=en}}</ref> is written in a local dialect.<ref>''Saint Erkenwald'', edited by Clifford Peterson (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1977), pp. 23–6.</ref><ref>Friedrich Knigge, ''Die Sprache des Dichters von "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", der sogenannten "Early English Alliterative Poems"", und de "Erkenwalde"'' (Marburg: Elwert, 1885), pp. 118–20.</ref><ref>''Saint Erkenwald'', edited by Clifford Peterson (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1977), pp. 23–4.</ref> The only copy of the ancient poem 'Life and Death'<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection: List of contents of the Percy Folio (of English poetry), now BL, Add. MS. 27879, headed and annotated in Thomas Percy's hand {{!}} Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts |url=https://archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/3986 |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> was also found in Shropshire.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Celia Cummiskey, Erin McGarvey, Isaac Normesinu, and Celia Smithmier |first=Boston College |title=MIDDLE ENGLISH ALLITERATIVE POETRY |url=https://mediakron.bc.edu/alliterativepoetry/death-and-liffe/poems}}</ref>

In this period the county was also associated in divers places and ways with Arthurian legends, for instance at Hawkstone, where there is a legend that one of the caves of Hawkstone Park was the burial ground of [[King Arthur]],<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC Shropshire |date=13 August 2009 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/shropshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8199000/8199441.stm |access-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> and the Arthurian story of the giants Tarquin and Tarquinus<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heritage Gateway - Results |url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSA851&resourceID=1015 |access-date=12 April 2023 |website=www.heritagegateway.org.uk}}</ref> is located, or [[Whittington Castle]] and linked to the Holy Grail since the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EBK: The Marian Chalice |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/arthur/marian.html |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=www.earlybritishkingdoms.com}}</ref> [[Old Oswestry]] has been identified as a possible home of Guinevere.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September 2019 |title=Hidden Oswestry: Glyndwr's last war of independence |url=https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/news/17903920.hidden-oswestry-glyndwrs-last-war-independence/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=Border Counties Advertizer |language=en}}</ref> [[Ludlow Castle]] site features heavily in the folk-story of [[Fulk FitzWarin]], outlawed Lord of [[Whittington, Shropshire]] and a possible inspiration for the ''[[Robin Hood]]'' legend.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Mark |date=22 October 2022 |title=A Whittington Castle legend: Was the real life Robin Hood from Shropshire? |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/oswestry/2022/10/22/a-whittington-castle-legend-was-the-real-life-robin-hood-from-shropshire/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=www.shropshirestar.com |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Map Showing the Territory of the Forest of Arden.jpg|alt=map showing the Roman roads bounding the old Forest of Arden|thumb|Parts of Shropshire in the ancient Forest of Arden]]

Parts of Shropshire are inside the ancient [[Arden, Warwickshire|Forest of Arden]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radio Shropshire - Listen Live - BBC Sounds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_radio_shropshire |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> which was the part if the [[English Midlands]], that in antiquity and into the Early Modern Period was bounded by the Roman roads including to the North by the [[Watling Street]] and to the west by Wales. This forest was the Setting of Shakespeare's ''[[As You Like It]],''<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 February 2012 |title=Forest of Arden |url=http://hearteng.110mb.com/arden.htm |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208130648/http://hearteng.110mb.com/arden.htm |archive-date=8 February 2012 |access-date=8 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PRESS MENTION: Shakespeare in Shropshire |url=https://byrga.co.uk/press-mention-shakespeare-in-shropshire |access-date=20 November 2023 |website=BYRGA GENIHT {{!}} Country House Consultancy |language=en}}</ref> and that play is acknowledged to potentially be a cultural monument to [[Rowland Hill (MP)|Sir Rowland Hill]], a prominent Tudor statesman and publisher of the [[Geneva Bible]] from the county.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Austin |first=Sue |date=29 January 2024 |title=Shakespeare's links with Shropshire unveiled - when and where you can hear about them |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/north-shropshire/wem/2024/01/29/london-lecture-comes-to-shropshire-as-links-between-shakespeare-and-the-county-are-unveiled/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=www.shropshirestar.com |language=en}}</ref>

Shropshire was the original seat of prominence of the Cotton family who held the [[Cotton library|Cotton Library]] before it was taken to found the British Library.<ref>{{Cite web |title=COTTON, Rowland (1581-1634), of Crooked Lane, London; later of Alkington Hall, Whitchurch and Bellaport Hall, Norton-in-Hales, Salop {{!}} History of Parliament Online |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/cotton-rowland-1581-1634 |access-date=21 November 2023 |website=www.historyofparliamentonline.org |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121003755/https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/cotton-rowland-1581-1634 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Shrewsbury Abbey]] features in ''[[The Cadfael Chronicles]]''; [[Brother Cadfael]] is a member of the community at the Abbey.<ref>Cadfael Literature/ITV.com Cadfael Classic TV Profile {{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.itv.com/ClassicTVshows/crime/Cadfael/default.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822143315/http://www.itv.com/ClassicTVshows/crime/Cadfael/default.html |archive-date=22 August 2008 |access-date=21 August 2008}}</ref>

The poet [[A. E. Housman]] used Shropshire as the setting for many of the poems in his first book, ''[[A Shropshire Lad]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Shropshire Lad {{!}} The Housman Society |url=https://www.housman-society.co.uk/a-shropshire-lad/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> Moreover, many of [[Malcolm Saville]]'s children's books are set in Shropshire. Additionally, [[D. H. Lawrence]]'s novella, ''St. Mawr'', is partially set in the Stiperstones area of [[South Shropshire]].<ref name="Dickins">{{cite book |last=Dickins |first=Gordon |title=An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire |publisher=Shropshire Libraries |year=1987 |isbn=0-903802-37-6 |page=116}}</ref>

[[File:Mary Webb statue, Shrewsbury.jpg|thumb|Mary Webb is remembered with a bust in Shrewsbury.]]

The early 20th century novelist and poet [[Mary Webb]] was born in Shropshire and lived most of her life there, and all her novels are set there, most notably ''[[Precious Bane]]'', with its powerful evocation of the Shropshire countryside.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.virago.co.uk/titles/mary-webb/precious-bane/9780349015644/ |title=Precious Bane |date=8 January 2021 |isbn=978-0-349-01564-4 |language=en-US |last1=Webb |first1=Mary |publisher=Little, Brown Book Group Limited}}</ref> A [[Mary Webb School|school]] in [[Pontesbury]] bears her name.

Shropshire is widely believed to have been an influence for [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s landscape of [[the Shire]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Specifically, the Wrekin (as The Lonely Mountain) and Ellesmere (as Laketown) are said to have inspired the English fantasy writer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bates |first=Isabelle |date=30 July 2021 |title=10 things you know if you're from Shropshire |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/10-things-you-know-youre-21086666 |access-date=22 October 2023 |website=Birmingham Live |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 October 2023 |title=The Wrekin |url=https://www.shropshireandbeyond.com/photos/shropshire-hills/the-wrekin |access-date=22 October 2023 |website=Shropshire and Beyond |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wrekin |url=https://www.thesweeneyhotel.com/things-to-do/the-wrekin/ |access-date=22 October 2023 |website=The Sweeney Hotel |language=en-GB |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027162043/https://www.thesweeneyhotel.com/things-to-do/the-wrekin/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Morris |first=Steven |date=30 December 2004 |title=Battle over inspiration for Middle Earth |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/dec/30/lordoftheringsfilms.books |access-date=22 October 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In [[Susanna Clarke]]'s ''[[Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell]]'' (2004), Jonathan Strange is from the county, and some parts of the book are set there. Another fictional character from Shropshire is Mr Grindley, from [[Charles Dickens]]' ''Bleak House''.

[[P. G. Wodehouse]]'s fictional [[Blandings Castle]], the ancestral home of [[Lord Emsworth]], is located in Shropshire.<ref name="Wodehouse 1977 195">{{cite book |last=Wodehouse |first=Pelham Grenville |title=Sunset at Blandings |author2=appendices by Richard Usborne |author3=ill. by Ionicus |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=1977 |isbn=0701122374 |location=London |pages=195}}</ref> Also from Shropshire is [[Psmith]], a fictional character in a series of Wodehouse's novels.

In [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'', Algernon attempts to trick Jack into revealing the location of his country home by inferring he resides in Shropshire.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Foster |first=Richard |date=1956 |title=Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at the Importance of Being Earnest |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/372764 |journal=College English |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=18–23 |doi=10.2307/372764 |jstor=372764 |issn=0010-0994|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The 1856 [[Anti-Tom literature|plantation literature]] novel ''[[White Acre vs. Black Acre]]'' by William M. Burwell features two Shropshire farms acting as an allegory for [[Slavery in the United States|American slavery]] – "White Acre Farm" being the [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] Northern United States, and "Black Acre Farm" being the slaveholding Southern United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burwell's White Acre vs. Black Acre |url=http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/proslav/burwellhp.html#:~:text=The%20view%20the%20narrative%20takes,names%20like%20Careless%20and%20Sneakright. |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=utc.iath.virginia.edu}}</ref>

The angel [[Aziraphale]], a principal character in ''[[Good Omens]]'', was credited with designing Shropshire by [[Terry Pratchett]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman |title=Buy Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch |date=28 November 2006 |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=978-0060853983}}</ref>

In the novel ''[[Howards End]]'', Mr. Wilcox's daughter gets married in Shropshire. Part of the novel is set near [[Clun]].<ref>''An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire'', pp.31-32, 94.</ref>

=== Theology ===

Shropshire was the native county and rural seat of power of [[Rowland Hill (MP)|Sir Rowland Hill]], who coordinated and published the 1560 [[Geneva Bible]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Besant |first=Sir Walter |title=London in the Time of the Tudors |publisher=Adam and Charles Black |year=1904}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JXjrtAFaf9oC&q=%22rowland+hill%22&pg=PP51 |title=A New Family Bible, and Improved Version ... With Notes, Critical and Explanatory ... By the Rev. B. Boothroyd |date=1824 |publisher=The author |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Subscription |publisher=[[Boston Daily Globe]] |location=[[Boston]] |date=12 April 1886 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/boston-daily-globe-apr-12-1886-p-2/ |access-date=24 July 2023 |url-access=subscription |via=[[Ancestry.com|Newspapers]] |language=en}}</ref> This important Bible was the senior Bible of English Protestantism for the early decades of the [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ackroyd |first1=Peter |title=Shakespeare: The Biography |date=2006 |publisher=Anchor Books |isbn=978-1400075980 |edition=First Anchor Books |page=54}}</ref>

=== Drama ===
[[File:Shoe_makers_arbour_Shrewsbury.jpg|thumb|A surviving 1679 arbour in Shrewsbury (that of the Shoemakers Guild). Originally there were many of these for pageantry and performance in Kingsland.]]

Prior to the [[Reformation]], there are accounts of major festivals in the county.<ref name="upload.wikimedia.org">{{cite web|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/The_Beauties_of_England_and_Wales%2C_or%2C_Delineations%2C_topographical%2C_historical%2C_and_descriptive%2C_of_each_county_%28IA_beautiesofenglan1301brit%29.pdf |access-date=26 August 2023|title=Delineations}}</ref> The "first flowerings of English drama" in the Tudor period are considered to be in the town, according to the 18th century [[Poet laureate]] and scholar [[Thomas Warton]]. [[Whitsun]]tide and mystery plays were performed in the founding years of [[Shrewsbury School]] under [[Thomas Ashton (schoolmaster)|Thomas Ashton]]; they attracted the attention of [[Elizabeth I|Queen Elizabeth I]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Behind the Scenes: Shrewsbury School |url=https://www.independentschoolparent.com/school/shrewsbury-school |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=www.independentschoolparent.com |language=en |archive-date=23 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723171021/https://www.independentschoolparent.com/school/shrewsbury-school/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Later this was expressed in the many arbours built in Shrewsbury for that town's particular tradition of pageantry and performance.<ref name="upload.wikimedia.org"/>

==== Shakespeare ====
[[File:Henry Percy Hotspur (1364or1366–1403).png|thumb|The last two acts of ''Henry IV, Part I'' are set in the county.]]

[[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] memorialised the [[Battle of Shrewsbury]] in ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]'', in Acts IV (Scenes and 3){{clarification needed|date=March 2025}} and V (Scenes 1–5).<ref>{{Folger inline|Henry IV, Part 1|5|2}}</ref> The arrest of [[Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham|Buckingham]] referred to in ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'' (Act IV, scene iv) happened near Wem.<ref>[[Buckingham's rebellion#chrimes|Chrimes, Henry VII]] p.25 n. 5</ref> Ludlow castle is also referred to in the same play (Act II, scene ii).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard III: Entire Play |url=http://shakespeare.mit.edu/richardiii/full.html |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=shakespeare.mit.edu}}</ref> There is a tradition that the Stanley monuments in [[St Bartholomew's Church, Tong]] are the work of Shakespeare.<ref>{{Cite web |title=St Bartholomew's Church – Tong, Shropshire – A rural Parish Church serving its local community |url=https://tong-church.org.uk/ |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=tong-church.org.uk}}</ref>

==== Other playwrights ====
[[William Wycherley]] was born at [[Clive, Shropshire|Clive]] near Shrewsbury, although his birthplace has been said to be Trench Farm to the north near Wem later the birthplace of another writer, [[John Ireland (writer)|John Ireland]], who was said to have been adopted by Wycherley's widow following the death of Ireland's parents.<ref name="DNB">{{cite DNB|first=Lionel Henry|last=Cust|wstitle=Ireland, John (d.1808)|volume=29}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

The playwright [[George Farquhar]]'s 1706 play ''The Recruiting Officer'' is set in Shrewsbury.<ref name="www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk">{{Cite web |date=16 September 2008 |title=Shrewsbury |url=http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/shrewsbu.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110202743/http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/shrewsbu.htm |archive-date=10 November 2012 |website=Literary Heritage West Midlands |publisher=Shropshire Council }}</ref>

[[File:A_collection_of_ball-dances_perform'd_at_court_(1706).jpg|thumb|''A Collection of Ball-dances Perform'd at Court''; all compos'd by Mr. Isaac, and writ down in characters, by John Weaver, dancing-master (1706)]]

=== Birthplace of English ballet and pantomime ===
{{main|John Weaver (dancer)}}
The "father of English ballet",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Limited |first=Six Ticks |title=Dance Festival in Celebration of 'Father of English Ballet' John Weaver |url=https://www.myshrewsbury.co.uk/blog/dance-festival-in-celebration-of-father-of-english-ballet-john-weaver/ |access-date=11 March 2023 |website=www.myshrewsbury.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> as well as the originator of pantomime,<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Weaver |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803121502615 |access-date=11 March 2023 |website=Oxford Reference |language=en}}</ref> [[John Weaver (dancer)|John Weaver]], developed his art in Shrewsbury. A second generation dancing master in the town,<ref>{{Cite book |title=Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 60 |publisher=Smith, Elder and Co., London |year=1885–1900 |editor-last=Lee |editor-first=Sidney |page=91}}Article by William George Dimock Fletcher.</ref> he founded English ballet, founded pantomime, and wrote on the philosophy, theology, statecraft and biology embedded in his era's understating of dance. Later in life he came to publish on the subject of dance, which he located in a wider understanding of his culture as representing a component of [[Ptolemy|Ptolemaic]] [[harmony]] and an earnest part of the statecraft of his time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Taylor |first=Nancy |date=November 2001 |title=John Weaver and the Origins of English Pantomime: A Neoclassical Theory and Practice for Uniting Dance and Theatre |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/theatre-survey/article/abs/john-weaver-and-the-origins-of-english-pantomime-a-neoclassical-theory-and-practice-for-uniting-dance-and-theatre/51E38DC25AE95FF38B5890A6A2668B27 |journal=Theatre Survey |language=en |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=191–214 |doi=10.1017/S0040557401000102 |issn=1475-4533 |s2cid=143360948|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Architecture ===
[[File:PortraitInigoJones.jpg|thumb|Inigo Jones was active in the county at the beginning of his career as an architect.]]
The first known architectural project of [[Inigo Jones]] is the Cotton monument in the Church of St Chad, [[Norton in Hales|Norton-in-Hales]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Newman |first=John |date=1973 |title=An Early Drawing by Inigo Jones and a Monument in Shropshire |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/877379 |journal=The Burlington Magazine |volume=115 |issue=843 |pages=360–367 |jstor=877379 |issn=0007-6287}}</ref>

There are a number of important buildings in the county.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Newman |first1=John |title=Shropshire |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus |date=2006 |publisher=Yale Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-300-12083-7 |series=Pevsner architectural guides |location=New Haven}}</ref> The world's first iron-framed building was built in Shrewsbury at the [[Ditherington Flax Mill|Flaxmill Maltings]]: the techniques pioneered in that building were necessary preconditions for [[skyscraper]]s.

[[John Nash (architect)|Nash]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Attingham Estate Cronkhill {{!}} Shropshire |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/attingham-park-estate-cronkhill |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=National Trust |language=en}}</ref> and [[Humphry Repton|Repton]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Attingham Park Repton ramble {{!}} Shropshire |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/attingham-park/attingham-park-repton-ramble-trail |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=National Trust |language=en}}</ref> were active at [[Attingham Park]].

A rare Anglo-Saxon hall, which was a high status building from the Anglo Saxon period, and possibly a feasting hall or palace, was excavated at nearby [[Attingham Park|Attingham]] in 2018; the dating window is between 400 AD and 1066.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neal |first=Toby |date=7 February 2018 |title=Rare Saxon hall find at Attingham excites the experts |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2018/02/08/rare-saxon-hall-find-excites-the-experts/ |access-date=8 July 2023 |website=www.shropshirestar.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Film and television ===
[[File:EbenezerScroogeGrave.JPG|thumb|right|200px|A 1984 film adaptation of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' was filmed in [[Shrewsbury]]. Scrooge's fictional grave remains in the churchyard of [[St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury|St. Chad's Church.]]]]

The landscape around [[Hawkstone Park]] was used to represent parts of [[Narnia]] in the [[BBC]]'s TV adaptation of [[C. S. Lewis]]'s books in ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'' in 1988 and ''[[Prince Caspian]]'' a year later.

The 1984 film version of Charles Dickens' ''[[A Christmas Carol (1984 film)|A Christmas Carol]]'' was filmed in Shrewsbury. The 2005 sitcom ''[[The Green Green Grass]]'' is set in Shropshire and was filmed near Ludlow.<ref name="Wodehouse 1977 195"/>

The 2007 film ''[[Atonement (2007 film)|Atonement]]'' was partly filmed in the county.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 June 2017 |title=Atonement {{!}} Keira Knightley & James McAvoy {{!}} Stokesay Court Historic House {{!}} Shropshire |url=https://stokesaycourt.com/about/house/atonement/ |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=stokesaycourt.com |archive-date=24 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224205157/https://stokesaycourt.com/about/house/atonement/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The 2023 BBC adaptation of ''[[Bleak House]]'' was filmed partly in Shropshire.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guyoncourt |first=Sally |date=26 March 2023 |title=Where the BBC's Great Expectations was filmed, from Shrewsbury to central London |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/great-expectations-filmed-where-filming-locations-shrewsbury-new-series-bbc-one-2232929 |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==Emblems==
===Coat of arms===
The [[blazon]] for the [[coat of arms]] of the county of Shropshire is:<blockquote>[[erminois]], three [[Pile (heraldry)|pile]] [[Azure (color)|azure]], two issuant from the chief and one in base, each charged with a [[leopard]]'s face </blockquote>The arms were officially granted on 18 June 1896 and continued by the new authority in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-07 |title=Coat of arms (crest) of Shropshire |url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php/Shropshire |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=Heraldry of the World |language=en}}</ref>

The heads are often referred to as "the loggerheads". This is thought to originate from the practice of carving a leopard head as a [[Motif (visual arts)|motif]] on the head of the log used as a [[battering ram]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Heraldry of the world - Heraldrywiki |url=http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Main_Page |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101203135651/http://www.ngw.nl/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Main_Page |archive-date=3 December 2010 |website=webarchive.loc.gov}}</ref>

===Flag===
{{Main|Flag of Shropshire}}
[[File:Flag of Shropshire.svg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Flag of Shropshire|Shropshire county flag]], based on the coat of arms granted in 1896]]

The Shropshire county flag is a banner of arms taken from its coat of arms. It was registered with the [[Flag Institute]] in March 2012.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 May 2013 |title=Shropshire Flag |url=https://britishcountyflags.com/2013/05/25/shropshire-flag/ |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Britishcountyflags.com}}</ref> It shows three [[leopard]] heads ('loggerheads') on a gold and blue background.

===County flower===
In a national poll in 2002, conducted by [[Plantlife|Plantlife International]], the round-leaved sundew (''[[Drosera rotundifolia]]'') was chosen as Shropshire's [[Floral emblem|county flower]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Round-leaved sundew |url=http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/plant-fungi-species/round-leaved-sundew |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309130137/https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/plant-fungi-species/round-leaved-sundew |archive-date=9 March 2023 |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Plantlife.org.uk}}</ref> The round-leaved sundew is a [[crimson]]-coloured [[carnivorous plant|insectivorous plant]] that requires a [[bog]]gy [[habitat]]. Due to [[habitat loss]] its range is now dramatically reduced,<ref>{{cite web |title=Drosera rotundifolia : Gwlithlys Crynddail - NBN Atlas |url=https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000003519 |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Species.nbnatlas.org}}</ref> and Shropshire's [[Longmynd]] is one of the few areas in England where it can now be found.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drosera rotundifolia, Longmynd, Church Stretton, Shropshire, England |url=https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/observation/234036/drosera-rotundifolia-longmynd-church-stretton-shropshire-england |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Ispotnature.org}}</ref>

===Shropshire Day===
[[File:Santa Milburga - Juan de Roelas 20140706.jpg|thumb|Santa Milburga's day is the county's day.]]

Shropshire's [[List of county days in the United Kingdom|county day]] is on 23 February, the [[feast day]] of [[Mildburh|St Milburga]], [[abbess]] of [[Wenlock Priory]]. St Milburga was the daughter of [[Anglo-Saxon]] king [[Merewalh]], who founded the abbey within his sub-kingdom of [[Magonsæte]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint-Milburga - Old English Church |url=http://www.oldenglishchurch.org.uk/saint-milburga/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214213908/http://www.oldenglishchurch.org.uk/saint-milburga/ |archive-date=14 December 2018 |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Oldenglishchurch.org.uk}}</ref> The town adjoining the priory is now known as [[Much Wenlock]], and lies within the boundaries of the modern county of Shropshire.

===Motto===
Shropshire's [[motto]] is ''Floreat Salopia'', meaning "May Shropshire flourish".

[[British Rail]] loco No.31147 was named 'Floreat Salopia'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=R3880 BR, Class 31, A1A-A1A, 31147 'Floreat Salopia' - Era 8 |url=https://uk.hornby.com/products/br-class-31-a1a-a1a-31147-floreat-salopia-era-8-r3880 |access-date=23 July 2023 |website=Hornby UK |language=en}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
Shropshire is first recorded in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' annal for 1006.<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Ann |title=Æthelred the Unready: The Ill-Counselled King|pages=77–78 |publisher=Hambeldon & London |location=London |year=2003 |isbn=1-85285-382-4}}</ref>

The origin of the name is the [[Old English]] ''Scrobbesbyrigscīr'', meaning "[[Shrewsbury]]shire", "the shire of the fortified place in the scrublands" (or "shrubs", the modern derivative). Salop is an old name for Shropshire, historically used as an abbreviated form for post or telegrams; it is thought to derive from the Anglo-French "Salopesberia".

It is nowadays normally replaced by Shrops, although Shropshire residents are still referred to as Salopians.<ref name="shropshirehistory.com1">{{cite web |title=Shropshire County Council |url=http://shropshirehistory.com/government/county.htm |website=Shropshirehistory.com |quote=The term Salopian, derived from Salop, is still used to mean ‘from Shropshire’ and Salop can also mean the county town of Shrewsbury. |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430084407/http://shropshirehistory.com/government/county.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Salop is also an alternative name for the county town, Shrewsbury,<ref name="shropshirehistory.com1" /> which shares the motto ''Floreat Salopia''.

==Geography==
When a [[county council]] for the county was first established in 1889, it was called Salop County Council.<ref>[http://www.calverhall-village.co.uk/Shropshirepage.htm About Shropshire] Calverhall Village</ref> Following the [[Local Government Act 1972]], Salop became the official name of the county. The name was not well-regarded locally,<ref name="shropshirehistory2">{{cite web |title=Shropshire County Council |url=http://shropshirehistory.com/government/county.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430084407/http://shropshirehistory.com/government/county.htm |archive-date=30 April 2017 |access-date=2 September 2018 |website=Shropshirehistory.com |quote=One of the reasons why Salop was unpopular was the fact that if you add the letter "E" and make it "Salope", this is a French word and means "B*tch or Loose Woman".}}</ref> and a subsequent campaign led by a local councillor, John Kenyon, succeeded in having both the county and council renamed as Shropshire in 1980.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/6045898.stm County's name change colonel dies] BBC News</ref> This took effect from 1 April of that year.<ref name="LG-48124-3797">{{London Gazette
| issue = 48124
| date = 11 March 1980
| page = 3797
}}</ref>

=== County extent ===
The border with Wales was defined in the 16th century – the [[Hundred (county division)|hundreds]] of Oswestry (including [[Oswestry]] town) and Pimhill (including [[Wem]]) and part of [[Chirbury]] had prior to the [[Laws in Wales Act]] formed various Lordships in the [[Welsh Marches]].

[[File:Salopia Atlas.jpg|thumb|250px|Hand-drawn map of Shropshire by Christopher Saxton from 1577]]

The present day ceremonial county boundary is almost the same as the historic one. Notably there has been the removal of several [[exclave]]s and [[enclave]]s. The largest of the exclaves was [[Halesowen]], which became part of [[Worcestershire]] in 1844 (and is now part of the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]] county), and the largest of the enclaves was Herefordshire's [[Farlow, Shropshire|Farlow]] in South Shropshire, also transferred in 1844, to Shropshire. Alterations have been made on Shropshire's border with all neighbouring English counties over the centuries. Gains have been made to the south of Ludlow (from Herefordshire), to the north of [[Shifnal]] (from Staffordshire) and to the north (from Cheshire) and south (from Staffordshire) of Market Drayton. The county has lost land in two places – to Staffordshire and Worcestershire.<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10210367&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001030212/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10210367&c_id=10001043|date=1 October 2007}} – Ancient county boundaries</ref>

[[File:Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury.jpg|thumb|[[River Severn]], seen here in [[Shrewsbury]], is the primary watercourse in the county.]]

Geographically, Shropshire is divisible into two distinct halves – north and south. The county has a highly diverse [[Geology of Shropshire|geology]]. The [[West Midlands Green Belt]] extends into eastern Shropshire, covering an area north from [[Highley]], to the east of Bridgnorth, north to the eastern side of Telford, leaving Shropshire eastwards alongside the A5. This encompasses Shifnal, [[Cosford, Shropshire|Cosford]] and [[Albrighton, Bridgnorth|Albrighton]], and various other villages paralleling [[Dudley]] and Wolverhampton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wmra.gov.uk/documents/WMRA%20Green%20belt%5B1%5D.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=15 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111220941/http://www.wmra.gov.uk/documents/WMRA%20Green%20belt%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref>

===North Shropshire===
[[File:Wem High Street May 2020.jpg|thumb|Wem, traditionally the headquarters of government in North Shropshire, and home to the North Shropshire District Council while in existence]]

The North Shropshire Plain is an extension of the flat and fertile [[Cheshire Plain]]. It is here that most of the county's large towns, and population, are to be found. [[Shrewsbury]] at the centre, [[Oswestry]] to the north west, [[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]] to the north, [[Market Drayton]] to the north east, and [[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]] and the Telford conurbation (Telford, [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]], [[Oakengates]], [[Donnington, Telford|Donnington]] and Shifnal) to the east. The land is fertile and agriculture remains a major feature of the landscape and the economy. The [[River Severn]] runs through the lower half of this area (from Wales in the west, eastwards), through Shrewsbury and down the [[Ironbridge Gorge]], before heading south to [[Bridgnorth]].

The area around [[Oswestry]] has more rugged geography than the North Shropshire Plain and the western half is over an extension of the [[Wrexham]] Coalfield and there are also copper deposits on the border with [[Wales]]. Mining of stone and sand [[Construction aggregate|aggregates]] is still going on in [[Shrewsbury and Atcham|Mid-Shropshire]], notably on [[Haughmond Hill]], near [[Bayston Hill]], and around the village of [[Condover]]. Lead mining also took place at [[Snailbeach]] and the [[Stiperstones]], but this has now ceased. Other primary industries, such as forestry and fishing, are to be found too.

[[File:Rhekin by Wrodian.jpg|thumb|right|[[The Wrekin]] is a prominent geographical feature located near Wellington in the east of the county.]]

The [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] and [[M54 motorway|M54]] run from [[Wolverhampton]] (to the east of the county) across to Telford, around Shrewsbury parallel to the line of [[Watling Street]], an [[ancient trackway]]. The A5 then turns north west to Oswestry, before heading north into Wales in the Wrexham area. This is an important artery and the corridor is where most of Shropshire's modern commerce and industry is found, notably in Telford new town. There are also a number of railway lines crossing over the area, which centre at Shrewsbury. To the south west of Telford, near the Ironbridge Gorge, was [[Ironbridge Power Station]].

The new town of Telford is built partly on a former industrial area centred on the [[East Shropshire Coalfield]] as well as on former agricultural land. There are still many ex-colliery sites to be found in the area, as well as disused mine shafts. This industrial heritage is an important tourist attraction, as is seen by the growth of museums in the [[Ironbridge]], [[Coalbrookdale]], [[Broseley]] and [[Jackfield]] area. [[Blists Hill]] museum and historical ([[Victorian era]]) village is a major tourist attraction as well as the Iron Bridge itself. In addition, [[Telford Steam Railway]] runs from [[Horsehay]].

===South Shropshire===
{{For|further information about the [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]]|Shropshire Hills AONB}}

[[File:St Leonard's, Bridgnorth, Shropshire.JPG|thumb|left|St Leonard's Church is a prominent historical landmark in Bridgnorth.]]

South Shropshire is more rural, with fewer settlements and no large towns, and its landscape differs greatly from that of North Shropshire. The area is dominated by significant hill ranges and river valleys, woods, pine forests and "batches", a colloquial term for small valleys. Farming is more pastoral than the arable found in the north of the county. The only substantial towns are [[Bridgnorth]], with a population of around 12,000 people, [[Ludlow]] and [[Church Stretton]]. The [[Shropshire Hills AONB]] is located in the south-west, covering an area of {{convert|312|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}}; it forms the only specifically protected area of the county. Inside this area is the popular [[Long Mynd]], a large plateau of {{convert|1693|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} overlooking [[Church Stretton]] and to its west, the {{convert|1759|ft|m|order=flip}} rocky ridge of [[Stiperstones]].

[[File:A frosty Ludlow.jpg|thumb|right|The skyline of [[Ludlow]], one of south Shropshire's market towns, dominated by its sizeable castle and church]]

The [[A49 road|A49]] is the main road through the area, running north to south, from Shrewsbury to [[Herefordshire]]. A railway line runs through the area on the same route as the A49 with stations at Church Stretton, [[Craven Arms]] and Ludlow. The steam heritage [[Severn Valley Railway]] runs from Bridgnorth into Worcestershire along the [[Severn Valley (England)|Severn Valley]], terminating at [[Kidderminster Town railway station|Kidderminster]].

Because of its valley location and character, Church Stretton is sometimes called Little Switzerland,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/town/church-stretton.html|title=Map of Church Stretton - Accommodation, Shops and More|last=Tourism|first=Shropshire|access-date=16 August 2016|archive-date=26 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426003526/https://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/town/church-stretton.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and is depicted in ''[[Little Switzerland (landscape)|Little Switzerland]]''. Nearby are the old mining and quarrying communities on the [[Clee Hills]], notable geological features in the [[River Onny|Onny Valley]] and [[Wenlock Edge]] and fertile farmland in [[Corve Dale]]. The [[River Teme]] drains this part of the county, before flowing into Worcestershire to the south and joining the River Severn.

One of the Clee Hills, the [[Brown Clee Hill]], is the county's highest peak at {{convert|540|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book |last= Bathurst |first= David |year= 2012 |title= Walking the county high points of England |location= Chichester |publisher= Summersdale |isbn= 978-1-84-953239-6 |pages= 182–191}}</ref> It is the [[List of English counties by highest point|13th]] highest [[Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles#County tops|county top]] in England.

South West Shropshire is a markedly rural part of the county, with [[Clun Forest]], [[Offa's Dyke]], the [[River Clun, Shropshire|River Clun]] and the [[River Onny]]. The small towns of [[Clun]] and [[Bishop's Castle]] are in this area. To the south of Clun is the Welsh border town of [[Knighton, Powys|Knighton]].

=== Natural regions ===
[[File:Carding Mill Valley footpaths - geograph.org.uk - 1095405.jpg|thumb|right|The landscape of the [[Long Mynd]], to the west of [[Church Stretton]]]]

[[Natural England]] recognised the following [[national character area]]s that lie wholly or partially within Shropshire:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-character-area-profiles-data-for-local-decision-making|title=National Character Area profiles: data for local decision making|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|access-date=14 December 2018}}</ref>

* [[Shropshire Hills]]
* [[Shropshire and Staffordshire Plain]]
* [[Oswestry Uplands]]
* [[Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau]]
* [[Teme Valley]]
* [[Herefordshire Lowlands]]
* [[Clun]] and North West Herefordshire Hills
* [[Whixall Moss]]

===Climate===
[[File:Harper Adams Agricultural College - geograph.org.uk - 423503.jpg|right|thumb|[[Harper Adams University]], where on 10 January 1982 the lowest temperature ever in England was recorded]]

The [[climate]] of Shropshire is moderate. Rainfall averages 760 to 1,000&nbsp;mm (30 to 40 in), influenced by being in the [[rainshadow]] of the [[Cambrian Mountains]] from warm, moist [[Precipitation (meteorology)#Frontal activity|frontal systems]] of the Atlantic Ocean which bring generally light precipitation in Autumn and Spring.<ref name="encarta">{{cite web|url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781530177/Shrewsbury.html|title=Shropshire – MSN Encarta|access-date=24 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718233554/https://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781530177/Shrewsbury.html|archive-date=18 July 2008}}</ref> The hilly areas in the south and west are much colder in the winter, due to their high elevation, they share a similar climate to that of the [[Welsh Marches]] and [[Mid-Wales]]. The flat northern plain in the north and east has a similar climate to that of the rest of the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]].

Being rural and inland, temperatures can fall more dramatically on clear winter nights than in many other parts of England. It was at [[Harper Adams University]], in [[Edgmond, Shropshire|Edgmond]], where on 10 January 1982 the lowest temperature weather record for England was broken (and is kept to this day): {{convert|−26.1|°C|°F}}.

The only major Met Office weather station in the county is located at [[Shawbury]], which is in the north, between [[Shrewsbury]] and [[Market Drayton]].

{{Shawbury weatherbox}}

===Geology===
{{Main|Geology of Shropshire}}

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

===Statistical===
For [[Eurostat]] purposes, the county (less the unitary district of [[Telford and Wrekin]]) is a [[NUTS statistical regions of the United Kingdom|NUTS 3 region]] (code UKG22). The two Shropshire unitary areas (covering all of the ceremonial county), together with the authorities covering the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region.

==Economy==
[[File:Lyth Hill 01.jpg|thumb|Rural Shropshire, [[Bayston Hill|Lyth Hill]]]]

[[Rayburn Range]] and [[Aga Rangemaster Group]] are based in [[Telford]]; the [[People's Dispensary for Sick Animals|PDSA]] is in [[St George's and Priorslee]], Telford. The [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|MoD]] have a significant depot at [[Lilleshall and Donnington]]. Here are also high-technology industries such as [[Unimation]], [[Nikon]], [[Hitachi Maxell]], [[Ricoh]], [[Capgemini]], [[Fujitsu]] and [[Electronic Data Systems]]. In [[Hadley Castle]], [[Denso]] Manufacturing UK Ltd make [[Car air conditioning|car air-conditioning systems]] and [[GKN]] Wheels make car wheels. [[Makita]] Manufacturing Europe at Hortonwood, Telford is the only plant in the UK that makes [[power tool]]s.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

[[Müller (company)|Müller Dairy Ltd]] is based in [[Market Drayton]], and [[Palethorpes]], part of [[Pork Farms]] which makes own-label sausages. At [[Crudgington]], [[Dairy Crest]] made Country Life butter and [[Clover (spread)|Clover]] until February 2015, and have their Technical Centre. Anglo Beef Processors ([[ABP Food Group]]) are at [[Harlescott]] in the north of Shrewsbury. [[Uniq plc]] have a plant at [[Minsterley]] and make chilled desserts for Tesco.

BT have their [[National Network Management Centre]] (Whittington House) in [[Whittington, Shropshire]]. Military helicopter training in the UK takes place at [[RAF Shawbury]], alongside training for the RAF's [[air traffic controller]]s (ATC).

==Towns and villages==
{{Further|List of places in Shropshire|:Category:Towns in Shropshire|:Category:Villages in Shropshire}}
Shropshire has no [[City status in the United Kingdom|cities]], but 22 towns, of which two can be considered major. [[Telford]] is the largest town in the county with a population of 138,241 (which is approximately 30% of the total Salopian populace); whereas the [[county town]] of [[Shrewsbury]] has a lower, but still sizeable population of 71,715 (15%). The other sizeable towns are [[Oswestry]], [[Bridgnorth]], [[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]] and [[Ludlow]]. The historic town of [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]] now makes up part of the Telford conurbation. The majority of the other settlements can be classed as villages or towns such as [[Much Wenlock]] or [[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]]. Several villages have larger populations than the smallest town, [[Clun]]. The largest of these, [[Bayston Hill]], is the 10th most populous settlement in the county. The names of several villages close to the border are of [[Welsh language|Welsh]] origin, such as [[Gobowen]] and [[Selattyn]].

The larger settlements are primarily concentrated in a central belt that roughly follows the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]]/[[M54 motorway|M54]] roadway. Other settlements are concentrated on rivers, for example Bridgnorth and [[Ironbridge]] on the Severn, or Ludlow on the Teme, as these waterways were historically vital for trade and a supply of water.<ref>[http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/roots/packages/src/src_t06.htm Shropshire Routes to Roots | Sources and collections | Trade directories] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812212227/http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/roots/packages/src/src_t06.htm |date=12 August 2007 }} Shropshire-cc.gov.uk (13 July 2007). Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |
[[File:Central Telford Skyline - geograph.org.uk - 75673.jpg|150px|Telford]]<br />[[Telford]]<br />
[[File:Old Shrewsbruy Market Hall -England.jpg|150px|Shrewsbury]]<br />[[Shrewsbury]]<br />
[[File:Oswestry, Shropshire.jpg|150px|Oswestry]]<br />[[Oswestry]]<br />
[[File:Bridgnorth - Old Market Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1323006.jpg|150px|Bridgnorth]]<br />[[Bridgnorth]]<br />
[[File:Parish Church of St. Nicholas, Newport, Shropshire.jpg|150px|Newport]]<br />[[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]]<br />
[[File:Ludlow, Shropshire.jpg|150px|Ludlow]]<br />[[Ludlow]]<br />
|style="text-align:center;" | '''Ceremonial county of Shropshire'''<br />''[[Telford and Wrekin]] shown within''<br />[[File:ShropshireCountyMap2009.jpg|350px]]<br />{{color box|blue}} [[Geography of Shropshire|Rivers]], {{color box|#3399FF}} Motorways, {{color box|green}} [[Great Britain road numbering scheme|'A' Roads]], {{color box|Red}} [[List of places in Shropshire|Settlements]]
| '''Largest settlements (by population) 2021:'''<br />
'''[[Telford]]''' (156,896)<br />
'''[[Shrewsbury]]''' (75,992)<br />
[[Oswestry]] (17,509)<br />
[[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]] (14,182)

[[Bridgnorth]] (12,182)

[[Market Drayton]] (12,066)<br />
[[Ludlow]] (10,039)<br />
[[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]] (9,855)<br />
[[Shifnal]] (8,984)<br />
[[Bayston Hill]] (village) (5,079)<br />
[[Wem]] (5,142)<br />
[[Broseley]] (4,929) <br />
[[Church Stretton]] (4,671)<br />
[[Albrighton, Bridgnorth|Albrighton]] (village) (4,157) <br />
[[Ellesmere, Shropshire|Ellesmere]] (3,835)<br />
[[Highley]] (village) (3,605) <br />
[[Pontesbury]] (village) (3,500) <br />
[[Shawbury]] (village) (2,872) <br />
[[Prees, Shropshire|Prees]] (village) (2,688) <br />
[[Much Wenlock]] (2,605)<br />
[[Craven Arms]] (2,289)<br />
[[Cleobury Mortimer]] (1,962) <br />
[[Bishop's Castle]] (1,893) <br />
[[Baschurch]] (village) (1,475) <br />
[[Ruyton-XI-Towns]] (village) (1,379) <br />
[[Clun]] (680)<br />
|}

The town of [[Telford]] was created by the merger and expansion of older, small towns to the north and east of [[The Wrekin]]. These towns now have sizeable populations that now make up the population of Telford: [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]] (20,430),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/68941C30-A7CB-44F3-822B-8B6D09E6932C/19217/Wellington.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=11 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411135953/http://wellington-shropshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/68941C30-A7CB-44F3-822B-8B6D09E6932C/19217/Wellington.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2011}}</ref> [[Madeley, Shropshire|Madeley]] (17,935),<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=Madeley Parish Profile 2001 Census|url=https://www.telford.gov.uk/downloads/file/267/madeley_parish_profile_2001_census|access-date=|website=Telford and Wrekin Council|archive-date=1 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201191126/https://www.telford.gov.uk/downloads/file/267/madeley_parish_profile_2001_census|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Dawley]] (11,399)<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/places/dawley/dawley_history.shtml Shropshire – Your Place and Mine – Dawley]. BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref> and [[Oakengates]] (8,517),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oakengates-tc.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=1|title=Oakengates Town Council Home Information|last=Council|first=Oakengates Town|website=oakengates-tc.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=16 January 2020}}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>The population figures given here are all as at 2001 Census.</ref> but the Telford and Wrekin borough towns incentive aims to make Oakengates into the largest of the towns.<ref>[http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2010/11/29/oakengates-lined-up-for-huge-revamp/ Oakengates lined up for huge revamp « Shropshire Star]. Shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

[[Shropshire (Detached)|Historically]], all or parts of the towns of [[Halesowen]], [[Smethwick]] and [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]], as well as the [[Quinton, Birmingham|Quinton]] suburb of [[Birmingham]], were in Shropshire.<ref>[https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/series?xCenter=3160000&yCenter=3160000&scale=63360&viewScale=5805357.4656&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance%20Survey%20and%20Ordnance%20Survey%20of%20Scotland%20First%20Series&download=true]. Map of Historic Shropshire - Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey Scotland First Series. Retrieved 4 April 2020.</ref>

==Politics==
{{See also|Shropshire local elections|Telford and Wrekin local elections}}
{{multiple image
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| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Election results 2001
| image2            = ShropshireParliamentaryConstituency2005Results.svg
| width2            = 
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = Election results 2005 & 2010
}}

===Parliamentary constituencies===
The county has five [[Parliamentary constituencies in Shropshire|parliamentary constituencies]].  In the July 2024 General Election, two returned Conservative MPS, two Labour and one Liberal Democrat.

At the 2005 general election, four returned Conservative MPs, Telford, returned a Labour MP. This was a marked change from the 2001 general election result, where the county returned only one Conservative, three Labour and a Liberal Democrat MP to the House of Commons (see maps to the right) (Labour = Red, Conservatives = Blue and
Liberal Democrats = Orange).

The current MPs of Shropshire, following the 2024 General Election, are:
* [[Shaun Davies (politician)|Shaun Davies]], Labour, [[Telford (UK Parliament constituency)|Telford]] (covering the town of [[Telford]])
* [[Helen Morgan (politician)|Helen Morgan]], Liberal Democrat, [[North Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North Shropshire]] (covering the former [[North Shropshire]] and [[Oswestry (borough)|Oswestry]] districts, now coextensive with the North area committee)
* [[Stuart Anderson (politician)|Stuart Anderson]], Conservative, [[South Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South Shropshire]] (covering the former [[Ludlow]] and (the majority of) Bridgnorth districts; now co-extensive with the South area committee except for the part covered by The Wrekin constituency)
* [[Julia Buckley]], Labour, [[Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury]] (covering the former [[Shrewsbury and Atcham (UK Parliament constituency)|Shrewsbury and Atcham]] district; now co-extensive with the Central area committee)
* [[Mark Pritchard (politician)|Mark Pritchard]], Conservative, [[The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency)|The Wrekin]] (covering [[Telford and Wrekin]] borough, minus Telford, and including a small area of the former Bridgnorth district/South area committee)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Constituency
! 1992
! 1997
! 2001
! 2005
! 2010
! 2015
! 2017
! 2021
|-
| Ludlow
| colspan=2 | {{color box|blue|CON}} Christopher Gill
| {{color box|orange|[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|LD]]}} Matthew Green
| colspan=5 | {{color box|blue|CON}} '''Philip Dunne'''
|-
| North Shropshire
| {{color box|blue|CON}} John Biffen
| colspan=6 | {{color box|blue|CON}} Owen Paterson
| colspan=1 |  {{color box|orange|[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|LD]]}} '''Helen Morgan'''
|-
| Shrewsbury & Atcham
| {{color box|blue|CON}} Derek Conway
| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} Paul Marsden
| {{color box|orange|LD}} Paul Marsden
| colspan=5 | {{color box|blue|CON}} '''Daniel Kawczynski'''
|-
| Telford
| rowspan=2 | {{color box|red|LAB|white}} Bruce Grocott*
| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} Bruce Grocott
| colspan=3| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} David Wright
| colspan=3 | {{color box|blue|CON}} '''Lucy Allan'''
|-
| The Wrekin
| colspan=2| {{color box|red|LAB|white}} Peter Bradley
| colspan=5| {{color box|blue|CON}} '''Mark Pritchard'''
|}
*Note (*), [[The Wrekin (historic UK Parliament constituency)]] was split at the 1997 election.

2021 refers to the by election in North Shropshire only.

===Divisions and environs===
{{See also|List of civil parishes in Shropshire}}
Most of the [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] of Shropshire is covered for purposes of local government by [[Shropshire Council]], a [[unitary authority]] established in 2009. [[Telford and Wrekin]] is a unitary authority, with [[borough status]], which forms part of the county for various functions such as [[Lord Lieutenant]] but is a separate local authority from Shropshire Council. Many services are shared by both authorities, such as the [[Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service|fire and rescue service]], and the two authorities co-operate on some projects such as mapping flood risk.

The new unitary authority for Shropshire, [[Shropshire Council]], divides the county into three areas, each with its own [[area committee]]: North, Central and South. These area committees deal with town and country planning matters.

With the parishing of the formerly [[unparished area]] of Shrewsbury in 2008, the entire ceremonial county is now [[Civil parishes in England|parished]]. The sizes of parishes varies enormously in terms of area covered and population resident. Shrewsbury is the most populous parish in the county (and one of the most populous in England) with over 70,000 residents, whilst [[Boscobel, Shropshire|Boscobel]] is the smallest parish in Shropshire by geographical area and by population, with just 12 residents according to the 2001 census.<ref>[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=0&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790501 National Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613065021/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=0&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790501 |date=13 June 2011 }} Bridgnorth district parishes</ref> The smaller parishes (with populations of less than 200) usually have a joint [[Parish councils in England|parish council]] with one or more neighbouring parishes, or in some instances, have a [[parish meeting]] (such as in [[Sibdon Carwood]]). The urban area of Telford is divided into many parishes, each covering a particular suburb, some of which are historic villages or towns (such as [[Madeley, Shropshire|Madeley]]). The parish remains an important sub-division and tier of local government in both unitary authority areas of Shropshire.

===Local government 1974–2009===
[[File:Shropshire Ceremonial Numbered.png|thumb|130px|right|The ceremonial county prior to the 2009 local government restructuring, with just Telford & Wrekin as a unitary authority (shown yellow)]]

In 1974 the [[non-metropolitan county]] of Salop was constituted, covering the entire county. After a local campaign, the council voted 48-5 to revert to Shropshire from 1 April 1980.<ref>Sunday Mercury 2 March 1980 "Shropshire Council scraps Salop title"</ref> There was a two-tier system of local government, constituting a [[county council]] (as the upper tier) and six [[non-metropolitan district|district]] councils – [[Bridgnorth (district)|Bridgnorth]], [[North Shropshire]], [[Oswestry (borough)|Oswestry]], [[Shrewsbury and Atcham]], [[South Shropshire]] and [[Telford and Wrekin|The Wrekin]]. In 1998 The Wrekin became a [[unitary authority]], administratively separate from the county council, and became Telford and Wrekin. The two-tier structure remained in the remainder of the county and was the least populated two-tier area in England.

Oswestry and Shrewsbury & Atcham were each granted borough status in 1974. Telford and Wrekin became a borough in 2002.

===2009 restructuring===
{{See also|2009 structural changes to local government in England}}
[[File:Shrewsbury Column.jpg|thumb|Shropshire's [[Shirehall, Shrewsbury|Shirehall]] is located opposite [[Lord Hill's Column]].]]

In 2006 a local government white paper supported proposals for new [[unitary authority|unitary authorities]] to be set up in England in certain areas. Existing [[non-metropolitan county|non-metropolitan counties]] with small populations, such as [[Cornwall]], Northumberland and Shropshire, were favoured by the government to be covered by unitary authorities in one form or another (the county either becoming a single unitary authority, or be broken into a number of unitary authorities). For the counties in the 2009 reorganisation, existing unitary authority areas within the counties' [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial boundaries]] (such as Telford and Wrekin) were not to be affected and no boundary changes were planned.

Shropshire County Council, supported by South Shropshire District Council and Oswestry Borough Council, proposed to the government that the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire become a single unitary authority. This was opposed by the other three districts in the county, with Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council taking their objection to the High Court in a judicial review.

The proposal to create a Shropshire unitary authority, covering the area of the existing non-metropolitan county, was supported by the [[Department of Communities and Local Government|DCLG]] and 1 April 2009 was set as the date for the re-organisation to take place. The first elections to Shropshire Council took place on 4 June 2009, with the former Shropshire County Council being the continuing authority and its councillors became the first members of the new Shropshire Council on 1 April.

Part of the proposals include [[civil parish|parishing]] and establishing a [[town council]] for Shrewsbury. The parish was created on 13 May 2008 and is the second most populous [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in England (only [[Weston-super-Mare]] has a greater population) with a population of over 70,000.

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

==Economy==
[[File:The Square, Shrewsbury.JPG|thumb|Shrewsbury's town centre contains the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside shopping centres, as well as more traditional historic retail areas.]]
[[File:TelfordPlaza.JPG|thumb|right|Telford Plaza in [[Telford#Landmarks|Telford Town Centre]]]]

Traditionally, agriculture has dominated the economy of Shropshire.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lanyon |first=Emma-Kate |title=Shropshire's Agricultural Collection |url=http://www.discovershropshire.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/homepage:20060830100511 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214213933/http://www.discovershropshire.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/homepage:20060830100511 |archive-date=14 December 2018 |access-date=14 December 2018 |website=Discovershropshire.org.uk}}</ref> The area later became more service-oriented. The county town of [[Shrewsbury]], the historic castle-dominated [[Ludlow]], the [[International Olympic Movement]]'s reputed birthplace [[Much Wenlock]] and the industrial birthplace of [[Ironbridge Gorge]] are the foremost [[tourism|tourist]] areas in Shropshire,<ref>[http://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/shropshire-towns/ Shropshire Towns – Towns in Shropshire, Shrewsbury, Ironbridge, Ludlow, Bridgnorth, Oswestry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080331171102/http://www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/shropshire%2Dtowns/|date=31 March 2008}}. Shropshiretourism.co.uk (21 March 2011). Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref> along with the restored canal-network which provides narrowboat holidays on the [[Shropshire Union Canal]] and other canals in the region. The natural beauty of the county draws people to all areas. In 2024, Shropshire was listed on the ABTA's list of global destinations to watch for its 'beautiful landscapes, towns and villages'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ABTA announces its 10 Destinations to Watch in 2024 ahead of Sunshine Saturday |url=https://www.abta.com/news/abta-announces-its-10-destinations-watch-2024-ahead-sunshine-saturday |access-date=7 January 2024 |website=ABTA |language=en}}</ref>

Industry is mostly found in [[Telford]], [[Oswestry]], [[Whitchurch, Shropshire|Whitchurch]], [[Market Drayton]] and Shrewsbury, though small industrial estates have developed in most of the market towns as well as on former airfields in rural areas. In towns such as Whitchurch, much of the high street is predominantly composed of small independent business which specialise in handmade items or antiques. Shrewsbury is becoming{{when|date=December 2019}} a centre for distribution and warehousing, as it is located on a nodal point of the regional road-network.<ref>[http://www.british-towns.net/en/level_2_display_ByL1.asp?GetL1=142 'Gateway to Wales'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017183803/http://british-towns.net/en/level_2_display_ByL1.asp?GetL1=142|date=17 October 2007}}. British-towns.net. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref><ref name="publications.parliament.uk">[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldhansrd/text/90720-0002.htm Lords Hansard text for 20 Jul 200920 July 2009 (pt 0002)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120165533/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200809/ldhansrd/text/90720-0002.htm|date=20 November 2017}}. Publications.parliament.uk (20 July 2009). Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

In Telford, a new [[Telford International Railfreight Park|rail freight facility]] was opened in 2009 by Telford and Wrekin Council at [[Donnington, Telford|Donnington]]<ref>{{cite web |date=2 July 2012 |title=New operator for Telford International Railfreight Park |url=http://www.telford.gov.uk/news/article/833/new_operator_for_telford_international_railfreight_park |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131113750/http://www.telford.gov.uk/news/article/833/new_operator_for_telford_international_railfreight_park |archive-date=31 January 2016 |accessdate=28 January 2016 |website=Telford.gov.uk }}</ref> with the future goal of extending the line{{which|date=December 2019}} to [[Stafford]].<ref name="publications.parliament.uk" />

Telford and Shrewsbury are the county's two main retail centres, with contrasting styles of shopping – Shrewsbury's largely historic streets and Telford's large modern mall, [[Telford Shopping Centre]].<ref>[http://www.telfordshopping.co.uk Telford Shopping Centre]. Telfordshopping.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref> Shrewsbury also has two medium-sized shopping centres, the indoor "Pride Hill" and [[Darwin Shopping Centre|"Darwin"]] centres (both located on Pride Hill),<ref>{{cite web |title=Darwin Shopping Centre |url=http://www.darwinsc.enta.net/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000248/http://www.darwinsc.enta.net/ |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> and (prior to its demolition in 2024) a smaller, partially covered, "Riverside Mall". Shrewsbury's location as the nearest substantial town for those in a large area of [[Powys|mid-Wales]] helps it draw in considerable numbers of shoppers, notably on Saturdays.

Well-known companies in Shropshire include [[Müller (company)|Müller Dairy (UK) Ltd]] in [[Market Drayton]].<ref>{{cite web |date=23 May 2008 |title=Müller - Faqs |url=http://www.muller.co.uk/faqs/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523173636/http://www.muller.co.uk/faqs/ |archive-date=23 May 2008 |access-date=14 December 2018}}</ref> The [[Royal Air Force]] operates two bases at [[DCAE Cosford|RAF Cosford]] and [[RAF Shawbury]],<ref>[http://www.raf.mod.uk/structure/stations.cfm?selectLocation=West+Midlands RAF – Stations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105214538/http://www.raf.mod.uk/structure/stations.cfm?selectLocation=West+Midlands|date=5 November 2013}}</ref> and the charity [[People's Dispensary for Sick Animals|PDSA]] has its head office in [[St George's and Priorslee|Priorslee]], Telford.<ref>[http://www.pdsa.org.uk/contactus.html Contact Us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922175438/http://www.pdsa.org.uk/contactus.html|date=22 September 2007}}. PDSA (29 July 2011). Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

===Statistics===
Below is the chart of regional gross value added for the non-metropolitan county (that is, excluding Telford & Wrekin) of Shropshire at current basic prices,<ref>{{cite web |date=28 July 2011 |title=Regional Gross Value Added |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728091019/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2011 |access-date=14 December 2018}}</ref> with figures in millions of British [[Pound sterling|pounds sterling]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year || Regional gross value added<ref name="autogenerated2">Components may not sum to totals due to rounding</ref> || Agriculture<ref name="autogenerated4">
includes hunting and forestry</ref> || Industry<ref name="autogenerated5">includes energy and construction
</ref> || Services<ref name="autogenerated3">includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured</ref>
|-
| 1995 || '''2,388''' || 238 || 618 || 1,533
|-
| 2000 || '''2,977''' || 177 || 739 || 2,061
|-
| 2003 || '''3,577''' || 197 || 843 || 2,538
|}

With the statistics for the borough of [[Telford and Wrekin]] included, the following represents the ceremonial county:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year || Regional gross value added<ref name="autogenerated2" /> || Agriculture<ref name="autogenerated4" /> || Industry<ref name="autogenerated5" /> || Services<ref name="autogenerated3" />
|-
| 1995 || '''4,151''' || 266 || 1,483 || 2,403
|-
| 2000 || '''5,049''' || 197 || 1,512 || 3,340
|-
| 2003 || '''5,947''' || 218 || 1,693 || 4,038
|}

==Education==
{{See also|List of schools in Shropshire}}
[[File:School Boathouse Shrewsbury (20960693446).jpg|thumb|[[Shrewsbury School]], with its boathouse on the [[River Severn]] in the foreground]]

The Shropshire Council area has a completely [[comprehensive school|comprehensive]] education system, whilst in the borough of Telford and Wrekin there are two selective schools, both of which are located in [[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]]—these are the [[Haberdashers' Adams|Haberdashers' Adams School]] and [[Newport Girls' High School]] (both of which are ranked within the top thirty schools in the country). In Telford itself is the [[Thomas Telford School]], ranked as one of the best comprehensive schools in England.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070310210359/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,10302,00.html GCSE: Top comprehensive schools] – ''The Times''</ref>

Some Shropshire children attend schools in [[Wales]], including [[Llanfyllin High School]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=William Gwyn |date=25 June 2009 |title=A report on the quality of education in Llanfyllin High School |url=http://www.estyn.gov.uk/download/publication/81654.3/inspection-reportllanfyllin-high-schooleng2009/ |access-date=26 April 2015 |publisher=[[Estyn]] |archive-date=25 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825065258/http://www.estyn.gov.uk/download/publication/81654.3/inspection-reportllanfyllin-high-schooleng2009/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The county has many independent schools, such as [[Oswestry School]] (founded in 1407), [[Shrewsbury School]], (founded in 1552), and [[Ellesmere College]] (founded in 1884).

There are three sixth-form colleges located in Shropshire: the [[New College, Telford]], [[Shrewsbury Sixth Form College]] and [[Ludlow College]]. Haberdashers’ Adams and Newport Girls' High Schools both provide sixth-form education as well as secondary education.

There are also two institutions of higher education in Shropshire, the Telford campus of the [[University of Wolverhampton]] and in [[Edgmond]], near Newport, [[Harper Adams University]], which formerly offered mostly agriculture-based degrees but is expanding its range of provision. A third higher education institution was created in Shrewsbury in 2015, which is a campus of the [[University of Chester]].<ref>[http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/03/28/new-university-for-shropshire/ Shropshire Star] ''New university for Shropshire given go ahead'' (28 March 2014)</ref>

In Ironbridge, the [[University of Birmingham]] operates the [[Ironbridge Institute]] in partnership with the [[Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust]], which offers postgraduate and professional development courses in heritage.

Shropshire has the highest educational attainment in the [[West Midlands region]].<ref>[http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/docs/wmchapter/section13/population.htm Defra UK; ERDP – West Midlands ERDP Regional Chapter] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611155028/http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/docs/wmchapter/section13/population.htm|date=11 June 2008}}</ref>

{{Schools in Shropshire}}

==Transport==
[[File:Montgomery Canal at Maesbury Marsh.jpg|thumb|right|[[Montgomery Canal]] at [[Maesbury Marsh]]]]
[[File:82109 - Shrewsbury (8959190070).jpg|thumb|The direct [[InterCity (British Rail)|InterCity]] from [[Shrewsbury railway station|Shrewsbury]] to [[Euston railway station|London Euston]] with a [[Driving Van Trailer|DVT]] and mailbags delivering the [[Royal Mail]] at a time when [[British Rail]] ran the network]]
{{See also|Rail transport in Shropshire}}

Shropshire is connected to the rest of the United Kingdom via a number of road and rail links. Historically, rivers and later canals in the county were used for transport also, although their use in transport is now significantly reduced. The county's main transport hub is Shrewsbury, through which many significant roads and railways pass and join.

[[Canals of the United Kingdom|Canals in Britain]] were originally constructed for the transport of goods, but are now mainly used for leisure. In northern Shropshire three canals with a total navigable length of {{convert|41|mi|km}} are managed by the [[Canal & River Trust]]: the [[Shropshire Union Canal]] (from north of [[Adderley]] to near [[Knighton, Stafford, Staffordshire|Knighton]]), the [[Llangollen Canal]] (from [[Chirk Aqueduct]] to [[Grindley Brook]]) and the [[Montgomery Canal]] (from its beginning at [[Frankton Junction]] to [[Llanymynech]]). In addition, the [[Shrewsbury Canal|Shrewsbury and Newport Canal]] potentially could be restored in the
future.<ref>[http://www.sncanal.org.uk Shrewsbury and Newport Canal Trust]. Sncanal.org.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2011.</ref>

[[File:M54, Westbound to Telford. - geograph.org.uk - 1247312.jpg|thumb|left|The [[M54 Motorway]] runs through the east of the county, as far as [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]].]]

Major roads in the county include the [[M54 motorway]], which connects Shropshire to the rest of the motorway network, and more specifically to the [[West Midlands county]]. The [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] also runs through the county, in an east–west direction. The road formerly ran through Shrewsbury, although a large dual-carriageway bypass has since been built. Other major trunk roads in the county include the north–south [[A49 road|A49]], the [[A53 road|A53]] and the [[A41 road|A41]].

There are a number of major [[Railways of Shropshire|railway]] lines running through the county, including the [[Welsh Marches Line]], the [[Heart of Wales Line]], the [[Cambrian Line]], the [[Shrewsbury to Chester Line]] and the [[Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line]], as well as [[heritage railway]]s including the well established [[Severn Valley Railway]]. The [[Cambrian Heritage Railway]] exists in [[Oswestry]]. The three train operating companies working in the county are [[West Midlands Trains]], [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales]] and [[Avanti West Coast]]. A new company, [[Wrexham & Shropshire]], commenced services from Shropshire to [[Marylebone railway station|London Marylebone]], in spring 2008 but the service was discontinued on 28 January 2011 leaving Shrewsbury without a direct link to the capital.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-12305519 |work=[[BBC News]]  | title=Last Wrexham-Shropshire-London train departs | date=28 January 2011}}</ref> Virgin Trains (the operator at the time) recommenced services from Shrewsbury to [[Euston railway station|London Euston]] on 11 December 2014, having withdrawn them in the late 1990s,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/09/22/rail-regulator-approves-direct-rail-services-from-shropshire-to-london/ | newspaper=[[Shropshire Star]] | title=Direct rail services from Shropshire to London will start on December 14 | date=22 September 2014 | access-date=1 May 2015 | archive-date=26 April 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426221718/http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/09/22/rail-regulator-approves-direct-rail-services-from-shropshire-to-london/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> however, their successor Avanti West Coast is set to withdraw service once again in June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 February 2024 |title=Direct Shropshire-London train service to end |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6pvvzw89ldo |access-date=29 February 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Two major water supply [[Pipeline transport|aqueduct]]s run across Shropshire; the [[Elan aqueduct]] running through South Shropshire carrying water from [[Elan Valley]] to [[Birmingham]] and the Vyrnwy Aqueduct running through North Shropshire delivering water from [[Lake Vyrnwy]] to [[Liverpool]].

==Media==
The county is served by [[BBC West Midlands]] and [[ITV Central]] television, and [[BBC Radio Shropshire]]. County-wide commercial radio stations are [[Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire]], [[Heart West Midlands]], [[Capital North West and Wales]], [[Smooth West Midlands]] and [[Sunshine Radio (Ludlow)|Sunshine Radio]] (serving [[Ludlow]] and southern parts of Shropshire).

The ''[[Shropshire Star]]'' newspaper covers the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-wmids/shropshire-star/|title=Shropshire Star|date=10 September 2013|website=British Papers|accessdate=16 February 2024}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
{{See also|Listed buildings in Shropshire}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
* [[Acton Scott|Acton Scott Heritage Farm]], nr. [[Church Stretton]]
* [[Adcote]] nr. [[Shrewsbury]]
* [[Attingham Park]], [[Atcham]]
* [[Benthall Hall]], [[Broseley]]
* [[Blists Hill]], [[Madeley (Shropshire)|Madeley]]
* [[Boscobel House]], nr. [[Wolverhampton]]
* [[Bridgnorth Cliff Railway]], [[Bridgnorth]]
* [[Bridgnorth Castle]], Bridgnorth
* [[Brown Clee Hill]], [[South Shropshire]]
* [[Buildwas Abbey]], [[Buildwas]]
* [[Burford, Shropshire|Burford House]]
* [[Caer Caradoc]], nr. Church Stretton
* [[Cambrian Heritage Railway]], [[Oswestry]] and [[Llynclys]]
* [[Chetwynd Park]], [[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]]
* [[Long Mynd|Cardingmill Valley]], [[Church Stretton]]
* [[Clun Castle]], [[Clun]]
* [[Flounder's Folly]], nr. [[Craven Arms]]
* [[Fordhall Farm|Fordhall castle and farm]]
* [[Haughmond Hill]], nr. Shrewsbury
* [[Haughmond Abbey]]
* [[Hawkstone Park]], [[North Shropshire]]
* [[Hopton Castle]], nr. [[Craven Arms]]
* [[Ironbridge Gorge]]
* [[Humphrey Kynaston|Kynaston's Cave]], nr. [[Nesscliffe]]
* [[Langley Chapel]], nr. Shrewsbury
* [[Lilleshall Abbey]], nr Newport
* [[Long Mynd|The Long Mynd]], Church Stretton
* [[Ludlow Castle]], [[Ludlow]]
{{col-3}}
* [[Mitchell's Fold]], nr. [[Chirbury]]
* [[Moreton Corbet Castle]], [[Moreton Corbet]]
* [[Newport Guildhall]], Newport
* [[Offa's Dyke Path]], [[Welsh Marches]]
* [[Puleston Cross]], Newport
* [[Severn Valley Railway]], Bridgnorth
* [[Shrewsbury Abbey]], Shrewsbury
* [[Shrewsbury Castle]], Shrewsbury
* [[Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] ([[AONB]]), [[South Shropshire]]
* [[Shropshire Union Canal]]
* [[Snailbeach]] Lead Mines nr. Shrewsbury
* [[South Telford Heritage Trail]], [[Telford]]
* [[Soulton Hall]] nr. [[Wem]]
* [[St Laurence Church, Ludlow]]
* [[The Stiperstones]], nr [[Pontesbury]]
* [[Stokesay Castle]], nr Craven Arms
* [[Sunnycroft]], [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]]
* [[Telford Steam Railway]], Telford
* [[Titterstone Clee Hill]], nr. Ludlow
* [[Wenlock Edge]], [[Much Wenlock]]
* [[Much Wenlock Priory|Wenlock Priory]]
* [[White Ladies Priory]]
* [[Whittington Castle]], nr. [[Oswestry]]
* [[The Wrekin]] (and [[Ercall Hill|Ercall]]) nr. [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]]
* [[Viroconium Cornoviorum|Wroxeter Roman City]], [[Wroxeter]], nr. Atcham
{{col-3}}
<div style="float:right;">
[[File:Shrewsbury Castle Keep.jpg|thumb|center|Shrewsbury Castle]]<br />
[[File:Attingham Park in Atcham, Shropshire - geograph.org.uk - 1769502.jpg|thumb|center|Attingham Park Mansion]]<br />
[[File:Ironbridge002.JPG|thumb|Ironbridge]]<br />
</div>
{{col-end}}

==Notable people==
{{more citations needed|section|date=August 2020}}
[[File:Charles Darwin aged 51.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Charles Darwin, 1854]]
[[File:Clive of india statue in shrewsbury.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Clive of India statue in Shrewsbury's Square]]
[[File:Captain Matthew Webb.jpg|thumb|150px|Captain Matthew Webb, 1883]]
[[File:Wilfred Owen plate from Poems (1920).jpg|thumb|150px|Wilfred Owen, 1920 plate]]
[[File:William Penny Brookes 1875.jpg|thumb|150px|William Penny Brookes, 1875]]
[[File:British (English) School - Sir Rowland Hill (1492–1561) - 1298284 - National Trust.jpg|alt=Sir Rowland Hill, coordinator of the Geneva Bible and possible inspiration for As You Like It.|thumb|207x207px|[[Rowland Hill (MP)|Sir Rowland Hill]], coordinator of the Geneva Bible and possible inspiration for ''As You Like It'', was from the county.]]
* [[Abraham Darby I|Abraham Darby]], early industrialist<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mott|first=R. A.|date=1957|title=The earliest use of coke for ironmaking|journal=Gas World|volume=145|pages=7–18}}</ref>
* [[Adrian Jones (sculptor)|Adrian Jones]], sculptor of the Quadriga at [[Hyde Park Corner]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hussards Photos|url=http://www.hussards-photos.com/UK/UK_3_CDV_Ludlow.htm|access-date=7 May 2021|website=www.hussards-photos.com}}</ref>
* [[Barbara Pym]], novelist
* [[Carol Decker]], lead singer of the 1980s pop group [[T'Pau (band)|T'Pau]], went to school in Shropshire
* [[Charles Babbage]], early computing pioneer, lived at [[Dudmaston Hall]] in 1814
* [[Charles Darwin]], eminent [[naturalist]] developed the [[theory of evolution by natural selection]], born in Shrewsbury
* [[Chris Hawkins]], radio presenter and DJ, born in [[Loppington]]
* [[Craig Phillips]], of Newport, winner of [[Big Brother 2000 (UK)|''Big Brother'' 2000]]
* [[Dominic Sandbrook]], historian and TV presenter
* [[Edith Pargeter]] (1913–1995), author
* [[Edmund Plowden]] (1518–1585), legal scholar and theorist
* Sir [[Edmund Plowden (colonial governor)|Edmund Plowden]] (1590–1659), proprietor, Earl Palatine and Governor of [[New Albion]]
* [[Edric the Wild]], Anglo-Saxon magnate
* [[Edward Waring]] (1736–1798), mathematician
* [[Eglantyne Jebb]] of Ellesmere, social reformer and founder of the [[Save the Children Fund]]
* [[Fred Jordan (singer)|Fred Jordan]], farm worker from Ludlow and one of the great [[traditional]] [[England|English]] singers
* [[George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys|George Jeffreys]], of Wem, infamous judge
* [[Georgina Frederica Jackson]], compiler of ''Shropshire Word-Book''
* [[Greg Davies]], comedian and actor grew up in Wem
* [[Humphrey Kynaston]] (died 1534), [[highwayman]]
* [[Isobel Cooper]] (Izzy), opera singer from Much Wenlock
* [[Ivan Jones (author)|Ivan Jones]], writer of ''The Ghost Hunter''
* [[Jesse Armstrong]], screenwriter and producer, creator of Emmy-winning TV show '[[Succession (TV series)|Succession]]', and co-creator of comedy TV shows '[[Peep Show (British TV series)|Peep Show]]' and '[[Fresh Meat (TV series)|Fresh Meat]]'
* [[John Benbow]], Admiral of the White, born in Shrewsbury
* [[John Mytton]], 'Mad Jack' Mytton, Regency rake, MP, gambler and horseman
* [[John Wilkinson (industrialist)|John Wilkinson]], of [[Broseley]], industrialist
* [[Jonathan Corbett]], TV presenter
* [[K. K. Downing]], guitarist with [[Judas Priest]]
* [[Lara Jones]], writer of the Poppy Cat books
* [[Len Murray]], former head of the [[Trades Union Congress|T.U.C.]]
* [[John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton|Lord Acton]], 19th century historian
* [[Mal Lewis Jones]], writer
* [[Mary Beard (classicist)|Mary Beard]], classicist and public personality at [[Cambridge University]]
* [[Mary Esther Harding]] (1888–1971), British-American [[Jungian]] analyst
* [[Mary Webb]] (1881–1927), author
* [[Mirabel Osler]], author
* [[Pete Postlethwaite]], actor, lived near [[Church Stretton]] until his death in 2011
* Sir [[Philip Sidney]], prominent Elizabethan
* [[Richard Lee I]], first member of the [[Lee family]] of America. Ancestor of [[Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist)|Thomas Lee]], [[Francis Lightfoot Lee]], [[Richard Henry Lee]], [[Henry Lee III]], [[Thomas Sim Lee]], and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] General [[Robert E. Lee]].
* [[Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive]], 'Clive of India', born near Market Drayton
* [[Rowland Hill (MP)|Sir Rowland Hill]], coordinator of the Geneva Bible and possible inspiration for ''[[As You Like It]]''<ref name="Austin"/>
* [[Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill]], Napoleonic era general
* [[Roy Wood]], of Wem, in the band [[Wizzard]]
* [[Stewart Lee]], stand-up comedian, writer and director
* [[Sybil Ruscoe]], TV and radio presenter
* [[Trevor Rees-Jones (bodyguard)|Trevor Rees-Jones]], bodyguard and author
* [[Tricia Sullivan]], American science fiction author, lives in Shropshire
* [[Wilfred Owen]], leading [[First World War]] poet
* [[William Farr]], epidemiologist and early bio-statistician
* [[William Henry Griffith Thomas]] (1861–1924), [[evangelical]] [[Anglican]] theologian
* [[William Wycherley]], [[English Restoration|Restoration]] dramatist and playwright known for ''[[The Country Wife]]''
* [[William Sommers]], court jester of Henry VIII of England was born in Shropshire

===Sports===
* [[Alison Williamson]], of [[Church Stretton]], archery Olympic bronze medalist
* [[Amy Bagshaw]], international [[gymnast]] 
* [[Billy Wright (footballer born 1924)|Billy Wright]], born in Ironbridge, [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]] footballer and England captain
* [[David Edwards (footballer, born 1986)|David Edwards]], footballer (born in Pontesbury), Shrewsbury Town F.C & Wales
* [[Ernie Clements]], cyclist
* [[Gordon Richards (jockey)|Sir Gordon Richards]] (1902–1986), 26 times flat racing Champion Jockey, born at Donnington Wood
* [[Harry Weetman]], golfer, born Oswestry
* [[Ian Woosnam]], golfer, born Oswestry, grew up at St. Martin's<ref>{{citation | url = https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/cricket/2018/09/08/big-interview-ian-woosnams-world-tour-has-gone-full-circle/ | title = Ian Woosnam's world tour has gone full circle | publisher = Shropshire Star | date = 10 Sep 2018 }}</ref>
* [[Joe Hart]], born in Shrewsbury, [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] and England goalkeeper
* [[Matthew Jones (footballer, born 1980)|Matthew Jones]], footballer
* [[Matthew Webb]], first man to swim the [[English Channel]]
* [[Sandy Lyle]], golfer, born Shrewsbury
* [[William Penny Brookes]], from Much Wenlock, founder of [[Wenlock Olympian Games]]

==Sport==
[[File:STFC - New Meadow (Aerial).jpg|thumb|right|The [[New Meadow]] football stadium, home to [[Shrewsbury Town Football Club]]]]
[[File:Hawkstone international 2007 hawkstone hill 01 jamie clarke.jpg|thumb|right|Hawkstone Motocross Circuit]]

There are a significant number of sporting clubs and facilities in Shropshire, many of which are found in [[Shrewsbury#Sport|Shrewsbury]] and [[Telford#Sport|Telford]] in addition to a number of clubs found locally throughout the county. Shropshire is home to a variety of established amateur, semi-pro and professional sports clubs.

The county is home to one of five [[National Sports Centres]]. Situated at [[Lilleshall Hall]] just outside [[Newport, Shropshire|Newport]] in [[Lilleshall]], this is where the [[England national football team|1966 England National football team]] trained for two weeks prior to their success in the [[1966 FIFA World Cup|World Cup of 1966]].

===Football===

The three highest [[association football|football]] (and only professional) clubs in the county are [[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]] ([[EFL League Two]]), [[A.F.C. Telford United]] ([[Southern Football League|Southern League Premier Division Central]]) and [[The New Saints F.C.|The New Saints]] ([[Welsh Premier League]]) in Oswestry.

There are numerous semi-professional football clubs in the lower leagues. The [[sport governing body|governing body]] in the county is the [[Shropshire Football Association]], who organise a number of county-wide cup competitions, including the [[Shropshire Senior Cup]]. In 2020 the [[Shropshire County Football League]] was created, replacing the [[Shropshire Premier League]]. {{As of|2022|alt=As of the 2022–23 football season}} the following Shropshire clubs play in these English leagues (the highest team of each club shown only):

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! [[English football league system|Level]] !! League !! Clubs
|-
|4
|[[EFL League Two|League Two]]
|[[Shrewsbury Town F.C.|Shrewsbury Town]]
|-
|6
|[[Vanarama National League North| National League North]]
|[[A.F.C. Telford United|AFC Telford United]]
|-
|9
|[[Midland Football League|Midland League]] Premier Division
|[[Market Drayton Town F.C.|Market Drayton Town]], [[Shifnal Town F.C.|Shifnal Town]], [[Whitchurch Alport F.C.|Whitchurch Alport]]
|-
|rowspan=2|10
|[[Midland Football League|Midland League]] Division One
|[[A.F.C. Bridgnorth|AFC Bridgnorth]], [[Haughmond F.C.|Haughmond]], [[Shawbury United F.C.|Shawbury United]]
|-
|-
|[[North West Counties Football League|North West Counties League]] Division One South
|[[Ellesmere Rangers F.C.|Ellesmere Rangers]]
|}

Also, some clubs situated near the Welsh border play in the [[Welsh football league system|Welsh league system]]:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! [[Welsh football league system|Level]] !! League !! Clubs
|-
|1
|[[Cymru Premier]]
|[[The New Saints F.C.|The New Saints]]
|-
|4
|[[Central Wales Football League]] Northern Division
|[[Bishops Castle Town F.C.|Bishop's Castle Town]]
|}

===Other sports===
The historic [[Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games]] (begun 1850) are held annually in [[Much Wenlock]] during the second weekend in July. A four-day festival, the Games include cricket, volleyball, tennis, bowls, badminton, triathlon, 10k road race, track and field events, archery, five-a-side football, veteran cycle events, clay pigeon shooting and a golf competition.

The county [[:Category:Golf clubs and courses in Shropshire|has a number]] of private and public [[golf course]]s, including the [[Church Stretton#Golf course|Church Stretton Golf Club]], situated on the slopes of the [[Long Mynd]]. It is the oldest 18-hole golf course in Shropshire, opened in 1898, and one of the highest in the United Kingdom. There is one notable horse racing [[racecourse]] in Shropshire, near Ludlow, the [[Ludlow Racecourse]].

[[File:Nocturanl barlie.jpg|thumb|right|[[Shropshire Star Newport Nocturne]] bike race 2006]]

The area also has a rich motorsports heritage, with the [[Loton Park Hillclimb]] and [[Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit]] situated near Shrewsbury. [[Shrewsbury Motocross Club]] has staged [[motocross]] events in the area for over 30 years. There is additionally an ice hockey club in the county, the [[Telford Tigers]].

One of the biggest one-day events in Shropshire and the biggest one-day cycle race in the UK is the [[Shropshire Star Newport Nocturne]], founded 1970; held every four years, it is Britain's only floodlit cycle race.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/roa/News2007/20070814_Newport_Nocturne.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828021428/http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/roa/News2007/20070814_Newport_Nocturne.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 August 2008|title=Newport Nocturne Returns|date=28 August 2008|access-date=14 December 2018}}</ref>

The county has one [[American football]] team, [[Shropshire Revolution]], which was founded in 2006, and is a club in the [[British American Football League]]. Former teams in the county have included the [[Wrekin Giants]], which ran from 1985 to 1989 and the [[Shropshire Giants]] which ran in 1989. Shropshire has a number of rugby clubs, including [[Newport (Salop) Rugby Union Football Club]], and [https://bridgnorthrfc.rfu.club/ Bridgnorth Rugby Football Club], the highest-levelled teams in the county, both playing in the [[Regional 1 Midlands]] league.

== See also ==
* [[7603 Salopia]] – an [[asteroid]] named after the county
* [[53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot|53rd Regiment of Foot]] – former [[British Army]] regiment
* [[Diocese of Shrewsbury]] – Roman Catholic [[diocese]] which covers all of Shropshire
* [[Healthcare in Shropshire]]
* [[List of English and Welsh endowed schools (19th century)#Shropshire]]
* [[Shropshire Archives]] – collects and makes accessible archives and books relating to the county
* [[Shropshire Blue cheese]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}

== Further reading ==
* Gareth Roddy, [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13619462.2018.1471683 "'Westward on the high-hilled plains': the literature of Shropshire and the early twentieth century imagination, 1896–c.1939"], ''[[Contemporary British History]]'', vol. 33, no. 1 (2019), pp.&nbsp;28–51.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Shropshire}}
* [http://www.shropshire.gov.uk Shropshire Council]
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/shropshire BBC Shropshire news]
* [http://www.shropshirestar.com ''Shropshire Star'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121002095724/http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=0 Images of Shropshire] at the [[English Heritage Archive]]
* [http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/shropshire  The History of Parliament: the House of Commons – Shropshire, County, 1386 to 1831] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032309/http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/shropshire |date=1 December 2017 }}

{{Geographic Location
|title     = Neighbouring counties
|Northwest = [[Wrexham (county borough)|Wrexham]]/[[Clwyd]]
|North     = [[Cheshire]]
|Northeast = [[Staffordshire]]
|West      = [[Powys]]
|Centre    = SHROPSHIRE
|East      = [[Staffordshire]]
|Southwest = [[Powys]]
|South     = [[Herefordshire]]
|Southeast = [[Worcestershire]]
}}

{{Shropshire}}
{{West Midlands}}
{{England counties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shropshire| ]]
[[Category:Ceremonial counties of England]]
[[Category:Counties of the Welsh Marches]]
[[Category:Counties of England established in antiquity]]