Shropshire 
The administrative ‘shire’ of Shropshire was created over a thousand years ago in 925 by Aethelflaed, daughter of King Alfred. Shropshire County Council was created in 1889 and in 1998 Telford and Wrekin split off from the rest of county to take over the administration of their local government services. Telford and Wrekin has a population of 153,000, whilst the rest of Shropshire has a population of 280,390.
Whilst Shropshire is a largely rural area, there are several important towns, the most prominent of which are Shrewsbury and Telford. The historic town of Shrewsbury dates back to the days when a Saxon fortress was built in a protective loop in the River Severn, in 1189 a royal charter was granted by Richard 1 and the castle was rebuilt by William the Conqueror. Shrewsbury is one of England’s finest timber framed and Georgian towns and has a population of 97,400 people.
In contrast, the new town of Telford is ultra modern with high tech buildings and a rising population. The town itself was named after the engineer Thomas Telford, one of the principal architects of the industrial revolution and the Wrekin area around Telford is made up of many old market, mining and manufacturing towns. The area is home to the world heritage site of Ironbridge.
Shropshire Trivia
