Church Stretton

Church Stretton
Church Stretton viewed from the Ragleth
Church Stretton  Church Stretton shown within Shropshire
Population	2,789
OS grid reference	SO453937
- London	158 miles (254 km)
Civil parish	Church Stretton
Unitary authority	Shropshire
Ceremonial county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CHURCH STRETTON
Postcode district	SY6
Dialling code	01694
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
EU Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Ludlow
List of places: UK • England • Shropshire

Church Stretton is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The town lies entirely in the Shropshire Hills AONB, on the A49 road approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Shrewsbury, the county town, and 15 miles (24 km) north of Ludlow. The population of the town was recorded as 2,789 in 2001, whilst the population of the wider parish (including the adjacent settlements of All Stretton and Little Stretton) was recorded as 4,186.

The town was nicknamed Little Switzerland in the late-Victorian and Edwardian period, due to its landscape and development as a health resort. The local geology is complex and incorporates some of the oldest rocks in England - a notable fault is named after the town. Today, Church Stretton continues to be a busy market town, as well as being a destination for visitors to the surrounding natural landscape, with the Long Mynd situated immediately to the west of the town and the Stretton Hills to the east.

History

People have lived in the Stretton Gap (or Dale) for thousands of years; an Iron Age hillfort on Caer Caradoc overlooks the town. The name "Stretton" is derived from the Old English words stræt meaning "Roman Road" and tun meaning "settlement"; a Roman road, Watling Street runs through the Stretton Gap, though the town (and adjacent settlements) were not historically located on this road — during the "Dark Ages" the settlements grew a short distance away from the old thoroughfare, for defensive purposes. Today the modern A49 road, which was constructed on its current alignment through the Stretton Gap in the late 1930s, runs along a similar course to the Roman Road. The Roman Road was historically known as Botte Street.

The settlements of Little Stretton, Church Stretton and All Stretton (until the late 19th century regarded as separate townships) formed the manor of Stretton-en-le-Dale. Church Stretton became the largest of the settlements, with the manor's parish church and market located there, and being where Bristol Road had a junction with the road to Much Wenlock and the Burway - a route over the Long Mynd.

The town was first granted a market charter by King John in 1214, for a weekly market on Wednesdays, but by 1253 the market day had changed to Tuesdays. In 1337 a new charter was granted by Edward III and it authorised a weekly market to be held on Thursdays. The market is still held every Thursday, in the square on the High Street, which has been the town's market place since the 13th century. Much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1593 and many of the present half timbered buildings in the town centre date from the time of the rebuilding.

The High Street was for many centuries known instead as the Bristol Road, being the road from Shrewsbury to Bristol. It was once a much wider street within the town, with the churchyard of St Laurence bordering directly onto the street. Over time buildings were erected on the street, in a similar fashion to other English market towns, such as in Ludlow. The High Street, which is a narrow street, is effectively only the eastern side of the original Bristol Road thoroughfare through the town. It was made more open when the old market hall was demolished to form the present town square.

18th century

Carding Mill Valley, named after the textile mill there, now a notable tourist spot

During the 18th century, Church Stretton began to develop as a spa town, attracting those who sought to escape the new urbanisation and industrialism of Britain.^{[citation needed]}

Carding Mill Valley

Historically the town was known for its textiles, using the abundant local wool, and a notable location for this industry was Carding Mill Valley (grid reference SO442945). The carding mill there was built in the 18th century, and named after a stage in making cloth, the three stages being carding, spinning and weaving. Carding would have been done by children, and involved using a hand-card that removed and untangled short fibres from the mass of raw material. The cards were wooden blocks with handles and covered in metal spikes, which were angled (to make it easier to untangle) and set in leather. When untangled, the material would be spun, and then weaved into the final product.

The carding mill closed at the beginning of the 20th century, though the mill building remains in the valley today. The valley it is in took the name "Carding Mill Valley", and is now a tourist attraction and well-known starting location for walkers (being at the heart of the Long Mynd range). It is owned (along with the entire hill range) by the National Trust, who have a visitor centre there. The mill building itself has been converted into flats and a number of other private houses exist near it and the visitor centre, forming a small settlement in the valley. Vehicles (and therefore most visitors) have to drive up from the town, from Shrewsbury Road, to access the valley.

Victorian and Edwardian times

The hills and woodland to the west/southwest of the town, as seen from the slope of the Ragleth hill. The Edwardian Long Mynd Hotel is the large, white building amongst the woodland to the left

Church Stretton was nicknamed "Little Switzerland" during its growth in the late-Victorian and Edwardian period, because of the way many houses hug the hillside, the surrounding mountainous landscape, and because the town is said to have been run like clockwork.^{[citation needed]}

Church Stretton railway station opened on 20 April 1852 as part of the newly created Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway. It was originally situated to the north of (what is now known as) Sandford Avenue and the old station building still remains, but is no longer in railway use. Sandford Avenue had been for centuries called Lake Lane and became Station Road with the arrival of the railway in the town, before becoming Sandford Avenue in 1884.

In 1914 the station was relocated just to the south of the Sandford Avenue road bridge, where it continues to the present day. New station buildings were erected, but these were demolished in 1970, the station having become unstaffed in 1967.

Local property developer Ralph Beaumont Benson (1862–1911), who lived at Lutwyche Hall in nearby Easthope, is responsible for the naming of Easthope Road, Essex Road (after his wife), Beaumont Road and Lutwyche Road, all in the centre of the town and part of the town's expansion in the early 20th century.

Long Mynd Hotel

The Long Mynd Hotel on Cunnery Road opened in 1901, originally as "The Hydropathic Hotel" (or "the Hydro"), at a time when the town was popular as a spa. Today it continues as a hotel and has a number of features and activities in its woodland grounds; it is also a wedding and conference venue. In 2012 it was sold by the local Chapman family (who ran it since 1977) to 'HF Holidays', a national company.

Mid-20th century

During the Second World War, from 1940 to 1946, St Dunstan's was based in the town. The charitable service (for blinded armed forces personnel) was relocated from Sussex as Church Stretton was thought to be a safe location. Some 700 people were trained during this period in Church Stretton. The Long Mynd Hotel, the Brockhurst Estate, and Tiger Hall were the most notable buildings taken over by St Dunstan's in the town. A residential cul-de-sac is named St Dunstan's Close in recognition of the charity's place in the town's history. Although Church Stretton avoided the aerial bombing of the war, the Long Mynd was considered to be a potential landing place for German parachutists.

Late 20th century

St Lawrence's Church, a largely Norman structure, but with Saxon origins

A small market hall stood on the High Street but was demolished in July 1963 and the site has become a town square, and is still used to hold markets on. The first market hall — a timber-framed construction — was built in 1617; this was replaced by the second market hall (called the Town Hall) in 1839, which was a stone and red-brick construction. Today the Silvester Horne Institute (extended and refurbished in 2011) is the town's main meeting place for societies, public meetings & exhibitions and polling, and the town council have their offices nearby on the High Street. Additionally there is the Mayfair Community Centre on Easthope Road and the St Laurence's Parish Hall on Church Street.

In recent years volunteer members of the Community Group have transformed Church Stretton into the Town of Flags: thanks to local grants they have purchased over 120 flags - English, Union and foreign - and these are regularly flown in the town centre on special occasions throughout the year.

Conservation

Most of the town centre and a large part of the west of the town (including the entrance to Carding Mill Valley) is covered by the Church Stretton Conservation Area. The Conservation Area contains all of the town's Listed buildings and smaller structures, approximately 40 in total. St Lawrence's Church is Grade I listed.

Population

At the 2001 census, the parish's population was 4,186. The population of Church Stretton parish (including All Stretton, Little Stretton and Minton) was recorded in official UK censuses as being:

Year	Population
1801	924
1811	944
1821	1226
1831	1302
1841	1604
1851	1676
1861	1695
1871	1756
1881	1683
1891	1707

Year	Population
1901	1749
1911	2435
1921	2652
1931	2637
1941	no census
1951	3513
1961	3640
1971	3514
1981	3945
1991	4184
2001	4186
2011	awaiting data

Graph showing the parish's population since 1801

Shrewsbury Road (the B5477), looking south towards the town centre

The population remained steady between 1841 and 1901, but then boomed in the first two decades of the 20th century as the town became a desirable rural retreat. Another spate of growth occurred in the period 1931-1951. Since then there has been unremarkable growth, with some expansion in the 1970s and '80s.

Geography

View of The Lawley hill (looking north) from the top of Caer Caradoc

High Street, near the junction with Sandford Avenue. The building in the centre was once the town's main hotel, until the 1960s.

Church Stretton is located approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Shropshire's county town, Shrewsbury. The town is dominated by the surrounding hills, including the huge Long Mynd massif to the west, and Caer Caradoc and the adjacent hills (Hazler, Ragleth, et al.) to the east.

Church Stretton effectively lies at a saddle point - the railway station lies roughly at this position, which is at 187 metres (614 ft) above sea level. The High Street through the town centre runs at an elevation of 194 to 195m. Because of its position at a saddle point, water drains away from the town in two directions - towards the north (to the Cound and then the Severn) and towards the south (to the Onny and then the Teme) - roughly Sandford Avenue in the town centre forms the watershed. Parts of the town are subject to flooding after heavy rain and in 2000 serious flooding closed the railway line through the town.

Localities

The historic core of the town lies around the parish church and along the High Street. With the building of the railway line and station in 1852, the town began to grow towards the new station, along what is today Sandford Avenue. Since the first half of the 20th century the two main streets of the town centre are the High Street and Sandford Avenue. The B5477 takes the name Shrewsbury Road north from the town centre, High Street within the town centre, and Ludlow Road south of there.

Cunnery is a hillside and collection of houses to the west of the town centre and includes the Long Mynd Hotel. World's End is where the Ludlow Road curves round the foot of the hillside to the south of the Long Mynd Hotel. To the north of the town centre is an area called Ashbrook; here the Carding Mill Valley meets the town, with the stream (known as the Ashbrook as it runs through the town) running between the town's two main recreation fields (named Russell's Meadow and Richard Robinson Field). Two other notable areas of public parkland are Rectory Field & Wood, situated to the west of the town centre off Church Street, and the town's formal park between the A49 and the railway line, which is managed by the town council and includes tennis courts and a bowling green.

On the eastern side of the A49 road are three named areas: Battlefield, Snatchfield and Hazler. On Hazler Hill is a transmitter for local radio (BBC Radio Shropshire broadcast from here on 90FM). Battlefield is named for the legend that Caer Caradoc was the site of the last stand of Caractacus against the Roman legions during the Roman conquest of Britain, and that after the battle he hid in the cave near its summit.

All Stretton and Little Stretton

The villages of All Stretton and Little Stretton remain separate settlements to Church Stretton. The B5477 connects the three settlements, with Church Stretton roughly mid-way between — All Stretton is 1.0 mile (1.6 km) north of the centre of Church Stretton, whilst Little Stretton is 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south. Although there is some ribbon development along the B5477, the three settlements are not joined, although the gap between the nearest buildings of All Stretton and Church Stretton is a mere 170 metres (560 ft) and the road signs (on the B5477) welcoming people into those two settlements lie back-to-back. The B5477 continues as Shrewsbury Road as it passes through All Stretton and likewise continues as Ludlow Road as it passes through Little Stretton. The three settlements are sometimes known collectively as "the Strettons", a name also given to the wider area including the surrounding hills.

Governance

Church Stretton viewed from Nover's Hill; the Hazler and Ragleth hills are behind

The town is located within the civil parish of Church Stretton, and is administered by a parish council called Church Stretton Town Council. The parish (and the town council) also cover the neighbouring villages of All Stretton, Little Stretton, and the hamlets of Minton and Hamperley. The parish is divided into four wards: Church Stretton North (represented by four councillors on the town council), Church Stretton South (represented by five councillors), All Stretton and Little Stretton (each represented by two councillors). Between 1966 and 2001, the parish had only a "parish council" and no mayor, a situation which was remedied by a resolution of the council in May 2001. The present mayor, and chairman of the town council, is Councillor Bob Welch.

Sometimes the parish is referred to as "Church Stretton and Little Stretton"; the present-day parish was formed by the addition of the former Little Stretton parish and part of All Stretton parish (the remainder still exists as a separate parish). This is effectively a return to the situation before 1899, when the old civil parish of Church Stretton was split into three, though the modern parish does not include that part of All Stretton parish that was not transferred in 1934.

Local government

From 1894 to 1966 the town was an urban district (a form of local government) in its own right, before becoming part of Ludlow Rural District (the separate Church Stretton Rural District had already been abolished in 1934) and the contemporary civil parish was then established. In 1974 the system of urban and rural districts was replaced and the town came under South Shropshire non-metropolitan district and Shropshire non-metropolitan county. The most recent change in local government occurred in 2009 when Shropshire became a unitary area with Shropshire Council replacing South Shropshire District Council and Shropshire County Council.

Church Stretton is part of the Shropshire Council electoral division (or ward) of 'Church Stretton and Craven Arms'. In the 2009 council elections the electorate of this ward returned two councillors, both Conservative.

Member of Parliament

On a national level, Church Stretton is located within the Ludlow constituency, and the current Member of Parliament ("MP") for that constituency is Philip Dunne, a Conservative MP.

Geology

See also: Geology of Shropshire

The local geology is complex; the area lies astride the Church Stretton Fault and atop some of the oldest rocks in England - formed over 560 million years ago. On 2 April 1990, another nearby fault - the Pontesford-Linley Fault - registered an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale, known as the Bishop's Castle earthquake. The area also plays a part in the history of geology: the three major subdivsions of the Lower Paleozoic are named for local celtic tribes - Cambrian, Ordovician & Silurian. Also, Comley Quarry is about 2.5 miles (4 km) from the town and the first site in the British Isles where trilobites were recorded.

Transport

A Minsterley Motors bus turning off Beaumont Road onto Sandford Avenue

Road

The A49 (a primary route and trunk road) runs through the Stretton Gap, connecting Shrewsbury to the north with Ludlow and Hereford to the south. The B5477 runs through the villages of All Stretton and Little Stretton, as well as the historic core and town centre of Church Stretton. The B4371 starts at the B5477 in the town centre and heads east, having a crossroads junction with the A49, then up to Hazler and on towards Much Wenlock. The B4371 in the town (on both sides of the A49) is known as Sandford Avenue and is partially lined with lime trees.

The B5477 was, until renumbered in 2004, the northern section of the B4370. The renumbering to B5477 is inexplicable in two ways - the number does not comply with the Great Britain road numbering scheme (it is "out-of-zone") and is already in use in Wallasey.

Rail

See also: Church Stretton railway station

The Welsh Marches Line runs through the town and the town has its own station, situated off Sandford Avenue just east of the town centre, near the junction of the A49 and B4371. The railway was originally built as the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway in 1852. Trains on the Heart of Wales Line also call at the station. Today there are direct train services to Shrewsbury, Chester, Holyhead, Crewe, Manchester, Ludlow, Hereford, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea.

Bus

The town is served by the 435 bus route (the Shrewsbury-Ludlow service), run by Minsterley Motors, which runs Monday-Saturday. This connects the town with All Stretton, Dorrington and Condover towards Shrewsbury, and Little Stretton, Craven Arms and Bromfield towards Ludlow. In addition there is a Shropshire Hills Shuttles service (route 780) that operates during the spring/summer, which runs over the Long Mynd to Ratlinghope & Bridges, Stiperstones, Habberley, Pulverbatch, Minsterley and Pontesbury. This operates at the weekends and on Bank Holiday Mondays.

Cycling

Regional Cycle Route 32/33 runs through the town, on its way from Shrewsbury to Craven Arms. The route avoids cycling along the busy A49 main road, with the exception of a stretch north of Craven Arms. The area is popular with mountain cyclists, due to the number of bridleways and country lanes in the hilly countryside.

Economy

A stile and footpath with view of the Long Mynd; tourism based on the surrounding natural landscape has been important for the town's economy since the late 19th century

The mineral water bottling plant on Shrewsbury Road (known locally as the 'Pop Works') is a notable local employer as is the technology laboratories off Essex Road, currently owned by Agilent Technologies (until 2009 by Varian). There is a designated light industrial estate between the A49 and the railway line, with a number of small businesses operating.

The town benefits from tourism, which is a growth industry in the area, as well as attracting local trade. A recent survey showed that the town has some fifty retail outlets, 44 of which are independently-owned, with a high diversity of shop types. The offer in the town centre includes two butchers, several outdoor activities shops, bakers and delicatessens, several clothes and shoe shops, three banks, and a Co-op supermarket. There is a large antiques market, situated in a former malthouse on the corner of Sandford Avenue and Easthope Road. There are four pubs, as well as a number of cafes and small restaurants. In June 2011 the town was officially declared to be a "Fairtrade Town" with 34 businesses selling fair trade products. A small art gallery exists in the former hotel on the corner of Shrewsbury Road and Sandford Avenue. The town also has a number of professional services, such as solicitors, accountants and estate agents, confirming its status as a local centre of business.

As of the 2001 census, in the north ward of Church Stretton, 50.6% of residents are in employment, and 32.2% are retired; unemployment is at 2%. In Church Stretton's south ward, the rate of employment is higher, at 57.5%, with 24.9% of residents retired; the rate of unemployment is 1.9%.

Culture and sport

St Laurence's Church - the town's ancient parish church, which distinguished the town from the two neighbouring settlements called Stretton, giving the town its "Church" affix

The novelist Henry Kingsley (1830–1876) wrote "Stretton" based around this area, and Oliver Sandys' book, "Quaint Place" is set in Church Stretton. Mary Webb's works also made reference to the town, under the name "Shepwardine". The Lone Pine Club series of children's books by Malcolm Saville is also partly set in the area.

Church Stretton is a major centre for the sport of archery, and there is also a gliding air field and station atop the Long Mynd, owned by the Midland Gliding Club. As well as gliding, the activities of paragliding, hang gliding and similar aerial pursuits take place from the Long Mynd. Church Stretton became a Walkers Are Welcome town in 2009, the first in the West Midlands, and its many well-maintained footpaths over the Long Mynd and the Stretton Hills help make it a major walking centre for Shropshire. In the town itself, sports facilities are provided adjacent to the schools, just off Shrewsbury Road, which include a swimming pool and a recently opened 4 court sports & leisure centre, and the town council provide facilities (such as a BMX facility, crazy golf, hard tennis courts, a bowling green and a croquet pitch) at the town park (situated between the A49 and the railway).

Summer festival

In recent times, on a June Saturday the town holds a summer festival ("Summerfest"), organised by volunteers and the town's chamber of trade. The town centre's streets and car parks are closed to traffic, as stalls, entertainment and activities take place throughout the town, including a classic car and steam rally. In the evening there is a concert in Rectory Field.

Churches

The town has four churches: the historic Anglican (Church of England) parish church dedicated to Lawrence of Rome, situated on the corner of Churchway and Church Street; the United Reformed Church on Ludlow Road; a Roman Catholic church dedicated to St Milburga (a local saint), situated on the corner of Sandford Avenue and Watling Street; and a Methodist church situated on the corner of Crossways and Watling Street. Saint Lawrence's Church has a remnant of its Anglo-Saxon origins: a stone carved fertility symbol called a Sheela na gig.

Golf course

Aerial photo of part of the town in 2008, showing the entrance to Carding Mill Valley and the Golf Club's clubhouse

There is a 18-hole golf course about a km from the town centre, the Church Stretton Golf Club. The course is 5,030 yards long and has a par of 66. It is one of the highest golf courses in the country, being located on the side of the Long Mynd hill range (the course is situated on the slopes of Stanyeld Hill and Bodbury Hill). The clubhouse is at approximately 230m (755 ft) above sea level and the hilly links course rises up to around 375m (1,230 ft). Apart from the clubhouse, putting green and first hole, the course is situated on common land owned by the National Trust (who own most of the Long Mynd upland area).

The town's golf course is the oldest 18-hole course in Shropshire, with the club starting in 1898 and the final holes being completed around 1904. The course was primarily designed by John (Jack) Morris and James Hepburn. James Braid and Harry Vardon later made changes to the course.

Open Champions James Braid, Harry Vardon and J. H. Taylor (together referred to as the Great Triumvirate) all played at the course many times, albeit at different times, during the pre-World War I years of the club's existence.

Football

The town centre viewed across Russell's Meadow; the Long Mynd is on the right

Church Stretton Town F.C. (usually called simply "Stretton") are a football team who currently play in the Shropshire County Premier Football League's Premier Division. Home games are played at Russell's Meadow, located near the centre of the town off Lutwyche Road (grid reference SO455939). In the 2009-10 season, Church Stretton were winners of the Sentinel News First Division Cup, convincingly beating Brown Clee 5-1 in the final. In the 2010-11 season, Church Stretton finished 2nd in Division One, gaining promotion to the Premier Division for 2011-12. Having completed the season, the side then won the SFA Williams & Picken Junior Cup, beating Premier Division side Ellesmere Rangers Reserves at Shrewsbury Town's ground, the New Meadow. The current manager is Rick Corfield.

There has been a football field at Russell's Meadow since the 1930s, though the pavilion moved (c. 1950s) from the other side of the Ashbrook to its present location near Lutwyche Road. There is a community project on-going to raise funds and then build a new pavilion at Russell's Meadow. In 2011 funding was secured from Sport England to improve the five existing football pitches and create two new training pitches, on both Russell's Meadow and neighbouring Robinson's Field. Russell's Meadow is also home to a separate football club for under-16s — the Church Stretton Magpies — and to Sunday league football. The home colours of both the Town and Magpies teams is black and white.

Cricket

During the summer, Russell's Meadow and its pavilion are used to play cricket. Church Stretton Cricket Club have a Saturday First XI playing in the Shropshire Cricket League Division Two and a Friendly XI that play on Sundays against Shropshire teams and touring sides.

Notable people

The northern parts of the town from the Burway; the entrance to Carding Mill Valley is below on the left

Residents of the town did include Pete Postlethwaite, who used to live in Minton, near Little Stretton, which was the home of Oliver Sandys. Also, the Olympic bronze-medal archer, Alison Williamson lives in All Stretton and is a member of the town's archery club. In the 1930s, E. M. Almedingen, the biographer and children's writer, lived in the town, and, following retirement, the writer Kenneth Bird moved to Church Stretton.

The 'White House' nursing home on Sandford Avenue was demolished in 2006 to make way for a housing development, and it was previously the family home of Charles Silvester Horne a Congregationalist minister, Liberal MP for Ipswich, and father of the BBC broadcaster Kenneth Horne. The town's Silvester Horne Institute, on the south end of High Street, commemorates his name.

Hesba Stretton came to Church Stretton often before moving away from Shropshire, becoming an established author. There is a plaque to her memory in St. Laurence's Church together with a window depicting the figure of "Jessica" from her immensely popular story Jessica's First Prayer.

Stephen Laurie, a notable amateur astronomer, lives in the area and has discovered a number of asteroids from observatories at Church Stretton and nearby Ragdon (the area not suffering from much light pollution). One of the asteroids discovered has been named after the town — 11626 Church Stretton.

Education

Church Stretton has two schools, both run by Shropshire Council: a secondary school with 750 pupils and a primary school (named "St Lawrence") with 210 pupils. The two schools neighbour one other and are situated just off Shrewsbury Road, on the northern edge of Church Stretton. The Council also operates a public library, on Church Street, situated in former, Victorian school buildings, which is also the town's visitor centre.

Emergency services

At the junction of Sandford Avenue and Essex Road, in the centre of the town, is a police station (West Mercia Police) staffed Monday-Friday and a fire station (Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service) with two engines and manned by retained firefighters. The nearest ambulance station is in Craven Arms.

Further reading

• My Story of St Dunstan's (1961) by Lord Fraser of Lonsdale

External links

• Church Stretton - official Town Council website
  • Church Stretton town map
• Extract from A History of the County of Shropshire: Volume 10 (1998)
• Geograph - SO4593
• Annual Arts Festival