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The local geology is complex; the area lies astride the Church Stretton [[Geologic fault|Fault]] and atop some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles - over 560 million mya. On 2 April 1990, another nearby fault - the Pontesford-Linley [[Geologic fault|Fault]] - registered an [[earthquake]] with a magnitude of 5.1 on the [[Richter magnitude scale|Richter scale]], known as the [[1990 Bishop's Castle earthquake|Bishop's Castle earthquake]].<ref>{{cite web | author= | title=Official Town site|url= http://www.churchstretton.co.uk/visitors/index.php?page=geology
The local geology is complex; the area lies astride the Church Stretton [[Geologic fault|Fault]] and atop some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles - over 560 million mya. On 2 April 1990, another nearby fault - the Pontesford-Linley [[Geologic fault|Fault]] - registered an [[earthquake]] with a magnitude of 5.1 on the [[Richter magnitude scale|Richter scale]], known as the [[1990 Bishop's Castle earthquake|Bishop's Castle earthquake]].<ref>{{cite web | author= | title=Official Town site|url= http://www.churchstretton.co.uk/visitors/index.php?page=geology
| accessdaymonth=20 Nov | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> The area also plays a part in the history of geology: the three major subdivsions of the [[Paleozoic|Lower Paleozoic]] are named for local [[celt]]ic tribes - [[Cambrian]], [[Ordovician]] & [[Silurian]]. Also, Comley quarry is about 4km from the town and the first site in the British Isles where [[trilobites]] were recorded.
| accessdaymonth=20 Nov | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> The area also plays a part in the history of geology: the three major subdivsions of the [[Paleozoic|Lower Paleozoic]] are named for local [[celt]]ic tribes - [[Cambrian]], [[Ordovician]] & [[Silurian]]. Also, Comley quarry is about 4km from the town and the first site in the British Isles where [[trilobites]] were recorded.

==Sport==
⚫
Church Stretton is a major centre for the sport of [[archery]]<ref>{{cite web | author= | title= Shrewsbury Council
⚫
|url= http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/Public/Sport/Activities/Archery.htm| accessdaymonth=20 Nov | accessyear=2007 }}</ref>, and there is also a notable gliding club atop the Longmynd.


==Education==
==Education==
Line 59: Line 55:


As of the [[2001 UK Census|2001 census]], in the northern ward of Church Stretton, 50.6% of residents are in [[employment]], and 32.2% are [[retirement|retired]]. [[Unemployment]] is at 2%. In Church Stretton South, the rate of employment is higher, at 57.5%, with 24.9% of residents retired. The rate of unemployment is 1.9%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.churchstretton.co.uk/images/library/documents/AppendixII_StatisticalProfile-FINAL.pdf |title=Statistical Profile |work=Church Stretton Area Website |pages=3 |accessdate=2008-07-04 |format=PDF}}</ref>
As of the [[2001 UK Census|2001 census]], in the northern ward of Church Stretton, 50.6% of residents are in [[employment]], and 32.2% are [[retirement|retired]]. [[Unemployment]] is at 2%. In Church Stretton South, the rate of employment is higher, at 57.5%, with 24.9% of residents retired. The rate of unemployment is 1.9%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.churchstretton.co.uk/images/library/documents/AppendixII_StatisticalProfile-FINAL.pdf |title=Statistical Profile |work=Church Stretton Area Website |pages=3 |accessdate=2008-07-04 |format=PDF}}</ref>

==Culture==
⚫
Church Stretton is a major centre for the sport of [[archery]],<ref>{{cite web | author= | title= Shrewsbury Council
⚫
|url= http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/Public/Sport/Activities/Archery.htm| accessdaymonth=20 Nov | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> and there is also a gliding club atop the Longmynd.

⚫
The novelist [[Henry Kingsley]] ([[1830]]-[[1876]]) wrote "Stretton" based around this area, and [[Oliver Sandys]]' book, "Quaint Place" is set in Church Stretton.<ref>{{cite web | author= | title= County Council
⚫
|url= http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/churchst.htm| accessdaymonth=20 Nov | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> [[Mary Webb]]'s works also made reference to the town, under the name "Shepwardine".


==Notable people==
==Notable people==
Line 66: Line 69:
The 'White House' nursing home on Sandford Avenue was destroyed 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]]. [[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. Lawrence's Church together with a window depicting the figure of "Jessica" from her immensely popular story ''Jessica's First Prayer''.<ref>{{cite web |title=County Council
The 'White House' nursing home on Sandford Avenue was destroyed 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]]. [[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. Lawrence's Church together with a window depicting the figure of "Jessica" from her immensely popular story ''Jessica's First Prayer''.<ref>{{cite web |title=County Council
|url=http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/churchst.htm |accessdaymonth=20 Nov |accessyear=2007}}</ref>
|url=http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/churchst.htm |accessdaymonth=20 Nov |accessyear=2007}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
⚫
The novelist [[Henry Kingsley]] ([[1830]]-[[1876]]) wrote "Stretton" based around this area, and [[Oliver Sandys]]' book, "Quaint Place" is set in Church Stretton.<ref>{{cite web | author= | title= County Council
⚫
|url= http://www3.shropshire-cc.gov.uk/churchst.htm| accessdaymonth=20 Nov | accessyear=2007 }}</ref> [[Mary Webb]]'s works also made reference to the town, under the name "Shepwardine".


== External links ==
== External links ==

Revision as of 21:51, 4 July 2008

Church Stretton
Population4,186 
OS grid referenceSO453937
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHURCH STRETTON
Postcode districtSY6
Dialling code01694
PoliceWest Mercia
FireShropshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire

Church Stretton is a town in South Shropshire District, in Shropshire, England, located approximately 15 miles south of Shrewsbury, the county town. At the 2001 census, the town's population was 4,186.[1]

The area has been settled since the Iron Age, during which a hillfort was constructed on Caer Caradoc Hill.[2] The town was nicknamed "Little Switzerland" during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, due to its hilly terrain.[3] The local geology is complex and incorporates some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles.

Major local employers include a water-bottling plant, polymer laboratories and the tourist trade, and the town is a centre for the sport of archery.

History

People have lived in the Stretton gap for thousands of years; an Iron Age hillfort on Caer Caradoc[2] still 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 (now the A49) runs through it

The town was granted a market charter by King John in 1214 which is still held every Thursday. Much of the town centre 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.[4]

Historically, the town was noted for its textiles, but the town's carding mill closed at the beginning of the 20th century. The valley it was in took the name "Carding Mill Valley", and is now a tourist attraction owned by the National Trust.

Church Stretton was nicknamed Little Switzerland during its growth in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, both because of its mountainous terrain,[3] and because the town is said to have been run like clockwork.[citation needed]

Governance

Church Stretton is situated within the boundaries of South Shropshire district. The town is located within the parish of Church Stretton, and is administered by a town council, which also manages the neighbouring villages of All Stretton, Little Stretton, Minton and Hamperley.[5] 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.[6]

On a national level, Church Stretton is located within the Ludlow constituency, and the current MP for that constituency is Philip Dunne, a Conservative MP.[7]

Geography

Church Stretton is located approximately 15 miles South of Shropshire's County Town, Shrewsbury. The town is dominated by the huge Long Mynd massif, which provides the town with both its views, and the water that the town's economy is based around. The water comes from an underground glacial lake, and is extracted from boreholes at various places on the Long Mynd. The Welsh Marches Line runs through the town.[8]

The local geology is complex; the area lies astride the Church Stretton Fault and atop some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles - over 560 million mya. 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.[9] 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 4km from the town and the first site in the British Isles where trilobites were recorded.

Education

Church Stretton parish church

Church Stretton also has two schools: a secondary school with 750 pupils[10] and a primary school with 250 pupils.[11]

Economy

The water bottling plant is a large, local employer[12]. Other employers include Polymer Laboratories on the east side of the town[13], and tourism which is a growth industry in the area.

As of the 2001 census, in the northern ward of Church Stretton, 50.6% of residents are in employment, and 32.2% are retired. Unemployment is at 2%. In Church Stretton South, the rate of employment is higher, at 57.5%, with 24.9% of residents retired. The rate of unemployment is 1.9%.[14]

Culture

Church Stretton is a major centre for the sport of archery,[15] and there is also a gliding club atop the Longmynd.

The novelist Henry Kingsley (1830-1876) wrote "Stretton" based around this area, and Oliver Sandys' book, "Quaint Place" is set in Church Stretton.[16] Mary Webb's works also made reference to the town, under the name "Shepwardine".

Notable people

Residents of the town include Pete Postlethwaite, who lives near to the neighbouring village Little Stretton, which was also the home of Oliver Sandys. Also, the Olympic bronze-medal archer, Alison Williamson lives in All Stretton.[17] In the 1930s, E. M. Almedingen, the biographer and children's writer, lived in the town,[18] and, following retirement, the writer Kenneth Bird moved to Church Stretton.

The 'White House' nursing home on Sandford Avenue was destroyed 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. 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. Lawrence's Church together with a window depicting the figure of "Jessica" from her immensely popular story Jessica's First Prayer.[19]

References

  1. ^ "2001 Census Profile". Shropshire County Council. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  2. ^ a b "Megalithic site". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b "Church Stretton". Shropshire Tourism. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  4. ^ "Been there done that site". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Church Stretton Town Council". Church Stretton Area. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  6. ^ "Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 1420". Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  7. ^ "Local Area". Up My Street. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  8. ^ "Ride the Marches line with Arriva Trains Wales". Arriva Trains Wales. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  9. ^ "Official Town site". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "School site". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ OFSTED Report "BBC School reports". {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Food Agency". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Polymer Labs". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Statistical Profile" (PDF). Church Stretton Area Website. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  15. ^ "Shrewsbury Council". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "County Council". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "BBC Sport". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "County Council". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "County Council". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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