Editing Shropshire (section)

==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>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/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.