Editing Shropshire (section)

===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]].