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Clun
Coordinates: 52.4208° N 3.0257° W
Population	1,086 (*)
OS grid reference	SO302808
District	South Shropshire
Shire county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CRAVEN ARMS
Postcode district	SY7
Dial code	01588
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Ludlow
European Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Shropshire

Clun is a small town in Shropshire, England, in the district of South Shropshire.

The population of the town and the surrounding area (the parish of Clun and Chapel Lawn), according to the 2001 census, is a mere 1086, which is a population normally associated with that of a village. It is said that the population of the town is now smaller than it was during the flourishing days of the wool trade in England. The town is the smallest town in Shropshire and is smaller than many villages in the county. It is also the only town in Shropshire never to have had a railway line or station.

The town lies on the River Clun, with a large proportion of the town to the north of the river. It gets its name from the river. The River Unk flows into the River Clun just to the west of the town.

Clun is also a term used sometimes for the southwest part of the county of Shropshire. The County Council, since its May 2005 elections, has a single electoral district called Clun and this covers a huge area (about a third of the South Shropshire district). The term "Clun Valley" is also used for the villages along the River Clun - such as Anchor, Newcastle and Aston on Clun.

Attractions in the town include the Norman Clun Castle (now only a ruin), the fourteenth century Clun Bridge (still an important bridge), Trinity Hospital, built in 1614, and a museum in the town hall. The main church in the town is St George's Church, which is south of the River Clun. There is also a Youth Hostel, "Clun Mill", to the north of the town.

There were three pubs in the town until recently - the Sun, the White Horse and the Buffalo. However, the Buffalo has now closed. Every year, normally on May Day, a traditional festival is held - the Green Man festival. A May Fair is also held, in the grounds of Clun Castle.

The A488 and B4368 roads cross in the town of Clun. Craven Arms, Bishop's Castle and Ludlow are the neighbouring Shropshire towns, and Knighton, which is in Wales, is to the south. Nearby is Offa's Dyke and the Offa's Dyke Path. Clun Forest is to the west of the town, further upstream of the Rivers Unk and Clun. The Jack Mytton Way passes through the town.

The town is situated in a valley. The Clun Bridge is at 181m above sea level, the town centre is at 185m, while St. George's Church on the south bank is situated at 193m.

In Douglas Adams' book 'The Meaning of Liff' Clun is listed as 'a leg that has gone to sleep that you have to drag around behind you'.

Noted playwright John Osborne is buried at St. George's Church and his tombstone is located within proximity to the right of the main building entrance.

The Duke of Norfolk is Baron of Clun and the Earl of Powis is the Lord of the Manor.

Clunton and Clunbury,
Clungunford and Clun,
Are the quietest places
Under the sun.

AE Housman/A Shropshire Lad

• Shropshire Tourism The official tourism website for Shropshire
• Official Local Clun Site
• Clun May Day Festival
• Clun Photo Gallery
• Shropshire Star article
• History of Clun
• Photographs of Clun on Shropshire Gallery