From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Telford
The Town Centre viewed from the western end of Telford Shopping Centre, with the blue Telford Plaza buildings in the distance.
Telford shown within the United Kingdom
Population	138,241
OS grid reference	SJ698088
Unitary authority	Telford and Wrekin
Ceremonial county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TELFORD
Postcode district	TF1–4, TF7, TF8
Dialling code	01952
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Telford
European Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Shropshire

Coordinates: 52°40′34″N 2°26′45″W / 52.6761, -2.4459

Telford (pronunciation (help·info); IPA /ˈTelferd/ or /ˈTelfurd/) is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. With a population of approximately 140,000 people, Telford is now by far the largest town in Shropshire, and one of the fastest growing towns in the country.^[1]

It is named after Thomas Telford, a famous civil engineer. The town was built in the 1960s and 1970s as a new town on previously industrial and agricultural land. Similarly to other planned towns of the era, Telford was created from the merger of other, smaller settlements, most notably the towns of Wellington, Oakengates, Madeley and Dawley. Telford Shopping Centre, a modern shopping mall, was constructed at the new town's geographical centre, along with an extensive Town Park.

Telford also incorporates the northern half of Ironbridge Gorge, a scenic tourist destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town advertises itself as 'The Birthplace of Industry', due to its proximity to Coalbrookdale, and its own activity during the Industrial Revolution as part of the Shropshire Coalfield. The River Severn flows along its southern most boundary.

Contents 1 History 2 Education 3 Population 4 Transportation 5 Demographics 6 Divisions 7 Telford Town Centre 8 Politics 9 Sport 9.1 Soccer 9.2 Ice Hockey 9.3 Rugby 9.4 American Football 9.5 Ten-pin Bowling 9.6 Motorsport 10 Closest cities, towns and villages 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

The New Town was first designated on January 16, 1963 as 'Dawley New Town', covering 9,100 acres (37 km²) of Dawley, Wenlock, Oakengates, Wellington Rural District and Shifnal Rural District.^[2] Development started, guided by the Dawley New Town Development Corporation, with people moving into the new Sutton Hill estate in 1967/1968.

The Minister proposed an extension of 12,000 acres (49 km²) in 1968 (taking in the historic area of Ironbridge Gorge), which saw objections and a public inquiry take place. The 'Dawley New Town (Designation) Amendment (Telford) Order' was made on November 29, 1968, extending the New Town area by 10,143 acres (41 km²) of "land lying within the urban districts of Oakengates and Wellington and the rural districts of Shifnal and Wellington".^[3] This Order also renamed the new town Telford, after the Scottish-born civil engineer Thomas Telford who, in 1787, became Surveyor of Public Works for Shropshire. Other suggested names at the time were Dawelloak and Wrekin Forest City.

Most of the infrastructure was constructed from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s with the major housing and commercial development occurring over three decades up to the early 1990s when the Development Corporation was wound up to be replaced by Commission for the New Towns, later English Partnerships, and most of the property was handed over to the then Wrekin District Council.

In 1983, after fierce opposition and three public enquiries, the M54 motorway was completed, connecting the town to the M6 and thence the rest of the UK's motorway network. Other major roads are the A5, A518 and A442.

Telford has attracted several large IT services companies (EDS, Capgemini and Fujitsu) who all employ a significant number of staff in the area, as well as some manufacturing industry.

In recent times there has been significant job losses, with the movement of 500 Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) jobs at the MOD base at Sapphire House, Telford, to Bristol. The closure of the local sugar beet factory at Allscott in 2007 is another recent example.

The town has its own football club, based in Wellington, A.F.C. Telford United. The club was formed in May 2004 by supporters of Telford United when it became clear that the club would cease to exist.

In 2007, a £250 million regeneration plan for the town centre was announced, which will include the pedestrianisation of the road surrounding the shopping centre, and the creation of new cafés, bars and shops which will lead to 1,750 new jobs. ^[4]

Telford has a number of primary and secondary schools. Of particular notability is Thomas Telford School, a City Technology College (CTC), which claims to have a 100% pass rate at GCSE level, with all students achieving at least 4 GCSE's grades A*-C [1], placing it at number one in the entire country for Key Stage 4 attainment. The Abraham Darby Specialist School For The Performing Arts provides specialist performing arts education.

Further education is handled by Telford College of Arts and Technology (TCAT) and Telford New College, a sixth-form college located in Wellington. Adams' Grammar School is a selective school located in nearby Newport.

Telford is also home to The University of Wolverhampton Business School (UWBS) campus and the School of the Built Environment.

With 138,241 inhabitants in 2001, Telford is now the largest town in Shropshire, and 39th largest settlement in England. although it missed the original target of 250,000 by the year 2000. This target was curtailed by Central Government in 1976 when it was realised that it was too optimistic in the long term; migration from the larger nearby conurbations of Birmingham and Liverpool have yet to make a significant effect on the town. Town planners now hope to drastically expand the town over the next 14 years, again hoping to reach a 250,000 population by 2020. There are concerns, however, that the local infrastructure will not accommodate such a large influx of people.

Telford is situated at the terminus of the M54 motorway, a spur of the M6 linking the town with Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, and on the A5 road between Shrewsbury and Cannock. The town also has three railway stations: Wellington, Oakengates and Telford Central, which are on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton Line. In addition, there are two further stations, Spring Village and Horsehay & Dawley, at Telford Steam Railway, situated at Horsehay.

Telford has a younger than average population nationally, as well as a higher than average level of teenage pregnancy. Crime levels have increased noticeably during the years since the town's first inception. There are several severely deprived wards in the town centre area. Areas such as Donnington, Woodside and Malinslee are the most deprived, while, in contrast, areas on the periphery experience relative affluence, such as Lawley and Priorslee. There is a notable rural/urban divide; in the surrounding rural areas of Telford, such as the wards of Wrockwardine, Lilleshall, Edgmond and Shawbirch, there is a large percentage of relatively wealthy families and individuals. [2] The Telford and Wrekin area is a popular commuter zone, containing some relatively rural areas in the North and West of the borough. These are popular with commuters to the West Midlands conurbation, due to the good transport links provided by the A5/M54.

For more information on Parish divisions, see list of civil parishes in Shropshire.

Within the borough of Telford & Wrekin, the town is entirely parished. Telford has no single town council because of this, and the Mayor of the Borough of Telford and Wrekin is also de facto the town's mayor. The town is also divided into Wards, within the Telford and Wrekin borough. These are used for electoral purposes and demographic surveys. Telford is an unusual town in that it was created politically - from the fusion of other independent, smaller towns; Wellington, Madeley, Hadley, Oakengates, Dawley, Ironbridge, Shifnal and Donnington. As a result of this, the town has much clearer divisions than in other older towns, such as nearby Shrewsbury, which have developed into one consolidated urban area over time. Some small settlements to the south, such as a part of Ironbridge and Broseley , while part of the Telford Urban Area, are administered by Bridgnorth Borough Council.

The commercial centre of the town is the aptly named Telford Town Centre, located off Junction 5 of the M54 motorway. It is home to the administrative headquarters of Telford & Wrekin council, the large Telford Shopping Centre (and the accompanying Town Park), various office blocks, such as the blue office towers (Telford Plaza), and the Windsor Life building. The Forge retail park and a large Odeon Cinema are also located in the area, as well as Thomas Telford School, which is within walking distance. Telford also houses one of the Midlands only ice skating rinks near the newly built International Centre.

Telford is the only settlement within the Telford parliamentary constituency, although some suburbs, such as Wellington, are located in The Wrekin, a neighbouring constituency. Telford has been held by Labour since its creation in 1997, and the current MP is David Wright. The neighbouring Wrekin constituency has varying support between the Conservatives and Labour, due to its mix of rural and urban (Newport) areas. It is currently held by the Conservatives however, under MP Mark Pritchard. Telford is administratively part of the West Midlands region.

Telford is home to a variety of established amateur, semi-pro and professional sports clubs.

• AFC Telford United Football Club are currently playing in Conference North. Their current manager is Rob Smith. AFC Telford's achievements include Best Shropshire Senior Cup Performance: Final - 3 Times, and Promotion to Conference North: 2007; After beating Witton Albion in the play-offs 3-1.

• • Telford Tigers - EPL Premier Team
  • Telford Tigers ENL - ENL Team
  • Wrekin Raiders [3] - Ladies
  • Telford Spartans - Recreational team
  • Telford Trojans - Under 18's
  • Telford Rocket - Under 16's
  • Telford Venom [4] - Under 10's, 12's, 14's

• • Telford Raiders - Rugby League Club
  • Telford Hornets [5] - Rugby Club
  • Telford Trojans [6] (now Shropshire Scorpions) [7] - Rugby Club

• • Shropshire Revolution - 2006 -present, Shropshire's only American Football Team, British American Football League Club
  • Wrekin Giants - 1985-1989 Shropshire American Football Team.
  • Shropshire Giants - 1989 Shropshire American Football Team.
  • Cannock Chase Giants - 1989-1993/4 Shropshire American Football Team.

• Telford Superbowl

• The area also has a rich motorsports heritage, with the Loton Park Hillclimb and Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit situated near Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Motocross Club has staged motocross events in the area for over 30 years.

Destinations from TELFORD
Shawbury, Wem	Market Drayton	Lilleshall, Newport, Stafford
Shrewsbury	N W E S	Shifnal, Cannock
Much Wenlock, Church Stretton	Bridgnorth, Broseley	Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, West Bromwich, Birmingham

• Telford (UK Parliament constituency) - Constituency of Telford.
• The Wrekin (UK Parliament constituency) - Constituency for The Wrekin area.
• Telford Shopping Centre, a large indoor shopping mall located in the Town Centre.
• The Wrekin, a prominent elevation overlooking the town, located in the west near Wellington.
• AFC Telford United, Telford's local football team, reformed in 2004 on the bankruptcy of the original club.
• Telford Tigers, Telford's local Ice Hockey team.
• Telford FM, Telford & Wrekin's local radio station

• Shropshire Tourism The official tourism website for Shropshire
• Telford Community Portal
• Ironbridge Gorge Museums
• Telford Photos
• Telford Steam Railway
• 107.4 Telford FM - The Local radio station for Telford & Wrekin
• The University of Wolverhampton

v • d • e Ceremonial county of Shropshire
Unitary authorities	Telford and Wrekin
Boroughs or districts	Bridgnorth • North Shropshire • Oswestry • Shrewsbury and Atcham • South Shropshire
Cities and towns	Bishop's Castle • Bridgnorth • Broseley • Church Stretton • Cleobury Mortimer • Clun • Craven Arms • Ellesmere • Ludlow • Market Drayton • Much Wenlock • Newport • Oswestry • Shifnal • Shrewsbury • Telford (Dawley • Madeley • Oakengates • Wellington) • Wem • Whitchurch See also: List of civil parishes in Shropshire
Rivers	Rea Brook • Clun • Onny • Perry • Rea • Roden • Severn • Teme • Tern • Unk • Vyrnwy
Topics	History • Geography (Settlements • Divisions • Shropshire Hills AONB) • Economy • Education • Politics • Sport • Transport