Shropshire County
(Historic)

Map Reference: (52.706437, -2.68514)

Shropshire is an inland county in the west of the Midlands. The county has been described as possessing every variety of natural charm: the bold and lofty mountain, the wooded and secluded valley, the fertile and widely-cultured plain, the majestic river, and the sequestered lake. The River Severn forms a broad, rich valley and floodplain through the middle of the county, curling around Shrewsbury like a moat. Downstream the Severn Gorge is bridged by the famous Iron Bridge, a symbol of the Industrial Revolution which took root here. To its north lies the New Town of Telford. A mile to its west is witness to earlier ages; the Wrekin, a lone, massive hill dominating the landscape and imagination. Further downstream is Bridgnorth, a town full of history on a precipitous hill above the Severn. North of the Severn lies the gentler landscape of the North Shropshire Plain. Around Ellesmere is a group of small lakes, the “meres”. Westward, where the hills begin to rise, lies the historic town of Oswestry. South of the Severn, stretching down to Ludlow, the Shropshire Hills provide the scenic glories of high, rounded hills, deep-set valleys, and woods full of charm.