TELFORD

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'Telford' (pronounced: /ˈtɛlfərd/ or /ˈtɛlfʊrd/) 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.
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, which is regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The River Severn flows along its southern most boundary.

Contents

History

Education

Population

Transportation

Demographics

Divisions

Telford Town Centre

Politics

Accent

See also

References

External links

History

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.^[1] 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".^[2] 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.

Education

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 12 GCSE's grades A
★ -C [1], placing it at number one in the entire country for Key Stage 4 attainment.
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.

Population

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.

Transportation

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.

Demographics

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.

Divisions

:''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.

Telford Town Centre

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, aswell as Thomas Telford School, which is within walking distance.

Politics

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.

Accent

Telford is divided into various towns, such as Dawley, Madeley and many others. Each of these towns originally had its own accent and among the local population these accents can still be heard. But gradually, with the influx of people from Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Wolverhampton, accents can vary enormously and it is possible to hear elements of the Liverpudlian, Mancunian and Western Midland alongside the indigenous ones.
The typical Shropshire dialect, as say heard in Dawley, is evident through the use of questions such as "ow bist", an expressive remark asking how a person is feeling, or "jockey" for a youth. So, "ow, bist, owd jockey," means: "how are you, youth?" The popular colloquialism "mint" is now commonly used as a sign of disregard, similarly to the infamous "cuz" phrase.
Tooth is pronounced "tuth" by most Telford inhabitants, and also "seen" as "sin". Increasingly common are signs of "Birmingham" accents:viz: gow-ing (as in "cow") for going; all rhite (as in white) for all right; Oim, (as in coin) for "I'm" etc.
The Shropshire accent, of much longer history and well documented in the book, "Shropshire Word Book", by Georgina Jackson, has some similarities to that of the West Country, but also has many of its own idiosyncrasies.

See also

★ 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.

★ Telford Tigers, Telford's local Ice Hockey team.

★ Telford FM, Telford & Wrekin's local radio station

References

1. London Gazette. 18 January 1963.
2. London Gazette. 13 December 1963.

External links

★ 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