LOYAL TO LOCAL
Dawley
Dawley has a long and colourful history, reaching back almost a thousand years from its first mention in 1086 in the Domesday Book. Today Dawley boasts a championship BMX track, bustling high street and walking trails that lead you to central Telford along a 3-mile trail. In the heart of the town, you’ll find a traditional High Street with many independent businesses, some that have been trading for several years and some that are new on the scene offering a new dynamic to the town’s offer. The local community is incredibly proud of their local history and beautiful buildings including Dawley Town Hall, St Leonard’s Church, The New Jewel pub – formerly the Lord Hill – and the Market Hall Clock, all marked with prestigious Blue Plaques. Not forgetting of course that Dawley was the birthplace of Captain Matthew Webb - the first person to swim the English Channel in 1875. Dawley is blessed with a wealth of fantastic green spaces from St Leonard’s Field, which is a dedicated Fields in Trust QEII site and, Jubilee Woods, to Dawley Park, which was awarded Green Flag Status in 2020. Dawley Park incorporates beautiful and traditional plants and flowers all year round as well as a tennis court, crown green bowls area, outdoor gym and children’s play equipment. For those who have a passion for BMX cycling there is a local pump track as well a championship standard BMX track where The Wrekin Riders meet regularly to train for international competitions and hold lessons for those new to the sport.
Newport
Newport is nestled on the Shropshire, Staffordshire border, surrounded by beautiful countryside and is said to date back to Henry I reign, some 900 years ago which is when it became a market town in the centre of surrounding rural farming areas. Today Newport takes the appearance of a Georgian town with its beating heart, a gorgeous high street, home to over 200 businesses including independent boutiques and leading stores offering cookery to candles, literary to lingerie and furniture to finery. It has everything you need and that little bit more, you will find a broad range of public houses, cafes, and places to eat as well as a weekend market (Friday and Saturday)
selling fresh produce. It is also home to the celebrated Harper Adams University where more than 3,000 of the leading brains in agriculture, Agri-Tech and food come to study every year.
Did you know? Newport had a great fire in 1665 destroying many homes leaving 162 families homeless. i
Newport hosts many events throughout the year including its annual carnival, Old Tyme Market, beer, gin, and rum festivals, and one of the main agricultural shows in the county, The Newport Show which is held in the stunning grounds of Chetwynd Deer Park. The town is rich in history, and you don’t need to travel too far before you will see characterful historic buildings, each with a story to tell, some of which have welcomed royalty like Smallwood lodge where Anne Boleyn once stayed, now a beautiful tearoom. And the former Royal Victoria hotel dating back to 1830s which gains its name from Queen Victoria, who as Princess Victoria of Kent visited the hotel in 1832 and gifted the hotel with a pair of tortoise shells to commemorate her visit. Follow the Newport History Society Heritage Trail to discover more about Newport’s history and walk the streets and narrow ways that still exist today. For lovers of the great outdoors Newport has a bounty of cycling and walking routes to follow, including a 5k Newport Waterways circular that takes you along the canal pathways into the towns surrounding countryside and a 24-mile cycling route from Newport to Stafford Greenway.
Did you know? Dawley has ten Blue Plaques marking buildings, events, and people significant in local history. i
TOTALLY TELFORD
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Image source: Shropshire Star
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