Telford Area Guide

Living in Telford

Telford is the largest town in Shropshire, and one of the fastest-growing towns in the United Kingdom, due to its close proximity to the employment centre of Birmingham.

Telford is a vibrant and accessible place with a vast range of indoor and outdoor attractions to suit everyone. 

The town has an abundance of access to open spaces, including parks and county landmark, The Wrekin. The River Severn meanders through Telford at Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge and Coalport.  

History

Telford’s name stems from that of civil engineer Thomas Telford, who engineered numerous road and rail projects around Shropshire and the rest of the UK. Established primarily in the 1960s and 1970s as a new town full of exciting developments, Telford also merged the existing smaller towns of Wellington, Dawley, Madeley and Oakengates - areas which still make up part of the modern town today.

Shopping and Leisure

Telford already boasts a sizeable modern shopping centre and a huge variety of retailers but in 2017 a further incredible £200 million regeneration of Telford Shopping Centre is due to open. The first phase has already been pre-let to top national restaurant chains such as TGI Friday’s, Prezzo and The Handmade Burger Company, joining existing restaurants such as Pizza Express. Telford also features an 11-screen Imax Cineworld, an ice-rink and a dry ski slope.

Telford Properties

Telford has a selection of property, ranging from modern homes in the newly developed Lawley and Lightmoor Villages with their buzzing communities, to older properties located in the original towns and hamlets. For a more luxurious family home, some of the villages just outside Telford offer superb period properties, homes with equestrian facilities, barn conversions and extensive acreage.

History in Telford

Telford is steeped in some of the UK's most fascinating history with the World Unesco Heritage site of Ironbridge just outside the town. The Ironbridge Gorge is a living history book - a prime example of how the Industrial Revolution of the 18th Century changed the world. The surviving museums, monuments and artefacts, including the world famous Iron Bridge of 1779, serve to remind us of this area’s unique contribution to the development of industrialised society.

Schools in Telford

Thanks to recent redevelopment, there is a good choice of primary and secondary schools in the Telford area. Thomas Telford School, a City Technology College with a reputation for pioneering new methods of education, is regarded as one of the most successful state secondary schools in England. The town also offers further education colleges as well as a renowned private school just on its outskirts.

Rental Market

Telford provides an excellent investment location for buy-to-let purchasers, with a large number of great value ex-local authority properties available and a booming rental market. Wolverhampton University has a campus in Telford, ensuring a steady stream of tenants for the town. Harper Adams Agricultural University is also located a short distance away, further increasing the scope for the student rental market.

Transport

Telford is well served by railway stations with a mainline station in Telford town centre, as well as smaller stations at Oakengates and Wellington.  All three stations have direct trains to Birmingham - a journey which takes just over 30 minutes. For road access, the nearby M54 leads directly to the M6 and the Welsh Border.  Telford also has a bus station in the town centre from which bus routes regularly run all over Shropshire and Cheshire.