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Shawbirch

Coordinates: 52°43′05″N 2°31′48″W / 52.718°N 2.530°W / 52.718; -2.530
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Shawbirch
The Woolpack pub in Shawbirch
Shawbirch is the 29th ward of Telford and Wrekin
Shawbirch is located in Shropshire
Shawbirch
Shawbirch
Location within Shropshire
Population2,919 (2021)
OS grid referenceSJ 643 135
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTELFORD
Postcode districtTF5
Dialling code01952
PoliceWest Mercia
FireShropshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire
52°43′05″N 2°31′48″W / 52.718°N 2.530°W / 52.718; -2.530

Shawbirch is a residential area in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, in the Unitary Authority of Telford and Wrekin. It is located west of Admaston, north of Wellington and east of Hortonwood.

History

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Throughout the second millennium, Shawbirch was mostly covered by woodland, which later was repurposed for farmland within the township of Eyton upon the Weald Moors.[1] The development of Shawbirch as it is known today was created on predominantly agricultural land during the 1980s as part of the evolution of Telford new town. Designated for such in 1968 along with Hortonwood, the first phase of the Shawbirch scheme was completed in 1982, at which point the Telford new town had a surplus of new housing and regarded Shawbirch as the final necessary development scheme.[2]

Since then, there have been numerous developments in Shawbirch. The Maxell/Elements Europe factory in Apley is to be demolished to meet new housing demands, with 375 homes to be built to incorporate into the community of Shawbirch.[3] New developments have not always been welcome, however; Mark Pritchard MP, who represents Shawbirch as part of Wrekin constituency, has said the local councils responsible for Shawbirch developments have committed "environmental vandalism", adding that the scale of new developments such as housing is neither proportionate nor sustainable.[4] Furthermore, in 2019, strong local opposition forced the backdown of the building of a 40m high toilet paper factory on 80,000 square metres of land, that was meant to be part of a larger planned industrial estate, in Shawbirch.[5]

Services

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Shawbirch Community Centre

Shawbirch has a veterinary centre[6] and a pub.[7] Shawbirch also includes a 24-hour service station, with a hotel and a restaurant.[8]

Shawbirch Community Centre

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Shawbirch Community Centre consists of a pharmacy, a dental centre, and a hair and beauty salon. Shawbirch Medical Centre also used to co-occupy this space but has now moved to a purpose-built venue in Admaston. There is also a supermarket which was refurbished and expanded in November 2020 to incorporate a bakery and a Post Office.[9]

Attractions

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Behind the Shawbirch Community Centre there are the Rough Pits - a wood with two man-made lakes.[10][11] Also located in the Shawbirch borough are the Beanhill Woods and the Dothill Nature Reserve.[11] Apley Woods is located one mile away. Also located in Shawbirch is the Brockwood Copse playground.[12]

Politics

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The Shawbirch ward falls under The Wrekin constituency which currently has a Conservative seat in Parliament, held since 2005 by Mark Pritchard.

The polling station for Shawbirch is located at the back of the Shawbirch Community Centre in the Little Chicks Preschool.[11] The member of Telford and Wrekin Council for Shawbirch is Liberal Democrat Cllr Bill Tomlinson. He was elected in 2003,[13] 2007,[14] 2011[15] 2015,[16] 2019,[17] and 2023.

Demography

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In the 2021 census, the population was recorded as 2,919, with 52% of residents being female and 48% being male.[18] This is a decrease from 2011 where the population was recorded as 3,239.[19]

90.9% of residents were born in England, the next biggest percentage was Wales with 2.3%. The mean age in Shawbirch is 38.1, which is lower than the national average.[20]

100% of people in Shawbirch speak English, higher than the Telford and Wrekin borough average of 99.8%.[21] 98.5% of people in Shawbirch speak English as their main language. Of the 1.5% whose main language is not English, 1.2% speak English well and 0.3% do not speak English well. The next biggest language spoken was 0.2% who speak Czech as their main language. 0.1% also speak British Sign Language.

93.7% of residents are White British, and Other White make up 1.5% for a total white population of 95.2% - lower than that of Shropshire's average at 98%[22] and higher than that of Telford and Wrekin's average at 92.7%. The largest non-white ethnic group in Shawbirch is Asian British with 2.2% of the population. 1.3% of residents are mixed race, 0.9% are Black British and 0.3% are in another ethnic group.

In Shawbirch, 54.7% of residents are married. 12.6% live with a partner of the opposite sex, while 0.4% live with a partner of the same sex. 20.5% are single, have never been married and have never been partnered with the same sex. 7.9% are divorced/separated and there are 155 widows living in Shawbirch.

67.6% of people who live in Shawbirch identify themselves as a Christian. 22.8% identify as non-religious and the next biggest religion was Islam with 0.9%. Out of the 3,239 residents, 230 did not answer and 12 identified as a Jedi Knight.

74.7% of Shawbirch residents are employed, with the most common occupation category being "Professional occupations" at 19.5% of the employed population.

Education

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Little Chicks Preschool

Little Chicks Preschool is located at the back of the Shawbirch Community Centre, and Ercall Day Nursery is located at the nearby Princess Royal Hospital.

St. Peter's Church of England Primary is the nearest primary school to Shawbirch, located in nearby Bratton. Dothill Primary School is less than one mile from Shawbirch, with other primary schools including Old Hall, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic and Wrekin View Primary located in the nearby town of Wellington.

Health services

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There is a medical centre, a pharmacy and a dental practice located in the Shawbirch Community Centre, and a veterinary centre is also located in Shawbirch. The Princess Royal Hospital is located in the neighbouring village of Apley.

Transport

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Bus

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The 15 bus route from Telford to Arleston[23] and 16 bus route from Telford to High Ercall[24] run through Shawbirch and are both operated by Arriva Midlands.

Train

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The nearest train station is the Wellington, which operates services to places like Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury Station. Other nearby stations include Telford Central.

Car

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The B5063 and B4394 runs through Shawbirch. The A442 Queensway is located at the Shawbirch roundabout opposite the service station. The M54 motorway is at the back of the nearby Wrekin Retail Park.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shawbirch.
  1. ^ "Eyton upon the Weald Moors: Economic history | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Wellington: Growth of settlement | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  3. ^ Austin, Sue. "New development on former Maxell factory site will have 118 affordable homes". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  4. ^ Andrews, Mark. "'Environmental vandalism': MP Mark Pritchard launches blistering attack on Shropshire planning authorities". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  5. ^ Growcott, Matthew. "Giant Telford factory plan 'a monstrosity'". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Shawbirch | Ashcroft Veterinary Centre | Medivet". www.medivet.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Woolpack". The Woolpack. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Telford". Toby Carvery. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  9. ^ "SPAR Shawbirch". www.spar.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Rough Pits | Explore woods | The Woodland Trust". www.woodlandtrust.org.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  11. ^ a b c Council, Telford & Wrekin. "Telford & Wrekin Council download - Borough Ward Maps 2015 About my council". www.telford.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Brockwood Copse". Telford and Wrekin Council. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  13. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project - 2003 - Telford and Wrekin". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project - 2007 - Telford and Wrekin". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  15. ^ Council, Telford & Wrekin. "Telford & Wrekin Council download - Local election results About my council | Elections". www.telford.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  16. ^ Council, Telford & Wrekin. "Telford & Wrekin Council download - Borough election results 2015 About my council | Elections". www.telford.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  17. ^ Taylor, Emily. "Shawbirch ward results 2019". www.telford.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Shawbirch (Ward, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Shawbirch Demographics (Telford and Wrekin, England)". shawbirch.localstats.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  20. ^ "Socio-economic statistics for Shawbirch, Shropshire". iLiveHere. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Shawbirch 2011 Census Profile" (PDF). Telford and Wrekin.
  22. ^ "Shrewsbury Profile 2011 Census" (PDF). Telford and Wrekin.
  23. ^ "15 - Telford to Arleston". www.arrivabus.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  24. ^ "16 - Telford to High Ercall". www.arrivabus.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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