Whitchurch, Shropshire

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Whitchurch
Coordinates: 52.9690° N 2.6827° W
Population	8,907
OS grid reference	SJ541415
District	North Shropshire
Shire county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WHITCHURCH
Postcode district	SY13
Dial code	01948
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	North Shropshire
European Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Shropshire

Whitchurch is a market town in North Shropshire, England. It is the oldest continually inhabited town in Shropshire.^[1] According to the 2001 Census the population of the town is 8,673. A more recent estimate puts the population of the town at 8,907 [1].

Contents 1 History 1.1 Roman times 1.2 Later times 2 Transport 3 Residents 4 Miscellaneous 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Roman times

Main article: Mediolanum (Whitchurch)

Originally a settlement founded by the Romans around AD 52 or 70, it was called Mediolanum, meaning The place in the middle of the plain. The settlement was located on a major Roman route between Chester and Wroxeter and Roman artifacts can be seen at the Whitchurch Heritage Centre.^[2]

[edit] Later times

The current name comes from White church, and refers to a church (from Norman times) made from white stone. As might be expected, there are other Whitchurch's in England. The current church of St Alkmund, built in 1712 using sandstone, stands on the site of the Norman church.

[edit] Transport

Whitchurch is a crossroads for roads from Nantwich, Chester and Shrewsbury with the A41/A49 bypass opening in 1992. Whitchurch railway station is on the line from Crewe down the English side of the Welsh border (the Welsh Marches Line) towards Cardiff. Whitchurch has its own short arm of the Llangollen Canal but is not a key stopping lace for boaters as the arm stops about a mile short of the town centre.

[edit] Residents

Whitchurch is the home of the JB Joyce tower clocks company, established in 1690, who are the oldest tower clock-making company in the world,^[3] and have earned Whitchurch the reputation as the Home of tower clocks. Joyce's timepieces can be found as far as Singapore and Kabul, while they also helped to build Big Ben in London.

Famous residents include composer Sir Edward German, who was born in the town and is buried in the local cemetery. Sir Henry Percy - aka Sir Harry Hotspur, who was the inspiration in the naming of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club - was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury and buried in Whitchurch only for his body to be later exhumed and quartered.

Sir John Talbot, a military commander who fought Joan of Arc, is buried under the porch of Saint Alkmunds church.^[4] Talbot is a major character in William Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part I, and the local secondary school is named after him.

Victorian illustrator Randolph Caldecott lived in the town for several years and many of the town's buildings feature in his work. Bestselling author Kate Long also lives in Whitchurch.^[5]

[edit] Miscellaneous

• Whitchurch is twinned with the French town of Neufchatel-en-Bray.
• The civil parish which constitutes the town is Whitchurch Urban - see also Whitchurch Rural.

[edit] References

1. ^ "Whitchurch town guide", BBC, 2005-04-14. Retrieved on July 13, 2006.
2. ^ "Whitchurch Heritage Centre", Shropshire Tourism. Retrieved on July 13, 2006.
3. ^ "Warriors and Worthies", North Shropshire Tourism. Retrieved on July 13, 2006.
4. ^ "Town Guides - Whitchurch", Shropshire Star, 2004-05-04. Retrieved on July 13, 2006.
5. ^ "Novelists heading to town", Shropshire Star, 2006-05-27. Retrieved on July 13, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Welcome to Whitchurch
• Aerial photographs of Whitchurch
• Whitchurch Cottage Hospital