Wellington is a town in Shropshire, England and now forms part of the New Town of Telford. Its name was originally 'Watling Town', because it lies on Watling Street, a Roman road that linked London with the city of Viroconium (now Wroxeter). Another possibility here is that it used to be called Weoleahington, meaning 'settlement by temple' this may be correct because Wellington's roots date back to Saxon times. The temple itself has not been found, but evidence may suggest that it was on the site of the All Saints Church.
Wellington gained its town charter in 1244 and the market still exists today. Historically, its only claim to fame is that King Charles I was staying at an inn at Wellington when he declared war on Parliament (raising his standard at Nottingham days later).
Nowadays, there are a great number of shops and pubs in the streets surrounding the market, some of which are Tudor buildings, giving the town a lot of character. It has an old-fashioned railway station which was built in 1849 and has 3 platforms, offering trains towards Shrewsbury and Wales, as well as to the Black Country. The town has a population of roughly 50,000, making it the biggest single part of the Telford and Wrekin Borough.
Some of the townspeople do not think that the formation of Telford New Town has been a positive change for Wellington. Its economy has been damaged by Telford Town Centre, its football team's name has been changed from Wellington Town to Telford United, and its large Victorian library is increasingly ignored as Telford Library has become the headquarters for the Telford and Wrekin library service. The town also sometimes suffers a lot from the bias of the Borough Council towards the town centre and against Wellington, although the formation has bought a large number of jobs to an area which would otherwise have been short of employment.
Some townsfolk (mainly the older generations) suffer from a great reluctance to accept Wellington as part of Telford and do not embrace the benefits that it brings. Fortunately younger generations know Wellington as an thriving area of Telford with a rich & varied nightlife and a great place to get a bargain!
Artistic events in Wellington include the monthly Wellington News and the well attended Annual Wellington Literacy Festival , a celebrated month of workshops, competitions and even audiences with famous poets and authors. The town's only literary claim to fame is that the poet Philip Larkin once worked at Wellington Library. The abolitionist Doctor William Withering was born in the town in 1741; he also investigated digitalis, used in the treatment of heart disease.
See Telford and Wrekin Borough.
