Wellington
Wellington lies in the West Midlands area of England. It is part of Shropshire and, although an independent town in its own right for many years, it is now part of the Telford New Town conurbation.
Wellington was originally known as Weoleahington. Settlements in the area built up around the famous Roman road which passes through here, Watling Street. It is thought that the town may once have been a sacred ancient site that may have contained a temple or other kind of religious building. If this is the case then the present day church in the town may well have been built on the original temple site which is on a small hill in the town centre. It is also thought that this site also held a cross at some point once Christianity came to the area. By the time of the Domesday Book Wellington was referred to as a village large enough to have a priest.
Wellington was given a Royal Charter to hold a market in the 1200s. During the Civil War the town was visited by Charles I who stayed in Wellington for a while before the battles of the war began. Charles made a declaration here (often referred to as the Wellington Declaration) before the first battle stating that he would stand for the rights of the Laws of England, the Liberty of Parliament and Protestantism. During the Civil War Wellington’s church was damaged and it was eventually rebuilt as the current All Saints Church in the late 1700s.
By the late 1600s the town had built a market hall with open sides which was later replaced in the 1800s by the building of a new Town Hall. The market was then moved to a new location. During the 1800s Wellington became connected with a railway line and grew into a relatively important transport hub for the surrounding areas.
The original market of the town still runs four days a week. Nowadays it is also complemented by a monthly Farmer’s Market which is also held in the market square. Visitors who come to Wellington in the summer may be lucky enough to catch the towns open air music season (Sounds in the Square) which is held in the town’s market square at this time of year. The town also hosts the Wellington Literary Festival and a Midsummer Fair. Visitors may also like to take a look at the Old Hall. This current day school is one of Wellington’s oldest existing buildings.
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