Church Stretton is a market community in Shropshire, England, 13 miles (21 kilometres) south of Shrewsbury and 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671. The town was nicknamed Little Switzerland in the late Victorian and also Edwardian duration for its landscape, and ended up being a health resort. The local geology includes a few of the earliest rocks in England as well as a noteworthy fault is called after the town. Today, Church Stretton is a busy market town in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The mineral water removal and also bottling plant on Shrewsbury Road (recognized in your area as the 'Pop Works'), has been operating given that 1883; considering that 2004 it has provided Princes with mineral water. It is a significant local employer as is the polymer labs off Essex Roadway, currently had by Agilent Technologies (until 2009 by Varian). There is a designated light enterprise zone in between the A49 as well as the railway line, called Crossways, with a number of companies, most of which remain in the car trade, consisting of an independent petrol/diesel filling station. The town benefits from tourism, which is a development market in the area, as well as drawing in local profession. A current study revealed that the town has some 50 retail outlets, 44 of which are independently had, with a varied series of shop kinds. [48] These include 2 butchers, a number of exterior tasks stores, a baker, a delicatessen, a number of garments and shoe stores, 3 banks, and 2 supermarkets (Co-op and Spar). There is a huge vintages market, positioned in a previous malthouse on the edge of Sandford Avenue and also Easthope Road. There are 4 clubs, an along with a variety of cafes as well as small dining establishments. In June 2011 the town was officially proclaimed to be a "Fairtrade Town" with 34 companies marketing fair trade items. There is a tiny art gallery in the previous hotel on the edge of Shrewsbury Road and Sandford Avenue. The community likewise has a number of specialist services, such as solicitors, accountants as well as estate agents, verifying its condition as a local centre of business. The town remains to benefit from its credibility as a medical spa town, and also a desirable place to live, specifically in retired life. Home prices are above the county average as well as have actually seen similar increases in current times to other medspa towns in the UK.