Church Stretton is a market community in Shropshire, England, 13 miles (21 kilometres) south of Shrewsbury and also 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671. The community was nicknamed Little Switzerland in the late Victorian and Edwardian period for its landscape, and came to be a health spa. The neighborhood geology includes several of the earliest rocks in England as well as a noteworthy fault is called after the town. Today, Church Stretton is an active market community in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The mineral water removal and bottling plant on Shrewsbury Road (recognized locally as the 'Pop Works'), has been running because 1883; considering that 2004 it has actually offered Princes with mineral water. It is a significant regional company as is the polymer laboratories off Essex Road, presently possessed by Agilent Technologies (till 2009 by Varian). There is a marked light industrial area between the A49 and the railway line, known as Crossways, with a number of businesses, many of which remain in the car profession, consisting of an independent petrol/diesel loading terminal. The community gain from tourist, which is a development market in the area, in addition to attracting neighborhood profession. A recent survey revealed that the town has some 50 retail electrical outlets, 44 of which are independently had, with a diverse series of shop kinds. [48] These consist of 2 butchers, a number of exterior tasks shops, a baker, a delicatessen, numerous clothes and shoe stores, 3 financial institutions, and 2 grocery stores (Co-op and also Spar). There is a big antiques market, located in a previous malthouse on the corner of Sandford Avenue as well as Easthope Road. There are four clubs, an along with a number of coffee shops and also tiny dining establishments. In June 2011 the community was formally proclaimed to be a "Fairtrade Town" with 34 organisations marketing fair trade products. There is a tiny art gallery in the previous hotel on the edge of Shrewsbury Road and also Sandford Avenue. The community likewise has a number of professional solutions, such as solicitors, accounting professionals and also estate agents, verifying its condition as a neighborhood centre of business. The community remains to take advantage of its online reputation as a health facility town, as well as a preferable location to live, particularly in retirement. Home costs are above the county standard as well as have actually seen comparable rises in current times to various other spa communities in the UK.