Church Stretton is a market community in Shropshire, England, 13 miles (21 kilometres) south of Shrewsbury as well as 15 miles (24 km) north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671. The town was nicknamed Little Switzerland in the late Victorian as well as Edwardian duration for its landscape, and became a health resort. The local geology consists of several of the oldest rocks in England as well as a notable mistake is named after the town. Today, Church Stretton is a busy market community in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The mineral water extraction as well as bottling plant on Shrewsbury Road (recognized locally as the 'Pop Works'), has been operating given that 1883; considering that 2004 it has offered Princes with mineral water. It is a significant neighborhood company as is the polymer laboratories off Essex Road, currently possessed by Agilent Technologies (until 2009 by Varian). There is a designated light industrial park in between the A49 and the railway line, called Crossways, with a variety of organisations, much of which are in the car trade, including an independent petrol/diesel loading station. The community take advantage of tourist, which is a growth market in the location, in addition to bring in neighborhood profession. A current survey showed that the town has some 50 retail outlets, 44 of which are separately possessed, with a varied range of store kinds. [48] These include two butchers, a number of outside tasks shops, a baker, a deli, several clothing and footwear shops, three financial institutions, and also 2 grocery stores (Co-op as well as Spar). There is a huge vintages market, located in a previous malthouse on the edge of Sandford Avenue and also Easthope Road. There are four pubs, an in addition to a number of coffee shops and small dining establishments. In June 2011 the town was formally declared to be a "Fairtrade Town" with 34 businesses offering fair trade items. There is a tiny art gallery in the former hotel on the edge of Shrewsbury Road and also Sandford Avenue. The town likewise has a variety of specialist services, such as solicitors, accounting professionals and estate representatives, verifying its status as a local centre of business. The town remains to take advantage of its credibility as a medical spa town, as well as a preferable area to live, particularly in retirement. Residence prices are above the region standard as well as have seen similar increases in recent times to other spa towns in the UK.
