Bielby's Blog - An Ode to Wellington & Telford

An Ode to Wellington & Telford

Imagine a place where a hill stares you down like a retired RAF pilot, a market town that still believes people should speak face-to-face rather than through emojis, and a shiny new town that somehow keeps one foot in the Industrial Revolution and the other in a supermarket car park. Welcome to Wellington and Telford.

If you want drama, you have The Wrekin — an ancient lump of rock and bristling trees that dominates the skyline like a grumpy god. Climb it and, once you’ve stopped wheezing, you realise it was worth every step. The view goes on forever, and the locals will tell you it’s practically a civic duty to conquer it at least once a year.

Wellington is the kind of market town that remembers how to do things properly. It has a market that still sells real vegetables rather than shrink-wrapped, airbrushed ones; the High Street has pubs with character; and despite the march of modern retail, it has kept its charm. The cafés and restaurants are fine for a casual bite or coffee — nothing fancy, but they do the job.

Telford, by contrast, is the future — but one that still wears a hard hat. It’s a new town built on the bones of history, sitting half in a 1960s masterplan and half in the birthplace of the modern world. Ironbridge Gorge, home of the world’s first major cast-iron bridge, sits practically next door, reminding everyone that this part of Shropshire didn’t just watch the Industrial Revolution — it lit the fuse. The Darby family, Abraham in particular, cracked the secret to smelting iron with coke, a development that changed engineering, manufacturing, and global progress forever.

The people who grew up here have form when it comes to doing remarkable things. Captain Matthew Webb, for instance, decided one Tuesday afternoon that swimming the English Channel was perfectly sensible — and then went off and did it, becoming the first person in history to manage the feat. His determination still echoes proudly in Dawley, just a short journey from Telford town centre.

Schools here mean business. Thomas Telford School is a powerhouse — an institution that consistently produces high-achieving, ambitious students and has more technology in a single classroom than some media organisations. Other strong choices include Wrekin College, New College Telford, Holy Trinity Academy, Hadley Learning Community, and Ercall Wood Academy. In short, there’s a good chance your children will end up more capable than you.

There’s also no shortage of things to do. Telford Town Park doesn’t politely suggest an afternoon stroll — it demands you have a go on the climbing wall, tire the kids out at one of the adventure areas, walk around the lake, and finish with something from a nearby café or restaurant. Wellington’s eateries are simple but adequate — decent for a quick meal or a coffee stop.

Surrounding everything is countryside that seems designed for proper weekends: rolling fields, quiet lanes, woodland, and footpaths that make you test the suspension on your car and the soles of your walking boots. And always, looming gently, is the Wrekin — the hill you will try once, then rave about indefinitely.

So why live here? Because Wellington and Telford give you options. You get cosy pubs, historic town centres, proper countryside and landmark heritage, alongside modern shops, schools, cinemas, supermarkets and transport links that mean you’re never stranded. It’s cheaper than the South, greener than most cities, and far more interesting once you scratch the surface.

In short: Wellington and Telford are where you move when you want your weekends back, your surroundings to mean something, and your life to have a few more good stories. Climb the Wrekin, nod respectfully to Captain Webb, admire the Darbys’ legacy, and if you want unstoppable children, send them to Thomas Telford or one of the many excellent schools that make this area a surprisingly powerful place to grow up.