Madeley, Shropshire

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 52.6374
longitude= -2.4488
official_name= Madeley
population = 17,935
unitary_england= Telford and Wrekin
lieutenancy_england= Shropshire
region= West Midlands
constituency_westminster= The Wrekin
post_town= TELFORD
postcode_district = TF7
postcode_area= TF
dial_code= 01952
os_grid_reference= SJ697044

Madeley is a town and civil parish, now part of the new town of Telford in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The parish had a population of 17,935 at the 2001 census.cite web |url=http://www.telford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/71D058EC-D10E-4744-A1D4-01B6E4B50FB3/19204/Madeley.pdf |title=Madeley 2001 Census Profile |accessdate=2008-04-12 |format=PDF |work=Telford and Wrekin Council]

Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8th century. Historically, Madeley's industrial activity has largely been in mining, and later, manufacturing, which is still a large employer in the town, along with service industries. Parts of the parish fall within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ironbridge Gorge, the site of The Iron Bridge, and a key area in the development of Industry.

History

The settlement of Madeley is recorded as far back as the Domesday Book. The town was founded prior to the 8th century, and subsequently became a market town in the 13th century. Mining of coal began before 1322, and the extraction of ironstone had begun by 1540.cite book |title=A History of the County of Shropshire |editor=Baugh, G C; Elrington, C R |coauthors=G C Baugh, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, D C Cox, Jessie McFall, P A Stamper, A J L Winchester |year=1985 |pages=21-23 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18064 |accessdate=2008-04-12]

The town played a role in the English Civil War, as it was home to a garrison of Royalist soldiers in 1645, although this post was abandoned after the fall of Shrewsbury. Two months later, Paliamentary forces occupied the parish church. Madeley is also home to a barn in which King Charles II hid after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. [cite web |url=http://www.localhistory.madeley.org.uk/buildings/upperh.html |title=Upper House |accessdate=2008-04-12 |format=HTML |work=Madeley Local Studies Group]

In the 17th century, Madeley was a small market town, but local tradesmen began to specialise, working in the river trade and in mining. In the 18th century, The Iron Bridge was built between Madeley Wood and Coalbrookdale. In the 1970s, significant construction of new housing and recreation areas was undertaken by the Dawley Development Corporation, later known as the Telford Development Corporation, as part of the development of Telford New Town.

Several of Madeley's historical sites of interest are waypoints on the South Telford Heritage Trail including: Madeley Court, Madeley High Street, Jubilee House, St. Michaels Church, Madeley Windmill and the Madeley Salop Railway Station.

Governance

Madeley is located within the parish and ward of the same name. The ward is within the Telford constituency, which is currently represented by Labour MP David Wright. In terms of local government, the town has representation in the local parish council, with five councillors representing the town, [Cite web |url=http://www.matters.madeley.org.uk/ |title=Madeley Matters |accessdate=2008-04-15] and the town is administered on the borough level by Telford and Wrekin unitary authority. The parish of Madeley formerly incorporated Ironbridge, which has since become part of the new parish of The Gorge.

Geography

Madeley is situated in the southern part of the new town of Telford, to the north of Ironbridge and the River Severn. Coalport, a part of the parish of Madeley can be found to the west of the town, and the modern Telford Town Centre is north of the settlement. The local area has reserves of coal and ironstone. [Cite web |url=http://www.localhistory.madeley.org.uk/hist.html |title=A Short History of Madeley |work=Madeley Local Studies Group |accessdate=2008-07-02]

Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ironbridge Gorge falls within the Parish of Madeley. [Cite web |url=http://www.magic.gov.uk/website/magic/viewer.htm?startTopic=magicall&chosenLayers=whsIndex&xygridref=368364,303439&startScale=34797 |title=Multi Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside |accessdate=2008-04-19] The majority of the site is within the parish of The Gorge, named for the Ironbridge Gorge, which is bridged by The Iron Bridge.

Demography

At the 2001 census, the population of the parish of Madeley was 17,935. Of this number, 8,190 were economically active, and of them, 7,477 were in employment. The ethnicity of the population was as follows: 96% of the population was found to be White, and 1.9% Asian, or Asian British. 1.3% of the population was mixed race, 0.6% Black or Black British and a further 0.2% Chinese. [Cite web |url=http://www.telford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/71D058EC-D10E-4744-A1D4-01B6E4B50FB3/19204/Madeley.pdf |title=Madeley 2001 Census Profile |work=Telford and Wrekin Council |format=PDF |accessdate=2008-04-15]

In terms of religion: 77% of the population are Christian, and 14.4% are of no religion. 0.7% of the population are Muslim, 0.5% are Sikh, 0.3% are Hindu, and 0.1% are Buddhist. [Cite web |url=http://www.telford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0FBF7557-4296-44F7-96DC-248290CF80EC/19172/Madeley.PDF |title=Madeley |work=Telford and Wrekin |accessdate=2008-07-02]

Economy

Historically, Madeley was a mining town serving the now defunct Kemberton Colliery. It was also home to the Madeley Wood Company. As of 2001, manufacturing is still a large employer in the town, with 33.1% of parish residents employed in that area. 20.7% are employed in wholesale, retail and hotels, and 11.8% in finance and business services. 5.3% of residents were found to be unemployed by the 2001 census.

Transport

The B4373 runs through the town, and the A4169 runs along its northern edge. The nearest motorway is the M54, which connects Telford to the West Midlands conurbation and the rest of the motorway network. Town bus services are provided by Arriva, and a community bus service is provided. [Cite web |url=http://www.telford.gov.uk/Transport+streets+and+parking/Telford+travelink/Sutton+Hill+Woodside+Community+Bus.htm |title=Sutton Hill/Woodside community bus |work=Telford and Wrekin Council |accessdate=2008-05-16]

Near Madeley is Madeley Junction, a railway junction and its accompanying signal box. The line from this junction runs to Lightmoor Junction, and is used to carry coal to Ironbridge Power Station. [Cite web |url=http://www.localhistory.madeley.org.uk/buildings/railway.html |title=When Steam Ruled the Rails |work=Madeley Local Studies Group |accessdate=2008-07-02] The nearest National Rail station to the town is Telford Central.

Education

There are a number of nurseries and primary schools in Madeley, [Cite web |url=http://www.schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/leasearch.php?lea=Telford%20and%20Wrekin&submit=go |title=UK Schools & Colleges Database |work=Schools Web Directory UK |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-16] and two secondary schools: Abraham Darby, which specialises in the performing arts; [Cite web |url=http://www.abrahamdarby.org.uk/ |title=Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-16] and Madeley Academy, a specialist sports college. [Cite web |url=http://madeleyacademy.co.uk/ |title=Madeley Academy |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-16] Haughton School, a special school for students aged five to sixteen is located in the town. [Cite web |url=http://www.taw.org.uk/directory/special.htm |title=Telford and Wrekin Special Schools |work=Telford and Wrekin |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-16]

Religious sites

There are three churches in the centre of Madeley: St. Michael's, a Church of England church; Madeley Baptist Church; and St. Mary's Roman Catholic church, part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury. [Cite web |url=http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/contactsview.asp?categoryid=61 |title=Churches |work=The Diocese of Shrewsbury |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-19] Cite web |url=http://www.telford.gov.uk/Community+living/Community+advice/Places+of+worship.htm |title=Places of Worship |work=Telford and Wrekin |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-19] The Fletcher Methodist Centre can be found in the town, and on the Tweedale Industrial Estate near Madeley is the Springfield Christian Fellowship.

Notable people

Residents of the town of Madeley have included Sir Basil Brooke of Madeley Court, who was instrumental in the Industrial Revolution. He was a former speaker of the House of Commons in the 17th century, who was born in the local manor (which he later inherited) in 1576. [Cite web |url=http://www.madeleyparishcouncil.gov.uk/brooke.htm |title=Sir Basil Brooke of Madeley |work=Madeley Parish Council |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-15] Major Charles Allix Lavington Yate VC, is another former resident of the town, who earned the Victoria Cross in the First World War. [Cite web |url=http://www.localhistory.madeley.org.uk/major_yate.html |title=Madeley's VC - Major C.A.L. Yate |work=Madeley Local Studies Group |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-15]

Billy Wright, the former captain of Wolves and the England football team, attended Madeley Senior School. [cite web |url=http://www.thewolvessite.co.uk/bwright.htm |title=William Ambrose Wright CBE |accessdate=2008-04-12 |format=HTML |work=The Wolves Site] John William Fletcher, an English divine, originally from Switzerland, was the vicar of the parish of Madeley in the 18th Century. [cite web |url=http://www.localhistory.madeley.org.uk/buildings/flemem.html |title=The Fletcher Methodist Church |accessdate=2008-04-12 |format=HTML |work=Madeley Local Studies Group]

Rob Edwards a current Wolves and Wales full-back, was born in the town, in 1982, and Bobby McFerrin, the singer of the song "Don't Worry, be Happy", was born in the town, in 1950. [cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bobby+McFerrin |title=Bobby McFerrin |accessdate=2008-04-12 |format=HTML |work=Discogs]

References

External links

* [http://www.madeley.org.uk/ Madeley Parish Council] has information about local history, events, etc.