Harlescott
Encyclopedia
Harlescott is a suburb
of the town of Shrewsbury
, county town of Shropshire
. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan
Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne
to the east and Ditherington
to the south. Note that many locals, particularly those born before about 1985, use the term "Harlescott" to refer to a wider area than the council ward, including much of what is officially "Sundorne" (to the east of Whitchurch and Battlefield Roads) and also much of the Heathgates and Mount Pleasant areas (sometimes called "Heath Farm").
Shrewsbury's livestock market was at Harlescott (between 1956 and 2006 - it is now at a new site out-of-town at Battlefield
). The site has been redeveloped with a Tesco
supermarket. Next door there is a Park and Ride
car park. Every Sunday, when there are no Park and Ride buses, an open air market is held at this site.
There was once a military supply depot here, RAF Harlescott, but this has closed and the nearest RAF
base is now a few miles away at Shawbury
. Harlescott was also once a fairly notable railway centre, but now all the sidings have gone. Only the Welsh Marches Line
itself and Harlescott Crossing and its signal box, remain.
There are two pubs in Harlescott, one called The Anchor Inn and the other Harry Hotspur. The latter is named after Harry Hotspur, who fought at the Battle of Shrewsbury
, which took place in the Harlescott area. ("The Coracle", Sundorne Road, "The Heathgates" on the Heathgates island, and "The Steam Wagon" on Mount Pleasant Road are also in Harlescott according to the wider definition, see above). Another pub, The Harlescott, recently closed and was later set alight by arsonists. It has now been demolished and a new supermarket (Lidl
) has been built on the site.
Harlescott's Secondary school is The Grange School, a co-educational secondary school with students aged between 11 and 16 with approximately 500 pupils.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the town of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, county town of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London. As originally constituted, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties each consisted of multiple districts, had a county council and...
Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne
Sundorne
Sundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the Shrewsbury by-pass at Sundorne Roundabout and heading east...
to the east and Ditherington
Ditherington
Ditherington is a district within the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the 4th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire....
to the south. Note that many locals, particularly those born before about 1985, use the term "Harlescott" to refer to a wider area than the council ward, including much of what is officially "Sundorne" (to the east of Whitchurch and Battlefield Roads) and also much of the Heathgates and Mount Pleasant areas (sometimes called "Heath Farm").
Shrewsbury's livestock market was at Harlescott (between 1956 and 2006 - it is now at a new site out-of-town at Battlefield
Battlefield, Shropshire
Battlefield is a village north of Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire, England.The village is today split between three parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.-Battle of Shrewsbury:...
). The site has been redeveloped with a Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
supermarket. Next door there is a Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
car park. Every Sunday, when there are no Park and Ride buses, an open air market is held at this site.
There was once a military supply depot here, RAF Harlescott, but this has closed and the nearest RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base is now a few miles away at Shawbury
Shawbury
Shawbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire. The village is north east of the town of Shrewsbury, north west of Telford and north west of London. The village straddles the A53 between Shrewsbury and Market Drayton...
. Harlescott was also once a fairly notable railway centre, but now all the sidings have gone. Only the Welsh Marches Line
Welsh Marches Line
The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch...
itself and Harlescott Crossing and its signal box, remain.
There are two pubs in Harlescott, one called The Anchor Inn and the other Harry Hotspur. The latter is named after Harry Hotspur, who fought at the Battle of Shrewsbury
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland....
, which took place in the Harlescott area. ("The Coracle", Sundorne Road, "The Heathgates" on the Heathgates island, and "The Steam Wagon" on Mount Pleasant Road are also in Harlescott according to the wider definition, see above). Another pub, The Harlescott, recently closed and was later set alight by arsonists. It has now been demolished and a new supermarket (Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
) has been built on the site.
Harlescott's Secondary school is The Grange School, a co-educational secondary school with students aged between 11 and 16 with approximately 500 pupils.