Shropshire Routes to Roots

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Changes in people and landscape: Timeline

Year	Day	National Event	Local Event	Related Theme:Page
4600 - 545 million years ago		Precambrian period	Shropshire covered by shallow seas; formation of the Wrekin, Caer Caradoc, Long Mynd and Stiperstones	The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
545 - 505 million years ago		Cambrian period		The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
505 - 438 million years ago		Ordovician period		The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
438 - 410 million years ago		Silurian period		The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
410 - 355 million years ago		Devonian period	Wenlock Edge formed	The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
355 - 290 million years ago		Carboniferous period	Llanymynech and Clee Hills formed; coal seams laid down	The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
290 - 250 million years ago		Permian period		The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
250 - 205 million years ago		Triassic period	Sandstones of the North Shropshire Plain and Grinshill formed	The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
205 - 135 million years ago		Jurassic period	Dinosaurs roamed Shropshire	The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
135 - 65 million years ago		Cretaceous period		The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
65 - 0 million years ago		Cenozoic era		The physical landscape: The origins of landscapes
15 000 years ago			Ice sheets started to melt; Ellesmere lakes formed	The physical landscape: The Ice Age legacy
13 000 years ago		Ice age	Mammoths roamed Shropshire
4000 to 2500 B.C.		Britain inhabited by Neolithic tribes	Evidence of farming in Shropshire	Farming changes: A history of field formation
2500 to 700 B.C.		Bronze Age	Oldest man-made earthworks found in Shropshire date from this period
700 B.C. to 43 A.D.		Iron Age	Hill forts built in Shropshire, of which 50 remain today; Old Oswestry hill fort is the best example
First Century A.D.		Romans conquered Britain and began road-building	Roman roads built in Shropshire, including Watling Street, from Wroxeter to the Leintwardine	From trackways to motorways: Roman roads
1066		Norman conquest
1070		Norman settlement of Britain	Shrewsbury Castle built by Roger de Montgomery	From trackways to motorways: Roman roads
1086		First draft of the Domesday Book completed
1100s		One-third of Britain classed as 'Royal Forests'
1348		Black death (plague) killed up to a quarter of the population
1407			Oswestry Grammar School founded	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1536		Dissolution of the monasteries began; Church lands redistributed to nobility	Remains of seven monasteries can be seen in Shropshire
1590			Shrewsbury Market Hall built	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1750		Industrial Revolution 'began'		Shropshire's industrial heritage: Introduction
1750		'Turnpike mania' began; 870 turnpike roads created over the next twenty years		From Trackways to Motorways: Turnpikes and tolls
1770			First major canal, the Chester Canal, opened
1800s		Industry increased	Intensive mining and quarrying of minerals	Shropshire's industrial heritage: Introduction
1801		General Enclosure Act passed	Many areas of Shropshire had already been 'enclosed' by the time of the Act	The landscape of Sheinton: Enclosure
1813			Sheinton one of the last places in Shropshire to have its open fields enclosed	The landscape of Sheinton: The open fields of Sheinton
1848	October 12		First railway opened in Shropshire, from Shrewsbury to Chester
1865			Cambrian Railway headquarters established in Oswestry	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1868		Torrens Act encouraged the demolition of unsanitary housing
1869			New market built by the Corporation of Shrewsbury	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1869			Oswestry's Powis Hall built	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1893	November		Oswestry Guildhall opened	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1894			Shrewsbury municipal baths built	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1901			Excavations and building work to add an under-storey to Shrewsbury Station	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1905			National Providential built in Oswestry	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1905		Housing and Town Planning Act gave local governments the power to oversee housing development
1910			Cae Glass Park opened in Oswestry	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1924			Closure of Cambrian Railway headquarters and station in Oswestry	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1947		Town and Country Planning Act, introduced first listed buildings scheme
1950s		National housing crisis as a result of World War Two	County Council built housing estates on outskirts of Shrewsbury	A tale of two towns: The view from the air - Shrewsbury
1956		Housing Subsidies Act encourage councils to build high-rise housing
c. 1960			Oswestry New Street Market demolised; Powis Hall replaced	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Oswestry
1963			Shrewsbury market demolished and replaced	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1968			Dawley, Wellington and Oakengates merged to create the town of Telford
1971			Shrewsbury Shirehall demolished	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1973			New Shrewsbury Fire Station opened at Ditherington	A tale of two towns: The view from the street - Shrewsbury
1990			Earthquake struck, with its epicentre at Bishop's Castle	The physical landscape: Geological forces
1990		Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act
1992			Shrewsbury bypass opened	A tale of two towns: The view from the air - Shrewsbury
2004	February		Flood barriers tested successfully in Shrewsbury and Ironbridge	The physical landscape: The power of water
2004			Planning and building underway for new cultural and leisure facilities in Oswestry, Shrewsbury and other parts of Shropshire	A tale of two towns: The two towns

Timewords

The foundations for the landscape we see today were laid in pre-history when hills, rivers, rocks and minerals were formed.

The earliest evidence of human habitation in Shropshire comes from the Neolithic period. During the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman era forts and roads were built, many of which can be seen today.

During the Medieval Period (1066 to 1547), perhaps the most significant changes were the building of castles after the Norman Conquest, and the dissolution of the monasteries.

From this time onwards, more and more common land began to be taken (or 'enclosed') by wealthy individuals. Enclosure increased particularly from the mid-eighteenth century, leading to the placing of hedges and walls which mark fields today. During this period, industry also increased, leaving the scars of mines and quarrying, as well as roads, railways and canals, on the countryside. The Victorian era (1837 - 1901) saw much public building, such as baths, meeting halls and market buildings.

In the twentieth century, county councils took more control of building and planning. They faced a number of problems, such as slum clearance and finding post-War housing. The solutions were not always successful, with many old buildings being destroyed, sometimes replaced by high-rise tower blocks. However, in the 1990s onwards it became much tougher to remove buildings of historical significance.

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