Telford: In defence of one of the 'ugliest' towns in the country
Ludlow and Telford were named in a list of the prettiest and ugliest places in the UK by The Telegraph this week, and I don't think I need to tell you which was which.
Reading James March's damning description of the town that I call home sent me on a wild rollercoaster of emotions.
Now I realise I am among a very small percentage of Telford residents who consider this town lovely, but I do not for one moment believe we deserve to be third from the bottom of a list that doesn't even include Milton Keynes. They don't even put art on their roundabouts.
In his description of Telford, the travel writer penned: "Napoleon spent his final years stranded adrift on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena, though he may have been even more miserable had he been subjected to Telford and its risible personality-free architecture.
"Thankfully for Le Petit Caporal, Telford didn’t exist until the 1960s..."
He went on to describe Telford as a "hodge-podge of dismal high streets, dour retail parks and a cookie-cutter urban sprawl."
Well, sir, this is why I think you're wrong.
Just this year, Telford was ranked in the top ten of England’s greenest urban centres - ranked in second place for air quality and sixth for green space in the public realm.
And that was a planning choice, when developers were mapping out Telford back in the 60s, the idea was to incorporate as much of Shropshire's greenery into our "urban sprawl".
If you'll allow me to talk about my favourite Telford topic, our penchant for adorning our roundabouts with statues and greenery started in the 1970s, as a concerted effort by planners to insert more art into the public realm. Art! On the roundabouts!
When I moved to Telford from Bolton when I was 11, I was amazed at how much greenery this place had. In Bolton, I barely knew anyone with a front garden. Yet, James gave us a 5/10 for greenery.
Even from the depths of Brookside and Woodside, you don't have to look far for a green space. And I'm not just talking a patch of grass to walk the pooch, I'm talking woodlands and streams and acres and acres of parkland.
Telford, albeit a mass of roundabouts and houses that were considered modern in the 1960s that yes, probably weren't meant to be around for this long, is still quite clearly in Shropshire. The Wrekin, Apley Woods, Telford Town Park, even Donnington has the Granville.
And our "hodge-podge" of high streets includes many historic towns that I don't think should be scoffed at.
Personally, I believe the juxtaposition of "ugly" post-war architecture nestled up against historical buildings is actually a really beautiful sight - but for the purpose of appealing to the masses, I'll pocket that for now.
Wellington alone, which proudly dates back to at least the 11th century, includes more than 40 listed buildings. Among them, timber-framed Tudor shops that wouldn't feel out of place in the beloved Ludlow.
Dawley and Madeley too are steeped in history that you don't have to look hard to see. Yet, James gave us a two for historic architecture.
So, this is my open invitation to you, James March. Please, let me show you how beautiful this dour and dismal town really is.
