Wellington (Shropshire)

This article is about the town in Shropshire.
For the town in Somerset, see Wellington (Somerset).

Wellington is a former Primary Destination, as indicated by the green box on this 1970 OS Route Planning Map

Wellington on the 1922 MoT Road Map

Wellington is a small town in Shropshire, now part of the New Town of Telford.

It is also a former Primary Destination, a status taken over by Telford itself in 1970.

History

Historically, Wellington was an important waypoint on routes through the eastern part of Shropshire wih three routes within the area of regional importance on their way the county town of Shrewsbury (and beyond that, Wales) and other parts of the country: A5 towards Cannock and Wolverhampton and A518 towards Stafford. This was caused by the geography of the area including the hill at The Wrekin and the Ironbridge Gorge to the south meant that the east-west routes came together through the town. In addition, the A442 route between Chester and Hereford ran through the eastern side of the town.

In the mid-1830s, Thomas Telford constructed his Holyhead Road, which used what is now parts of the B5061 past Wellington town centre on the section between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

Today, the town is bypassed to the south by the M54 motorway; the Wellington Bypass section of which opened in 1975.

Highways Management

The non-trunk roads in Wellington are maintained by Telford and Wrekin Council. The only road maintained by National Highways through the town is the M54.

Named Junctions

Main Article: Named Junctions in Telford

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M54	Shrewsbury
M54	Birmingham, Wolverhampton
A5	Shrewsbury
A442	Whitchurch
A442	Bridgnorth
A5223	Whitchurch
A5223	Much Wenlock
B4375	Broseley
B4378	Much Wenlock
B4394	Wroxeter
B5061	Priorslee	former route of A5 and A464
B5063	Shawbury
A5(M)		now M54
A5223	Shrewsbury	now unclassified, originally B5061.
B5061		now unclassified, became A5223
B5406		now unclassified, originally A5.