Dawley ( ) is a former mining town and civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. It was originally proposed be the main centre of the 'Dawley New Town' plan in 1963, however it was decided in 1968 to name the new town as 'Telford', after the engineer and road-builder Thomas Telford. Dawley is one of the older settlements in Shropshire, being mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086). It is divided into Dawley Magna ("Great Dawley") and Little Dawley (also shown as Dawley Parva ("Little Dawley") on older maps).
Etymology
The name Dawley comes from
Old English meaning
woodland clearing associated with a man called Dealla.
Local government
The town's main
civil parish is officially called
Great Dawley – its parish council is officially Great Dawley Town Council.
Dawley Hamlets is a separate civil parish, which covers Little Dawley and other neighbouring villages/suburbs.
In 1894 Dawley became an urban district, the urban district contained the parish of Dawley Magna or Dawley,
Railways
Unlike the other towns in Telford and Wrekin, Dawley never had its own railway station to serve the town itself. Two railway stations served the town despite being some distance from Dawley itself. The nearest station to the town was Dawley and Stirchley, located roughly 1 mile to the southeast of the town under Stirchley Lane and also served the neighboring village of Stirchley. It opened in 1860 on the Coalport branch line but closed in 1952 along with the line. The trackbed including the platform now form part of the
Silkin Way.
The other station is in nearby
Horsehay, located 1 mile to the southwest of the town. It is on the former Wellington to Craven Arms Line and originally closed in 1962, before being reopened by the Telford Steam Railway. It now serves as a
Heritage railway. The nearest mainline station for the town is Telford Central.
History
Dawley is mentioned in the
Domesday Book and is therefore one of the older settlements in Shropshire.
There was a castle in Dawley, but it was demolished around 1648. The site is unknown, although the Castle Pools (on the old quarry site) and Castle Ironworks (built by the Darby family, one of whom commissioned the world-famous Ironbridge) possibly indicate the general area where it may have stood. Prior to the landscaping that followed the creation of Telford New Town, extensive ruins were detectable next to the Castle Pools and are shown on old maps as being the location of the castle, but, in the 1980s, the whole area was buried under thick topsoil and planted with trees. Ironbridge is a short distance away.
For over three centuries, Dawley was a mining town, both for coal and ironstone. Clay extraction, for local industrial-pipe factories, brickyards and the pottery industry, have been major influences on the landscape. Mining had an important impact on the local culture. In 1821, production at Dawley's ironworks of was halted by striking miners in protest at lowering of their wages. Many of the workers in Dawley joined a larger group of protesters in what came to be known as the Cinderloo Uprising.
Prior to large-scale levelling as part of the development of Telford New Town, the area was covered by clay mounds and large clay pits that dominated the landscape, to the extent that they formed points of reference for the locals. There is still a local clay-pipe factory in the adjacent Doseley village; grey clay predominates on the immediate outskirts of Dawley.
The adjacent village of Horsehay was the site of a bridge and later a crane fabrication factory that exported around the world. The Victoria Falls Bridge is wrongly claimed to have been built there. Telford Steam Railway trust is located across the road from the former factory site.
Dawley Town Hall opened as a temperance hall, in 1873.
On 7 June 2010, Dawley had become subject to a lot of media attention because some locals had recreated the 'Hollywood' sign on a noticeable bank on Paddock Mount but with Dawley instead of Hollywood. The Shropshire Star had a full-page spread article on that day's evening edition to honour the effort made by the locals. As of midday on 8 June, over 1000 people had joined a Facebook group showing support for the sign, acknowledging the efforts of its creators, and in protest against the controversial redevelopment of the mount to move the Phoenix Academy (now the Telford Langley School) there.
Dawley is known for its dialect, which includes some quite unique words, including "bist", presumably from the German meaning "are". However, the dialect is largely lost. Along with the dialect were various conventions and traditions, notably the "pig on the wall". Traditionally, Dawley residents would show their support for The Dawley Prize Band or other civic marches by placing their pigs on their walls. The pig also features in the dialect, with a romantic phrase apparently being "I wudna swop thee for a big black pig!"
Geography
Dawley has a street-market every Friday. Dawley town centre consists of a single pedestrianised street that was previously the main route from Bridgnorth in the south to Wellington in the north. The area around Dawley, not covered by Telford New Town, is rural and provides extensive opportunities for walking. The
Ironbridge Gorge and
The Wrekin are both pleasant walks from Dawley.
On the northern edge of Dawley is Malinslee where St. Leonards church stands.
The design of St. Leonards, a slightly irregular octagon, is said to have been influenced by Thomas Telford.
Other churches supposedly influenced by Thomas Telford during his work in Shropshire are at nearby Madeley and Bridgnorth.
Education
There are seven primary schools in the Dawley area, and a comprehensive secondary school, Telford Langley School. There are two
in Dawley: Queensway South campus (formerly Mount Gilbert School) and Southall School.
Notable people
-
Samuel Peploe (1667-1752), later Bishop of Chester, was a native of Dawley Parva, where he was baptised.
-
Thomas Botfield (1762-1843), metallurgist, geologist and inventor, was born at Dawley.
-
William Ball (1795–1852), the Shropshire Giant, was a nineteenth-century iron puddler and giant.
-
John Poole Sandlands (1838-1915), clergyman, naturopath and vegetarianism activist, was born in Dawley.
-
Captain Matthew Webb (1848–1883), the first man to swim the English Channel – his monument stands on the High Street. Legend suggests that at the parade in Webb's honour that was held on his return, a pig stood up against a wall to watch.
-
Albert Stanley (1863-1915), Liberal, later Labour politician, MP for N.W.Staffs, was born in Dark Lane, Dawley.
-
Joseph Simpson (1909-1968) born in Dawley, was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, 1958 / 1968.
-
Edith Pargeter (1913-1995), using her pen name Ellis Peters, she wrote the Brother Cadfael novels; she went to school in Dawley.
[Article by Toby Neal on Edith Pargeter, part of series on West Midlands worthies.] Numerous roads in Aqueduct, such as Cadfael Drive and Ellis Peters Drive, are 'themed' after her.
-
Paul Hendy (born 1966), TV presenter, script-writer, novelist, director and filmmaker was born at Dawley.
Sport
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William Foulke (1874–1916) goalkeeper, was born at Dawley, played 355 games mainly for Sheffield United.
-
Joe Butler (1879–1941), football goalkeeper played 513 games, was born at Dawley Bank.
-
Graham Bailey (1920-2024), footballer, played 53 games for Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United, centenarian last surviving professional player from the 1930s,
-
Roy Pritchard (1925-1993), footballer, played 247 games incl. 202 for Wolves and at the 1949 FA Cup Final, was born at Dawley.
-
Thomas Nicholls (1931-2021), boxer, lived at Brandlee, Dawley when he appeared at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.
[Report by Toby Neal.]
-
Eddie Garbett (born 1949), footballer played 200 games mainly for Barrow and Stockport County, was born at Dawley.
-
Dalian Atkinson (1968-2016), footballer, played 246 games, mainly for Aston Villa; was living in Little Dawley when he died.
[Report by Lisa O'Brien, published following his funeral.]
See also
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Listed buildings in Great Dawley
-
Listed buildings in Dawley Hamlets
-
Shropshire Revolution – American football Team, based in Dawley
External links
