Church Stretton is a market town in the South of the county. Church Stretton was the largest of three settlements which formed the manor of Stretton and was listed in the Domesday Book. There have been people living in the area for far longer though with traces found of an Iron Age hill fort on Caer Caradoc which overlooks the town.
Church Stretton was granted a market charter by King John in 1214. The market is still held though now is on a different day after a new charter granted by King Edward III. Most of the town was destroyed in a fire in 1593, a number of buildings survive from the rebuilding. The parish church of St Lawrence dates from the 12th century.
Due to it's proximity to the Shropshire hills which overlook the town, Church Stretton became a popular health resort in Victorian and Edwardian times and gained the nickname Little Switzerland. The town is served by Church Stretton railway station.
