Britain's biggest towns ranked best to worst, including Telford - here's how The Telegraph has rated our Shropshire town
The Telegraph has ranked Britain’s biggest towns from best to worst, including Telford. Here's how our big Shropshire town has been rated by the national newspaper
As Britain looks for candidates for the first ever Town of Culture award, travel experts at a national newspaper have delivered their verdict on the country's most populous towns.
Towns can apply until March 31 and three finalists - one small, one medium, and one large - will be chosen over the next 12 months, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport aiming to announce the winner in early 2027.
Of the three finalists, one will be named UK Town of Culture 2028 and receive £3 million, while the other two finalists will each receive £250,000.
While towns around the country prepare to submit their expressions of interest, The Telegraph has compiled a ranking of the biggest 25 towns in the UK to determine which already have plenty to offer, and which could do with a bit of funding.
There's only one Shropshire town on the newspaper's list - Telford. Now, The Telegraph doesn't have the greatest history when it comes to Shropshire's new town.
It was only three years ago that one writer branded Telford one of the ugliest in the country, describing it as a "hodge-podge of dismal high streets, dour retail parks and a cookie-cutter urban sprawl".
And the town has only fared slightly better in 2026.
While Telford's rating 'beat' towns including Crawley, Watford, Luton and Oldham, it was named 19th on the list (that is, seventh-'worst').
Writer Chris Moss gave the "20th-century creation" of Telford a grand score of 2.5/10.
He wrote: "Often unflatteringly, but fairly, compared with Shrewsbury, its local appeal rests on shops and amenities.
"But nearby are the Wrekin, a gorgeous little lump of woodland, the Unesco-listed Ironbridge Gorge, the Shropshire Hills and the Severn.
"Frankly, all of its visitable sights and attractions, bar the town park, are satellites of Telford. A useful base, for sure; a leisurely stopover for Wales-bound holidaymakers, not really."
A biting judgement for sure, but not one that even the biggest Telford fans among us can really blame the writer for making.
Perhaps the most insulting part of the article came with Blackpool being crowned Britain's 'best' large town. Maybe Telford's Town of Culture bid should include plans for a Big Dipper.
The full article is available to view online at telegraph.co.uk.
