We visited a historic Shropshire mining town with enthusiastic locals and its own quirky dialect
We paid a visit to the historic mining town of Dawley in Telford and found a rich history, a tight-knit community spirit and heaps of potential.
In the heart of Telford, Dawley doesn't boast the rolling hills, gourmet cafés or quirky boutiques of many of the other Shropshire towns and villages we've visited in this series.
It's got glitzier neighbours too, with the stunning Ironbridge Gorge to the south and Telford town centre's retail and food offerings to the north.
But it has a soul all of its own - one rooted in industry, hardship, and local pride.
Dawley is one of the oldest settlements in Shropshire, having been recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Dawley was at the heart of the East Shropshire coalfield, with key players like the Darby family (Coalbrookdale Company) and the Botfields (Old Park Ironworks) establishing the town as a powerhouse of iron production.
But by the late 19th century, coal and iron industries had collapsed, leaving Dawley impoverished, scarred by pits, slag heaps, derelict buildings and unemployment.
Hardship hung over the town for decades - until an ambitious regeneration project aimed to drag the town and its derelict industrial landscape out of the pits and help support overspill population from Birmingham.
The transition from old to new was met with much resistance in the traditional town during the development of Dawley New Town (soon renamed Telford - a battle also fiercely fought and lost by locals).
