Step back into 1970s Wellington and see a familiar market town in the midst of dramatic change.
As the new town of Telford expanded around it, Wellington was reshaped during a decade of demolition, construction and redevelopment. Streets were altered, old buildings came down and new roads, pedestrian schemes and developments began to change the town’s appearance. Places such as Groom’s Alley and Tan Bank were transformed, creating a very different-looking Wellington from the one people knew before.
Yet among the building works and changing streetscapes, there are plenty of reminders of everyday life – familiar shops and businesses, busy roads, local landmarks and the people who lived and worked in the town.
Drawn from the Shropshire Star archive, these photographs capture Wellington as it looked during the 1970s – from demolition and construction to ordinary scenes of town life.
Take a stroll through the gallery and see how many streets, buildings, shops and familiar faces you can recognise. What do you remember about Wellington in the 1970s? Let us know in the comments.
- All aboard! Take a nostalgic trip through Shrewsbury station in 41 pictures
- You can enjoy this and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Shropshire and Mid Wales - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here
33. Modern new home for government offices in Walker Street
The newly completed Crown Buildings stand ready for occupation on Walker Street in Wellington on October 7, 1970. Designed to house civil service staff - including the local tax office - the sleek, contemporary structure featured clean architectural lines, expansive ribbon windows, and fresh paving along the front entrance. The opening represented a significant investment in government infrastructure, bringing administrative services together in the heart of the town. Did you or a family member ever work at the Crown Buildings in Wellington after they opened in 1970? | Shropshire Star archive
.jpeg?trim=0,293,0,293&crop=&width=800)
34. Established footwear specialists expand into new town premises
A later picture than the first, sees staff assist customers inside the bustling new Woodfin shoe shop on Bell Street, Wellington, following its official opening on July 17, 1975. The Clarks brand specialists consolidated their previous outlets in Hadley - where the family firm first started selling shoes on Castle Street in 1934 - and Wellington into this larger, central store designed to serve the wider area. The interior photo shows staff measuring children for shoes and reaching high shelves stacked floor-to-ceiling with boxes. Do you remember getting fitted for school shoes at Woodfin's new Bell Street shop in the 1970s? | Shropshire Star archive
35. Lighting up the town for the festive season
Bill Doody prepares festive bulbs and wiring beside a cherry picker rig on December 9, 1975, ahead of decorating the main Christmas tree in the All Saints Parish Church gardens. Captured from an elevated angle, the image shows the painstaking preparations required to install Wellington’s festive illuminations each December. The annual lighting of the churchyard tree served as a festive focal point for the town centre community throughout the 1970s. Do you remember seeing the Christmas tree lights switched on in the All Saints Church gardens back in the 1970s? | Shropshire Star archive
36. Councillors voice disappointment over tiny town crest on new road signs
A newly erected road sign marking the entrance to Wellington stands along the roadside on February 4, 1974. The installation triggered controversy among local representatives, with Wellington councillors expressing frustration over the modest size of the town's official crest on signs put up by the Telford Development Corporation. Councillor Mrs Margaret Shaw voiced her surprise at the design, quipping, "I am very surprised at how small our crest looks on these signs. One lump of mud and you cannot see it." Do you remember seeing these disputed Telford Development Corporation road signs around Wellington in 1974? | Shropshire Star archive