Church Stretton is a market town in Shropshire, England, 13 miles (21 km) south of Shrewsbury and also 15 miles (24 kilometres) north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671. The community was nicknamed Little Switzerland in the late Victorian and Edwardian period for its landscape, and also became a health spa. The regional geology consists of some of the oldest rocks in England as well as a remarkable mistake is called after the community. Today, Church Stretton is an active market community in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The mineral water extraction and also bottling plant on Shrewsbury Road (understood in your area as the 'Pop Works'), has actually been running given that 1883; because 2004 it has offered Princes with mineral water. It is a notable neighborhood employer as is the polymer labs off Essex Roadway, currently possessed by Agilent Technologies (up until 2009 by Varian). There is a marked light industrial park between the A49 and the train line, referred to as Crossways, with a number of services, a lot of which are in the car trade, including an independent petrol/diesel filling up station. The community take advantage of tourist, which is a development market in the area, along with bring in regional trade. A current survey revealed that the community has some 50 retail outlets, 44 of which are independently had, with a varied variety of store kinds. [48] These consist of two butchers, several outside activities stores, a baker, a delicatessen, several clothes and also shoe shops, three financial institutions, and 2 supermarkets (Co-op as well as Spar). There is a huge antiques market, situated in a previous malthouse on the edge of Sandford Avenue and also Easthope Road. There are four bars, an along with a variety of coffee shops and little dining establishments. In June 2011 the community was officially proclaimed to be a "Fairtrade Town" with 34 organisations marketing fair trade items. There is a little art gallery in the former resort on the corner of Shrewsbury Road as well as Sandford Avenue. The town likewise has a variety of specialist services, such as solicitors, accounting professionals as well as estate agents, verifying its status as a local centre of organisation. The town continues to benefit from its credibility as a medspa town, as well as a desirable area to live, especially in retired life. Home prices are above the county standard and have seen similar rises in current times to other health spa communities in the UK.