Madeley in Telford has undergone major redevelopment recently with a new supermarket, shops and improvements to its historic High street. It forms the Eastern gateway to the Ironbridge gorge World Heritage Site. 
The settlement of Madeley is recorded as far back as the Domesday Book. It has its origins in the 8th century and subsequently became a market town in the 13th century. The High Street and Court Street are part of the World Heritage Site and there are currently 51 listed buildings in that area.
Coal Mining began in 1322 and expanded greatly from the 17th to early 20th century but, as with other settlements on the coalfield, industrial decline then set in and the last Madeley pit closed in 1967. In the 17th century, Madeley was a small market town, but local tradesmen began to specialise, working in the river trade and in mining and when the Iron Bridge was built between Madeley Wood and Coalbrookdale, the settlement of Ironbridge grew by it and much of the commercial trade was taken away from the old town.
Several of Madeley's historical sites of interest are waypoints on the South Telford Heritage Trail including: Madeley Court, Madeley High Street, Jubilee House, St. Michaels Church, Madeley Windmill and the Madeley Salop Railway Station. Madeley Market is held every Tuesday and Saturday.
FACT: Madeley is home to a barn in which King Charles II hid after the Battle of Worcester in 1651!
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