Located on the border with Wales in the west of England, Shropshire has a rich industrial past but is still largely concerned with agriculture. Abraham Darby developed a method of smelting ironstone to produce iron. The area was rich with all the requirements for his purpose and great milestones were seen in the county such as the first iron bridge, the first iron ship and an early railway engine.
This would be hard to believe today as the area failed to capitalise on these developments and is now chiefly concerned with arable, dairy and cattle farming although iron foundries and engineering works can still be found in the county. The old villiages and towns such as Ludlow are becoming increasingly popular with tourists and Ludlow even has a renowned annual Shakespeare festival.