Church Stretton

 town, parish

Church Stretton is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The population of the town was recorded as 2,789 in 2001, whilst the population of the wider parish (including the adjacent settlements of All Stretton and Little Stretton) was recorded as 4,186. The town lies entirely in the Shropshire Hills AONB, on the A49 road approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Shrewsbury, the county town, and 15 miles (24 km) north of Ludlow.

The area has been settled since the Iron Age, during which a hillfort was constructed on Caer Caradoc hill. The town was nicknamed Little Switzerland during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, due to its landscape and development as a health resort. The local geology is complex and incorporates some of the oldest rocks in England - a notable fault is named after the town. Today Church Stretton is a market town as well as being a destination for visitors to the surrounding natural landscape, with the Long Mynd situated on the western side of the town.