Paul Langford
This website is the creation of, and a tribute to, Paul Langford, our webmaster, who very sadly died in June 2026.
The Society benefited from Paul’s lifetime of experience working in IT. He set up the current website and maintained it for us, ensuring that it looked good and complied with all modern standards and security.
In addition, Paul was a dedicated researcher into the people and places in All Stretton and was always keen to share his research with others.
Everyone connected with Stretton History Society greatly misses his support and generosity. We will aim to maintain and develop the website in line with Paul’s principles in future.
All Stretton
All Stretton is the name of a village and its wider township within the ancient parish and manor of Church Stretton, in South Shropshire. The village nestles in a narrow valley, stretched out along the old Shrewsbury road, about a mile north of the market town of Church Stretton. The township continues to the north, draped over the northern end of the Long Mynd.
All Stretton History Society (our Constitution)
The All Stretton History Society was formed in 2004 to investigate and make available the history of our village. We published a history of the village in 2006. We are a small friendly group who meet informally to share ideas and discuss research. We are always interested in working with anyone who wishes to explore any aspect of the history of All Stretton.
Our Current Projects include :
- Recording memories of the residents of All Stretton. Do you have a story to tell about your time in the village?
- Collecting information about the village including stories and photographs. Get in touch if you have any material we can copy or research for you.
- Continuing work on the website including adding new historical resources and writing blogs etc. Any contributions or suggestions.
- Along with Church Stretton History Group we are investigating the history of mental health care in the Strettons during the 19th and 20th centuries, including both private and public asylums. Before Church Stretton became a tourist destination, it was known as a health resort. As well as a number of schools, two private asylums were established in the 1850s, Stretton House for men in Church Stretton and The Grove for women in All Stretton. Those who could not afford private treatment were either treated in the Church Stretton workhouse or the Shropshire County Asylum in Bicton, Shrewsbury. The aim of the project is to look into all aspects of the history of mental health in the area, including investigating the lives of residents and staff, how the institutions were managed and operated, as well as their impact on the wider community.The groups are open to suggestions as to the end results of the research, but material will certainly be shared online on the groups’ websites.If anyone is interested in getting involved, or has information, memories or connections with the asylums please contact Mary McKenzie, Secretary, All Stretton History Society email maryfmckenzie@googlemail.com, tel 01694 723804 If YOU wish to contribute or get involved please Contact Us
