Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
is a
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
, England. It contains nearly 800
listed buildings
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
that are recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...
. Of these, 14 are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, 71 are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade.
Shrewsbury is the
county town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of Shropshire, it is a
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
and the commercial centre for the county and for mid-Wales. It stands on the
River Severn
, name_etymology =
, image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG
, image_size = 288
, image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle
, map = RiverSevernMap.jpg
, map_size = 288
, map_c ...
, and its centre is almost surrounded by a large curve in the river. The oldest substantial surviving buildings in the town are
Shrewsbury Castle
Shrewsbury Castle is a red sandstone castle in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It stands on a hill in the neck of the meander of the River Severn on which the town originally developed. The castle, directly above Shrewsbury railway station, is a ...
and
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Shrewsbury (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.
The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Norm ...
, together with a number of churches and the town walls. The town flourished commercially during the 13th century, mainly from the wool trade, and a number of
friaries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
were founded. Two major bridges were built, the
Welsh Bridge
The Welsh Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct in the town of Shrewsbury, England, which crosses the River Severn. It connects Frankwell with the town centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The bridge was designed and built from 1793 to ...
at the north of the town, linking its centre with the suburb of
Frankwell
Frankwell is a district of the town of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. It lies adjacent to the River Severn, to the northwest of the town centre, and is one of Shrewsbury's oldest suburbs. The main road running through the area is also called ...
, and the
English Bridge
The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening (re-using the original masonry) of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is ...
to the east, linking with the abbey and the suburb of
Abbey Foregate
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Shrewsbury (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.
The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Nor ...
. Following a decline in fortune during the 15th century, trade revived during the in the later 16th century, mainly from Welsh cloth, and impressive houses were built, most of which were
timber framed
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
. There was particular growth during the 18th century, when more impressive properties and public buildings were constructed, now in brick. A public park was created on the site of a former quarry, and named appropriately
The Quarry. There was little heavy industry in the town, but at the end of the 18th century
Ditherington Flax Mill
Ditherington Flax Mill (promoted as the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings), a flax mill located in Ditherington, a suburb of Shrewsbury, England, is the first iron-framed building in the world, and described as "the grandfather of skyscrapers", was built, the first fully iron-framed building in the world. At the same time, the
Shrewsbury Canal
The Shrewsbury Canal (or Shrewsbury and Newport Canal) was a canal in Shropshire, England. Authorised in 1793, the main line from Trench to Shrewsbury was fully open by 1797, but it remained isolated from the rest of the canal network until 183 ...
was opened, and the railway arrived in the town in 1848. There was further development during the 19th century in the town centre and the suburbs.
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury.
Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...
, originally a
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
in the town centre, moved to a new site south of the river in 1882, and has become an
independent school
An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
. During the 20th century there has been continuing development in and around the town.
Due to the large number of listed buildings, they have been divided into three lists, based on geographical areas. The central area of the town is almost surrounded by the river, and this has been split into two lists, divided by the roads running from the southwest to the northeast, named respectively St John's Hill, Shoplatch, Pride Hill, Castle Street, Castle Gates, and Castle Foregate. This list contains the listed buildings in the areas outside the central area. Most of these are houses and associated structures, public houses and hotels, churches, shops and offices. The most important non-industrial buildings are Shrewsbury Abbey and a
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
from the former
refectory
A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...
of the abbey. Both of these are in the suburb of
Abbey Foregate
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Shrewsbury (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.
The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Nor ...
, to the west of the river, which includes many other listed buildings, mainly domestic. To the south of the river is Shrewsbury School, which is listed together with its chapels and other associated buildings. To the north of the river is Ditherington Flax Mill, six of its buildings being listed, three of them at Grade I, and four bridges crossing the river are also listed.
__NOTOC__
Key
Buildings
See also
*
Listed buildings in Shrewsbury (northwest central area)
Shrewsbury is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains nearly 800 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, 14 are listed at Grade I, the highest of ...
*
Listed buildings in Shrewsbury (southeast central area)
Shrewsbury is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains nearly 800 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, 14 are listed at Grade I, the highest of t ...
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See also
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Listed buildings in Shrewsbury (northwest central area)
Shrewsbury is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains nearly 800 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, 14 are listed at Grade I, the highest of ...
*
Listed buildings in Shrewsbury (southeast central area)
Shrewsbury is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It contains nearly 800 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, 14 are listed at Grade I, the highest of t ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shrewsbury (outer areas)
Lists of buildings and structures in Shropshire
Buildings and structures in Shrewsbury