Shrewsbury ( , also )
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 ...
,
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 authorit ...
, and the
county town of
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 ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, 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 ...
, north-west of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
; at the
2021 census, it had a population of 76,782.
The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Shrowsbury' or 'Shroosbury', the correct pronunciation being a matter of longstanding debate.
The town centre has a largely unspoilt
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
street plan and over 660
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 ...
, including several examples of
timber framing
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 ...
from the 15th and 16th centuries.
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 red
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
fortification, 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 No ...
, a former
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively by the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
,
Roger de Montgomery
Roger de Montgomery (died 1094), also known as Roger the Great, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury, and Earl of Arundel, in Sussex. His father was Roger de Montgomery, seigneur of Montgomery, a member of the House of Montgomerie, and was probably ...
.
The town is the birthplace of
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
and is where he spent 27 years of his life.
east of the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
border, Shrewsbury serves as the commercial centre for Shropshire and mid-Wales, with a retail output of over £299 million per year and light industry and distribution centres, such as
Battlefield Enterprise Park
Battlefield is a village and suburb of the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is north of the town centre. The village is today split between three civil parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.
Battle of Shrewsbury
It was ...
, on the outskirts. The
A5 and
A49 trunk roads come together as the town's by-pass and five railway lines meet at
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Built in 1848, it was designated a grade II listed building in 1969.
The station is north west of Birmingham New Street. Many services starting at or passing through the stati ...
.
History
Early history
![Wyle Cop buildings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Wyle_Cop_buildings.jpg)
The town was the early capital of the
Kingdom of Powys
The Kingdom of Powys ( cy, Teyrnas Powys; la, Regnum Poysiae) was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern t ...
, known to the
ancient Britons
The Britons ( *''Pritanī'', la, Britanni), also known as Celtic Britons or Ancient Britons, were people of Celtic language and culture who inhabited Great Britain from at least the British Iron Age and into the Middle Ages, at which point the ...
as
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishm ...
, signifying "the alder hill";
and in
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
as ' (
dative '), which may mean either "Scrobb's fort" or "the fortified place in the bushes" (or "shrubs", the modern derivate). This name gradually evolved in three directions, into ', which became ''
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 ...
''; into ', which became ' / ' (an alternative name for both town and county), and into ', which eventually became the town's name, Shrewsbury.
Its later
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
name ' means "fortified place".
Over the ages, the geographically important town has been the site of many conflicts, particularly between the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
. The Angles, under King
Offa of Mercia, took possession in 778.
Nearby is the village of
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England, which forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington, beside the River Severn, south-east of Shrewsbury.
'' Viroconium Cornoviorum'', the fourth largest city in Roman Britain, was site ...
, to the south-east. This was once the site of , the fourth largest
cantonal
The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Con ...
capital in
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...
. As Caer Guricon it is a possible alternative for the Dark Age seat of the Kingdom of Powys. The importance of the Shrewsbury area in the Roman era was underlined with the discovery of the
Shrewsbury Hoard in 2009.
Medieval
![Shrewsbury Castle Keep](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Shrewsbury_Castle_Keep.jpg)
Shrewsbury's known history commences in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
, having been founded c. 800 AD. It is believed that
Anglo-Saxon Shrewsbury was most probably a settlement fortified through the use of earthworks comprising a ditch and rampart, which were then shored up with a wooden stockade.
There is evidence to show that by the beginning of the 900s, Shrewsbury was home to a
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
.
Roger de Montgomery was given the town as a gift from William, and built
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 ...
in 1074,
taking the title of Earl. He founded
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 No ...
as a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery
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 whi ...
in 1083. The 3rd Earl,
Robert of Bellême
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
, was deposed in 1102 and the title forfeited, in consequence of rebelling against
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...
and joining the
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
of
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
's invasion of England in 1101.
In 1138,
King Stephen successfully besieged the castle held by
William FitzAlan for the
Empress Maud
Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...
during the period known as
the Anarchy.
From 1155, during the reign of Henry II, there was a leper hospital dedicated to St Giles and associated with Shrewsbury Abbey. From the 1220s, there was also a general hospital dedicated to St John the Baptist.
In 1283,
Edward I summoned a parliament in Shrewsbury (later adjourned to
Acton Burnell
Acton Burnell is a village and parish in the English county of Shropshire. Home to Concord College, it is also famous for an early meeting of Parliament where the Statute merchant was passed in 1283. The population at the 2011 census was 544. ...
) to try and condemn
David III, last of the independent native line of Princes of Wales, to execution by hanging, drawing and quartering within the town after David was captured, ending his rebellion against the King.
It was in the late
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
(14th and 15th centuries) when the town was at its height of commercial importance. This success was mainly due to
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
production, a major industry at the time, and the
wool trade
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
with the rest of Britain and Europe, with the River Severn and
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main ...
acting as trading routes. The
Shrewsbury Drapers Company
The Shrewsbury Drapers Company was a trade organisation founded in 1462 in the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The members were wholesale dealers in wool and later woollen cloth. The Company dominated the trade in Welsh cloth and in 1 ...
dominated the trade in Welsh wool for many years.
In the midst of its commercial success, Shrewsbury was devastated by the
Black Death, which records suggest arrived in the spring of 1349. Examining the number of local church
benefices falling vacant due to death, 1349 alone saw twice as many vacancies as the previous ten years combined, suggesting a high death toll in Shrewsbury.
In 1403 the
Battle of Shrewsbury
The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archers ...
was fought a few miles north of the town centre, at
Battlefield
A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
; it was fought between King
Henry IV and
Henry Hotspur Percy
Sir Henry Percy (20 May 1364 – 21 July 1403), nicknamed Hotspur, was an English knight who fought in several campaigns against the Scots in the northern border and against the French during the Hundred Years' War. The nickname "Hotsp ...
, with the King emerging victorious, an event celebrated in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's
Henry IV, Part 1, Act 5.
Early modern
![Shrewsbury 3 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Shrewsbury_3_1900.jpg)
Shrewsbury's monastic gathering was disbanded with the
Dissolution of the Monasteries and as such the Abbey was closed in 1540. However, it is believed that
Henry VIII thereafter intended to make Shrewsbury a cathedral city after the formation of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, but the citizens of the town declined the offer. Despite this, Shrewsbury thrived throughout the 16th and 17th centuries; largely due to the town's fortuitous location, which allowed it to control the Welsh wool trade. As a result, a number of grand edifices, including the Ireland's Mansion (built 1575) and Draper's Hall (1658), were constructed. It was also in this period that
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
gave permission for the foundation of a free school, which was later to become
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 monastic hospitals, and incomes from their endowments, were transferred to secular owners. St Giles leper hospital passed to the Prince family, later
Earls of Tankerville. St John the Baptist hospital passed to the Wood family, and became almshouses.
![Ottleys Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Ottleys_Shrewsbury.jpg)
During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, the town was a
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
stronghold and only fell to Parliament forces after they were let in by a parliamentarian sympathiser at the St Mary's Water Gate (now also known as Traitor's Gate). After
Thomas Mytton
Major General Thomas Mytton, also spelt Mitton, 1597 to November 1656, was a lawyer from Oswestry who served in the Parliamentarian army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and as MP for Shropshire in the First Protectorate Parliament.
P ...
captured Shrewsbury in February 1645; in following with the
ordnance of no quarter; a dozen
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
prisoners were selected to be killed after picking lots. This prompted
Prince Rupert to respond by executing Parliamentarian prisoners in
Oswestry.
Shrewsbury Unitarian Church was founded in 1662. By the 18th century Shrewsbury had become an important market town and stop off for stagecoaches travelling between London and
Holyhead on their way to Ireland; this led to the establishment of a number of coaching inns, many of which, such as the Lion Hotel, are extant to this day.
A town hall was built in the Market Place on the site of an ancient guildhall in 1730; it was demolished and a new
combined guildhall and shirehall was erected on the site in 1837.
Local soldier and statesman
Robert Clive was Shrewsbury's MP from 1762 until his death in 1774; Clive also served once as the town's mayor in 1762.
St Chad's Church collapsed in 1788 after attempts to expand the crypt compromised the structural integrity of the tower above. Now known as Old St Chad's, the remains of the church building and its churchyard are on the corner of Princess Street, College Hill and Belmont. A new
St Chad's Church was built just four years after the collapse, but as a large neo-classical round church and in a different and more elevated location, at the top of Claremont Hill close to
The Quarry.
In the period directly after
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's surrender after
Waterloo (18 June 1815), the town's own
53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot
The 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881.
History E ...
was sent to guard him in his exile on
St Helena. A locket containing a lock of the emperor's hair (presented to an officer of the 53rd) remains to this day in the collections of the Shropshire Regimental Museum at
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 ...
.
Late modern
![Shrewsbury skyline evening](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Shrewsbury_skyline_evening.jpg)
The town is home to the
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", , completed in 1797, the world's first iron-framed building, which is commonly regarded as "the grandfather of the skyscraper". Its importance was officially recognised in the 1950s, resulting in it becoming a Grade I
listed building
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 ...
.
[W. G. Rimmer, 'Castle Foregate Flax Mill, Shrewsbury' ''Transactions of Shropshire Archaeological Society'' LVI (1957–60), 49ff.] Shrewsbury in the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
was on 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 ...
(operating by 1797) which linked it with the
Shropshire Canal
The Shropshire Canal was a tub boat canal built to supply coal, ore and limestone to the industrial region of east Shropshire, England, that adjoined the River Severn at Coalbrookdale. It ran from a junction with the Donnington Wood Canal ascend ...
and the rest of the
canal network of Great Britain.
Shrewsbury has played a part in Western intellectual history, by being the town where the naturalist
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
was born in 1809 and brought up.
The town suffered very little from air raids in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the worst case in Shrewsbury was in 1940, a woman and her two grandchildren were killed when a cottage was destroyed on Ellesmere Road, the only local air raid deaths. Therefore, many of its ancient buildings remain intact and there was little redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s, which arguably destroyed the character of many historic towns in the UK. However, some historic buildings were demolished to make way for the
brutalist architectural style of the 1960s, though the town was saved from a new 'inner ring road' due to its challenging geography. A notable example of 1960s/70s construction in Shrewsbury was Telecom House on Smithfield Road, demolished in the 2000s.
The town was targeted by the
IRA
Ira or IRA may refer to:
*Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name
*Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name
*Iran, UNDP code IRA
Law
*Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
in 1992. One bomb detonated within the grounds of
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 ...
causing severe damage to the regimental museum of the
Shropshire Light Infantry
The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...
. The damage caused was estimated to be in the region of £250,000 and many irreplaceable artefacts were lost. A second bomb detonated in the
Darwin Shopping Centre but was put out by the sprinkler system before any major damage was caused. Finally, a third bomb was discovered elsewhere in the town centre but failed to do any damage.
From the late 1990s, the town experienced
severe flooding problems from the Severn and
Rea Brook
The name Rea Brook can refer to either of two brooks in Shropshire, England.
One of the brooks, which eventually becomes the River Rea, is in southern Shropshire. It is to the east of Brown Clee Hill.
The other, described here, is a minor r ...
. In the autumn of 2000 large swathes of the town were underwater, notably
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 calle ...
, which flooded three times in six weeks. The Frankwell flood defences were completed in 2003, along with the new offices of
Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
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 'Shr ...
. More recently, such as in 2005 and 2007 but not
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
, flooding has been less severe, and the defences have generally held back floodwaters from the town centre areas. However, the town car parks are often left to be flooded in the winter, which reduces trade in the town, most evidenced in the run up to Christmas in 2007.
Shrewsbury won the ''
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
Capital of Enterprise'' award in 2004. The town has two large expanding business parks,
Shrewsbury Business Park
The Shrewsbury Business Park is a commercial development on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire (at Emstrey). Construction commenced in late 2001 on the , £25 million site, and is still ongoing. Almost of business premises have been deli ...
by the A5 in the southeast and
Battlefield Enterprise Park
Battlefield is a village and suburb of the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is north of the town centre. The village is today split between three civil parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.
Battle of Shrewsbury
It was ...
in the north. There are many residential developments currently under construction in the town to cater for the increasing numbers of people wishing to live in the town, which is a popular place to commute to
Telford
Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in t ...
,
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
and
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
from.
A 2005 report on prison population found that
HM Prison Shrewsbury
HM Prison Shrewsbury was a Category B/C men's prison in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It was decommissioned in March 2013, and is now open to the public.
The Victorian prison as seen today sits on top of the original Georgian prison, the ...
was the most overcrowded in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
. The prison, which was also known as the Dana, was closed in 2013 and then sold by the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
to private property developers in 2014.
In 2009
Shrewsbury Town Council
Shrewsbury Town Council is the town council of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, established in April 2009 as part of structural changes to local government in England that abolished Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council and created in its place the unit ...
was formed and the town's traditional coat of arms was returned to everyday use.
Geography
Shrewsbury is about west of Telford, west of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
and the
West Midlands Conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the towns of Sutton Coldfield, Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge and Halesowen in the English West Midland ...
, and about north-west of the capital,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. More locally, the town is to the east of
Welshpool
Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
, with
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Histor ...
and
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...
to the south-east. The border with
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
is to the west. The town centre is partially built on a hill whose elevation is, at its highest, above sea level. The longest river in the UK, 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 ...
, flows through the town, forming a meander around its centre.
The town is subject to flooding from the river.
The town is near
Haughmond Hill
Haughmond Hill is a small, shallow hill in the English county of Shropshire. It is covered by woodland for the most part, although there is an open cast quarry (for stone aggregates) in use. Its proximity to the town of Shrewsbury has meant that ...
, a site where
Precambrian rocks, some of the oldest rocks in the county can be found, and the town itself is sited on an area of largely
Carboniferous rocks. A fault, the Hodnet Fault, starts approximately at the town, and runs as far as
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "D ...
.
Suburbs
There are a number of
suburbs and surrounding villages. The River Severn separates the western, southern and eastern suburbs from the town centre and northern suburbs. An example of a large neighbouring village that has effectively become part of the suburban area is
Bayston Hill
Bayston Hill is a large village and civil parish in central Shropshire, England. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury and located on the main A49 road, the Shrewsbury to Hereford road.
Occupied continuously since before the Middle Ages, ...
, which grew considerably in the latter half of the 20th century and is now separated from the
Meole Brace
Meole Brace, sometimes known locally as simply Meole (pronounced like ''meal''), is a south-western suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.
The Rea Brook, a tributary of the River Severn, flows through the area. The brook was in the past k ...
suburb by only a few fields and the
A5 by-pass. It remains, however, a separate entity to the town, with its own parish council, etc. Bayston Hill lies south of the town centre of Shrewsbury and on the A49 and near to the A5. The smaller village of
Battlefield
A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
, north of the town, is considered a suburb of Shrewsbury. It is covered by the parish of Shrewsbury.
Climate
![Shrewsbury Food Festival Crowds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Shrewsbury_Food_Festival_Crowds.jpg)
The
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
of Shrewsbury is similar to that of the rest of Shropshire, generally moderate. Rainfall averages , influenced by being in the
rainshadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carrie ...
of the
Cambrian Mountains from warm, moist
frontal systems of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, which bring generally light precipitation in autumn and spring.
The nearest weather station is at
Shawbury
Shawbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire. The village is northeast of the town of Shrewsbury, northwest of Telford and northwest of London.
The village straddles the A53 between Shrewsbury and Market Dray ...
, about north-east of Shrewsbury town centre. The local topography, being that of a low-lying plain surrounded by higher ground to the west, south and east gives the Shrewsbury area its own microclimate – the absolute maximum at Shawbury of and absolute minimum of represents the largest temperature range of any individual weather station in the British Isles – although the maximum range of average temperatures tends to peak to the south east of the Shrewsbury area, particularly in the south east midlands, inland East Anglia and inland south east England.
In an average year, the warmest day is , giving a total of 8.9 days of or above. The absolute maximum of was recorded in August 1990.
Conversely, the coldest night of the year typically falls to – in total 61.7 air frosts are recorded in an average year. The absolute minimum of was recorded in 1981.
Annual average rainfall averages around 650 mm, with over 1 mm falling on 124 days of the year.
Government
![Shrewsbury Column](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Shrewsbury_Column.jpg)
The Borough of Shrewsbury's first Charter was granted by King
Henry I Henry I may refer to:
876–1366
* Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936)
* Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955)
* Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018)
* Henry I of France (1008–1060)
* Henry I the Long, Margrave of the ...
allowing the collection of rents. King
Richard I
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...
granted another early charter in 1189 and from that time the town's regional importance and influence increased, as well as its autonomy from the county of Shropshire. Further charters were granted in 1199 (King
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
), 1495 (
Henry VII), 1638 (
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
) and 1685 (
James II). In 1974 a charter from
Queen Elizabeth II incorporated the Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham, under the auspices of which the town remained until 2009.
Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for the new
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is the local authority of Shropshire, in England, comprising the ceremonial county of Shropshire except Telford and Wrekin. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combi ...
, the
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
covering most of Shropshire (but excluding the Borough of
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called The Wrekin. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin" ...
, a separate unitary authority area). Shropshire Council have their headquarters at the
Shirehall, on Abbey Foregate.
Shrewsbury is in the
Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency and is the only large settlement in the constituency. At the most recent general election, in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
,
Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Robert Kawczynski ( pl, Kawczyński, ; born 24 January 1972) is a British Conservative Party politician.
Kawczynski has served as Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a parliamentary ...
of the Conservative Party was elected with a majority of 11,217. Previous MPs for Shrewsbury have included 19th century Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli.
Shrewsbury was twinned with
Zutphen
Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river Ijssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in th ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
from 1977 until 2018.
The
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
submarine
HMS Talent, decommissioned in 2022, was affiliated with Shrewsbury. The town also served as the administrative headquarters of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
's regional
143 (West Midlands) Brigade whose administrative HQ was based at
Copthorne Barracks, until 2014.
Town Council
Shrewsbury was until 2009 an
unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unpa ...
and had no town or parish council(s). Instead, the Mayor of
Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham was a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England, between 1974 and 2009.
Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflect ...
, based at
the Guildhall in Dogpole, was also the mayor of the town. However, as part of wider changes to local governance in Shropshire, the town was
parished on 13 May 2008, with a single parish created covering the entire town and previously unparished area. Shrewsbury is the
second most populous 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 authorit ...
in England (only
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
has a greater population) with a population of approximately 72,000. The area of the parish is .
The town council, which is the parish council, first convened on 1 April 2009, and its chair is the Mayor of Shrewsbury. For the interim period before the first elections, the existing county councillors who represented electoral divisions covering Shrewsbury were the town councillors. On 4 June 2009, the first election was held to the town council, with councillors elected from 17 single-member wards coterminous with
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is the local authority of Shropshire, in England, comprising the ceremonial county of Shropshire except Telford and Wrekin. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combi ...
electoral divisions.
The political make-up of the town council, as of the
2021 local elections, sees Labour as the largest party with 7 seats, the Liberal Democrats with 6, the Conservatives with 2 and the Green Party with 2. The Mayor of Shrewsbury for 2018–19 is Peter Nutting.
The town council was based at the Guildhall on Frankwell Quay, a facility which had originally been built in 2004 as the headquarters of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council; however the town council moved to Riggs Hall in 2017. Riggs Hall is one of the original buildings on the former site of Shrewsbury School on Castle Gates (to the rear of the town's main library).
Coat of arms
![Coat of arms of Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Coat_of_arms_of_Shrewsbury.png)
The coat of arms of the former Shrewsbury Borough Council, and now the Town Council, depicts three loggerheads (leopards), with the motto ''Floreat Salopia'', a Latin phrase that can be translated to "May Shrewsbury Flourish". The coat of arms of the (now abolished) Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council was Shrewsbury's shield with the addition of
Atcham
Atcham is a village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies on the B4380 (once the A5), 5 miles south-east of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows round the village. To the south is the village of Cross Houses and ...
Bridge running above the leopards.
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
historically used the leopard, but from 1986 till 1992 had a Celtic shrew and from 2007 to 2015 had a badge depicting a lion rather than a leopard. A new leopard badge embedded in a circular shape returned for 2015–16 season. The
flag of Shropshire
The Shropshire flag is the county flag of Shropshire. It was registered with the Flag Institute in March 2012 and officially became the county's flag on 19 April 2013.
__TOC__ History
The flag is a banner of the arms of the former Shropshir ...
, and other county crests etc., also uses the three loggerheads.
Demography
According to the
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.
The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for Nationa ...
, the population of the town of Shrewsbury was 67,126.
The same census put the population of the wider (and now abolished) borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham at 95,850.
In 1981 the population of the town was 57,731 and in 1991 the population of the town was 64,219. Shrewsbury is Shropshire's
second largest town, after
Telford
Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in t ...
.
The 2001 census indicates that the population of the town consists of 51.1% females, and 48.9% males, which echoes the trend of Shrewsbury and Atcham borough, and that of Shropshire as a whole.
According to the same census, the
ethnic
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
composition of the town is largely
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, at 98.5% of the total population. The next largest ethnic group is
mixed race
Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
, at 0.5% of the town's population. 0.4% of the population is Indian,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i or
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
i, and 0.1% of the population is
South Asian or
British Asian
British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British citizens of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 6.9% of the population identifying as Asian/Asian Bri ...
. A further 0.1% is
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
,
Caribbean or
African.
Historical population
The population figures below are for the borough of
Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham was a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England, between 1974 and 2009.
Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflect ...
, which existed only between 1974 and 2009, and covered a much wider area than the town.
In 2011, the town of Shrewsbury had a population of 71,715. 93.9% of the population were classed as White British, compared with 95.4% for the surrounding district.
Economy
![Dhfs bell 412ep griffin ht1 zj237 arp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Dhfs_bell_412ep_griffin_ht1_zj237_arp.jpg)
Throughout the Medieval period, Shrewsbury was a centre for the
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
trade, and used its position on the River Severn to transport goods across England via the canal system. Unlike many other towns in this period, Shrewsbury never became a centre for heavy industry. By the early 1900s, the town became focused on transport services and the general service and professional sector, owing to its position on the
A5 road
A5 Road may refer to:
;Africa
* A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan
* A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Francistown
;Americas
* Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada
* County Route A5 (California) or B ...
, part of the strategic route to
North Wales
North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
. In 1958 the
Sentinel Waggon Works
Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries ( steam wagons), railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries, buses and locomotives.
History
Alley & MacLellan, Se ...
at Shrewsbury was taken over by
Rolls-Royce Limited for the manufacture of their range of diesel industrial engines, so that the factory at
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
could concentrate on aero engines. The factory (opened 1915) which manufactured steam and later diesel locomotives had come on the market in 1956.
The town is the location of the town and county councils, and a number of
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...
complexes, both in and out of the town centre, and these provide significant employment. Shrewsbury is well known for being home to a high number of independent businesses, including shops, cafes and restaurants. Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury is said to have the 'longest uninterrupted row of independent shops'. Four in five jobs in the town are in the
service industry
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
. Within this sector, the largest employers are the
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
and
distribution sectors, which includes retail, food and accommodation.
![The Parade Shopping Centre, St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/The_Parade_Shopping_Centre%2C_St_Mary%27s_Place%2C_Shrewsbury_-_geograph.org.uk_-_117039.jpg)
Shrewsbury is home to four shopping centres. The
Darwin Shopping Centre houses many
high street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
retailers such as
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
,
H&M,
Topshop
TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British fashion brand for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS o ...
and
Primark
Primark Stores Limited (; trading as Penneys in the Republic of Ireland) is an Irish multinational fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. It has stores across Europe and in the United States. The Penneys brand is not us ...
. Riverside provides further retail accommodation for stores although all the major chains except
Heron Foods (under Cooltrader branding) have moved out pending proposed closure of the centre for redevelopment. A plan to redevelop Riverside and integrate a new development with the Darwin and Pride Hill centres was granted planning permission in April 2012. The project is dubbed "
New Riverside".
The Parade Shopping Centre
The Parade Shops, formerly the Royal Salop Infirmary, is a specialist shopping centre at St Mary's Place in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
The original facility on the site was the Salop Infirmary desig ...
is a fourth centre exclusively housing independent retailers. There are two retail warehouse clusters: at
Meole Brace Retail Park to the south, and at
Sundorne Retail Park to the north. Major supermarkets in the town are the
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
Extra at Harlescott,
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...
on Whitchurch Road,
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
on Old Potts Way, and
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
at Meole Brace.
![High Street, Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/High_Street%2C_Shrewsbury.JPG)
The
visitor economy of Shrewsbury and Atcham was worth about £115 million in 2001, with about 2,500 people employed directly in the visitor industry and 3,400 indirectly. There were about 3.1 million visitors – both day visitors and staying visitors – to the borough in 2001, with 88% being day visitors and 12% being staying visitors; staying visitors accounted for 42% of spending. Shrewsbury's position of being the only sizable town for a large area, especially to the west in
Mid-Wales
Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Sene ...
, allows it to attract a large retail base beyond that of its resident population. This is not only evident in the retail sector, but also in the
healthcare sector, where the
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is a teaching hospital in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It forms the Shrewsbury site of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, serving patients from Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) and Powys ...
has the only
A&E department westwards until
Aberystwyth, about away.
Businesses in Shrewsbury voted in favour of a Business Improvement District in late 2013 and Shrewsbury BID started operating in April 2014. Shrewsbury BID delivers on a five-year business plan of projects, which include major destination marketing campaigns, significant cost savings for businesses and strategic work ensuring the best possible town centre environment in which business can flourish. The company is governed by a board of directors and employs three staff full-time.
Although a less prominent brewing centre than at
Burton-on-Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. Th ...
, beer made in Shrewsbury was celebrated as early as about 1400 when the bard
Iolo Goch
Iolo Goch (c. 1320 – c. 1398) (meaning ''Iolo the Red'' in English) was a medieval Welsh bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others.
Lineage
Iolo was the son of Ithel Goch ap Cynwrig ap Iorwerth Ddu ap Cynwrig Ddew ...
praised the supply of "Crwg Amwythig" dispensed at the
Sycharth
Sycharth is a motte and bailey castle and town in Llansilin, Powys, Wales. Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of Denbighshire, but was then transferred to the Shire area of Montgomeryshire within Powys. Sycharth Castle was the b ...
palace of
Owain Glyndŵr.
In 1900 there were eight breweries in the town, chief among them being Southam's and Trouncer's, which also had their own
maltings and owned many local public houses, as well as five other maltsters,
but the conventional brewing industry gradually closed after takeovers in the 1960s, and the
last maltings, at Ditherington, in 1987. A real ale brewery, The Salopian Brewery, was established in the town in 1995. It was based in the Old Dairy on Mytton Oak Road before relocating in 2014 to
Hadnall a few miles north of the town.
In terms of social and
economic deprivation
Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons. It posses and creates gender c ...
, according to the Overall Index of Multiple Deprivation of 2004, one Super Output Area (SOA) in the town is in the bottom 15% of all areas nationally. This area is in the ward of
Harlescott
Harlescott is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne to the ea ...
. A further four SOAs fall into the bottom 30% nationally, these being in the wards of Monkmoor,
Sundorne
Sundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the ...
,
Battlefield
A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
and
Heathgates
Heathgates is a small suburb and the name of a notable roundabout in Shrewsbury, England; it is also the name for a short stretch of the A5191 road leading up to the roundabout, the wetlands found just off Telford Way nearby. It is also the nam ...
and
Meole Brace
Meole Brace, sometimes known locally as simply Meole (pronounced like ''meal''), is a south-western suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.
The Rea Brook, a tributary of the River Severn, flows through the area. The brook was in the past k ...
. The most affluent areas of the town are generally to the south and west, around the grounds of
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 ...
, and the
Copthorne area.
Architecture
Landmarks
![Shrewsbury Library - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Shrewsbury_Library_-_geograph.org.uk_-_915622.jpg)
The historic town centre still retains its medieval street pattern and many narrow passages. Some of the passages, especially those that pass through buildings from one street to the next, are called "
shuts" (the word deriving from "to shoot through" from one street to another). Many specialist shops, traditional pubs and local restaurants can be found in the hidden corners, squares and lanes of Shrewsbury. Many of the
street names have remained unchanged for centuries and there are some more unusual names, such as Longden Coleham, Dogpole,
Mardol, Frankwell, Roushill,
Grope Lane, Gullet Passage, Murivance, the Dana, Portobello, Bear Steps, Shoplatch and Bellstone.
The
public library, in the pre-1882
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 ...
building, is on Castle Street. Above the
main entrance are two statues bearing the Greek inscriptions "''Philomathes''" and "''Polymathes''". These portray the virtues "Lover of learning" and "Much learning" to convey the lesson that it is good to gain knowledge through a love of learning.
![Fish Street, Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Fish_Street%2C_Shrewsbury.JPG)
In the centre of the town lies
The Quarry. This 29 acre (120,000 m
2) riverside park attracts thousands of people throughout the year and is enjoyed as a place of recreation. Shrewsbury has traditionally been known as the "Town of Flowers", a moniker incorporated into many of the signs on entrance to the town via major roads, although this was replaced in 2007 with 'the birthplace of Charles Darwin'.
The
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
's
Light Infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
has been associated with Shrewsbury since the 17th century when the first regiments were formed and many more regiments have been raised at Shrewsbury before being deployed all over the world from the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
to the recent conflicts in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Today, after several major reorganisations, the Light Infantry now forms part of the regiment known simply as
the Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...
. Shrewsbury's
Copthorne Barracks, spiritual home of the Light Division, ultimately housed the Headquarters of the British Army's
143 (West Midlands) Brigade before it moved in 2014, while that of the
5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to:
Infantry divisions
* 5th Division (Australia)
*5th Division (People's Republic of China)
* 5th Division (Colombia)
*Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War)
* 5th Light Cavalry Division (France)
*5th Mo ...
disbanded in April 2012 as part of the reorganisation of the Army's
Support Command.
![Shrewsbury - St Chad's Church - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Shrewsbury_-_St_Chad%27s_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1998336.jpg)
Between 1962 and 1992 there was a hardened
nuclear bunker, built for
No 16 Group Royal Observer Corps Shrewsbury, who provided the field force of the
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) was a British civilian organisation operating to provide UK military and civilian authorities with data on nuclear explosions and forecasts of fallout across the country in the event ...
and would have sounded the
four-minute warning
The four-minute warning was a public alert system conceived by the British Government during the Cold War and operated between 1953 and 1992. The name derived from the approximate length of time from the point at which a Soviet nuclear missile ...
alarm in the event of war and warned the population of Shrewsbury in the event of approaching radioactive fallout. The building was manned by up to 120 volunteers who trained on a weekly basis. After the breakup of the communist bloc in 1989, the Royal Observer Corps was disbanded between September 1991 and December 1995. However, the nuclear bunker still stands just inside Holywell Street near the Abbey as a lasting reminder of the Cold War, but is now converted and used as a veterinary practice.
The
tourist information centre
A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors.
Types of visitor center
A visi ...
is situated in the Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery in what used to be the old Music Hall theatre in The Square. The three main museums are
Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery,
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 ...
(which houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum) and the
Coleham Pumping Station
Coleham Pumping Station is a historical pumping station at Coleham in Shrewsbury, England.
History
The sewage pumping station was built at the end of the 19th century as part of a major upgrading of Shrewsbury's sewerage system. Two massive ...
. There are various private galleries and art shops around the town, including the Gateway Education and Arts Centre. Another notable feature of the town is
Lord Hill's Column, the largest free-standing
Doric column
The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of c ...
in the world.
The Quantum Leap
''The Quantum Leap'' is a sculpture situated next to the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It was created to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of evolutionist Charles Darwin, who was born in the town in 1809. The sculpture w ...
is an abstract sculpture unveiled in the town centre in 2009 to mark the bicentenary of the birth of Shrewsbury biologist
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
.
Bridges
![Kingsland BridgeCB](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Kingsland_BridgeCB.jpg)
Shrewsbury's town centre, being almost entirely encircled by the River Severn, has nine bridges
across the river and many that cross the
Rea Brook
The name Rea Brook can refer to either of two brooks in Shropshire, England.
One of the brooks, which eventually becomes the River Rea, is in southern Shropshire. It is to the east of Brown Clee Hill.
The other, described here, is a minor r ...
.
![English Bridge Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/English_Bridge_Shrewsbury.jpg)
Working downstream from
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 calle ...
Bridge, a modern pedestrian footbridge spans the River Severn between Frankwell and the town centre.
Welsh Bridge was built in the 1790s to replace the ancient
St George's Bridge. Further along from the Welsh Bridge is the
Porthill Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge running between
The Quarry and Porthill, built in 1922. The next bridge along the river is
Kingsland Bridge
Kingsland Bridge is a privately owned toll bridge, spanning the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. It is located near Shrewsbury School and the cost for cars to cross is 20p. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
A bill promoting the ...
, a privately owned
toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...
, and the subsequent bridge is the
Greyfriars Bridge, a pedestrian bridge between Coleham and the town centre. Following the Greyfriars Bridge is the
English Bridge, historically called ''Stone Bridge'', which was rebuilt in the 1920s. Beyond it is the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
, which is partly built over the river. After the station is
Castle Walk Footbridge, another modern pedestrian footbridge. The last bridge to cross the river within the Shrewsbury bypass area is called Telford Way, which has separate lanes for vehicles (A5112), bicycles and pedestrians.
A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman (; 26 March 1859 – 30 April 1936) was an English classical scholar and poet. After an initially poor performance while at university, he took employment as a clerk in London and established his academic reputation by pub ...
wrote of the area this verse, which mentions the bridges of the town:
Religious sites
![St Mary's, Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/St_Mary%27s%2C_Shrewsbury.JPG)
There are many
churches in Shrewsbury, including
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 No ...
, founded by
Roger de Montgomery
Roger de Montgomery (died 1094), also known as Roger the Great, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury, and Earl of Arundel, in Sussex. His father was Roger de Montgomery, seigneur of Montgomery, a member of the House of Montgomerie, and was probably ...
in 1083. Shrewsbury Greek Orthodox Church, a former Anglican church building, is off Sutton Road to the south. Shrewsbury is home to the Roman Catholic
Shrewsbury Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara, commonly known as Shrewsbury Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Shrewsbury, England. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury and mothe ...
, by the Town Walls, as well as two other parishes in
Harlescott
Harlescott is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne to the ea ...
and Monkmoor, within the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
Diocese of Shrewsbury
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Province of Birmingham which encompasses the pre-1974 counties of Shropshire and Cheshire in the North West and West Midlands of England.
The diocese includes rural ar ...
. One of the
houses in Fish Street, facing St Alkmund's Church, was the site of
John Wesley's first preaching in Shrewsbury; a
wall plaque records the date as 16 March 1761. According to legend, the spire of St Alkmund's Church was damaged by the Devil in 1553, and climbed four times by a drunken steeplejack in 1621.
There are several
Anglican churches in Shrewsbury.
Methodists,
Baptists and the
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
Origins and history
The United Reformed Church resulte ...
are also represented, alongside newer church groups including
Elim Pentecostal and two
Newfrontiers
Newfrontiers (previously New Frontiers International) is a neo-charismatic church network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 1950s and 1960s co ...
, which are:
*
Barnabas Community Church Shrewsbury
Barnabas Community Church is an independent, charismatic evangelical, Church in Shrewsbury, England, associated with the British New Church Movement. It is part of the Newfrontiers family of churches and a member of the Evangelical Alliance. ...
, in Longden Coleham and the town's largest Church.
*Hope Church Shrewsbury, in the north of the town.
Shrewsbury Evangelical Church met in the former Anglican parish church of St Julian at the Wyle Cop end of Fish Street, later moving into the Springfield estate in the eastern suburbs. Shrewsbury's first non-Christian place of worship, a Muslim centre, was approved in 2013.
Many community projects in Shrewsbury are based in, or have been started by local churches, including the Isaiah 58 project, which is the primary work amongst homeless people in the town, whilst 'Churches Together in Shrewsbury' works to help homeless people through the Ark project. Shrewsbury
Food Bank
A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direct ...
, based at Barnabas Community Church Centre and part of 'Food Bank PLUS,' provides debt relief for local people, as well as a wide range of social action initiatives including 'Money Advice' (a confidential, not for profit debt, benefits and financial help service) and Eclipse Child Bereavement, which works with local schools to help children who have experienced losses to overcome their situation. Also run by Barnabas are projects including '360 Journey to Work,' which help people gain skills in applying for jobs and basics like CV writing, and 'Cage football,' an initiative that is lent out to local community groups, youth clubs and other churches.
Notable Salopians
![Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Charles_Darwin_by_Julia_Margaret_Cameron_3.jpg)
There have been a number of notable Salopians, and people otherwise associated with the town of Shrewsbury, including
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
, the biologist and
evolutionary theorist. Darwin, one of the most important thinkers of the 19th century, was born in Shrewsbury on 12 February 1809 at the Mount House, baptised at St Chad's Church and educated at
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 ...
. He spent his formative years in the town, the town's river and proximity to the countryside inspired his interest in the natural world and the abundance of ice-age boulders within the town sparked his interest in geology. When he was a teenager, he worked with
his father at the
Royal Salop Infirmary
The Parade Shops, formerly the Royal Salop Infirmary, is a specialist shopping centre at St Mary's Place in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
The original facility on the site was the Salop Infirmary desig ...
. After leaving the town, Darwin frequently returned and stayed at the Lion Hotel on Wyle Cop.
Shrewsbury has been home to many contributors to literature.
Thomas Churchyard
Thomas Churchyard (c. 1523 – 1604) was an English author and soldier. He is chiefly remembered for a series of autobiographical or semi-autobiographical verse collections, including ''Churchyardes Chippes'' (1575); ''Churchyard's Choise'' (157 ...
(ca.1523–1604) son of a farmer, was an author of autobiographical or semi-autobiographical verse collections. Before the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the poet
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced b ...
lived in the town, and there is a memorial to Owen at Shrewsbury Abbey. Classicist
Mary Beard was educated in Shrewsbury and her father was a prominent Shrewsbury architect. In the early years of the 18th century, the Irish dramatist
George Farquhar resided in the town while acting as a recruiting officer for the Army. He drew on this experience in writing the comedy ''
The Recruiting Officer
''The Recruiting Officer'' is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury (the town where Farquhar himse ...
''. The romantic novelist
Mary Webb
Mary Gladys Webb (25 March 1881 – 8 October 1927) was an English romance novelist and poet of the early 20th century, whose work is set chiefly in the Shropshire countryside and among Shropshire characters and people whom she knew. Her ...
lived in and around Shrewsbury and was buried there upon her death. Other actors with associations with the town include
Nick Hancock, presenter of ''
They Think It's All Over
"They think it's all over" is a quote from Kenneth Wolstenholme's BBC TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, when England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time to win the FIFA World Cup. In the final few seco ...
'', who, like Palin, was educated at Shrewsbury School. Actor
Jason Bateman's mother was born in Shrewsbury. Comedian
George Robey
Sir George Edward Wade, CBE (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954), Harding, James"Robey, George" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 10 May 2014. known professionally as George Robey, was an ...
lived in the town, near
Lord Hill's Column, before and during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
.
[It notes "...Shrewsbury ad its resident comedianwith the legendary ]George Robey
Sir George Edward Wade, CBE (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954), Harding, James"Robey, George" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 10 May 2014. known professionally as George Robey, was an ...
(then in his seventies) living near the Column."
People with political associations have connections with the town.
Leo Blair, the father of former Prime Minister
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, was a resident of the town. Former residents have included
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician and businessman. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. Heseltine served ...
, a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
politician who was educated at Shrewsbury School, and
Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet
Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet (October 1729 – 30 May 1805), known as William Johnstone until 1767, was a Scottish advocate, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1768 and 1805. He was reputedly the wealthiest ...
, who was once Britain's richest man, and was MP for Shrewsbury. He lived in apartments at Shrewsbury Castle.
Robert Clive was MP for Shrewsbury, and also the mayor.
Ian Hunter (or Ian Patterson), the lead singer of the 1970s pop group
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fai ...
, was a resident of 23a Swan Hill in the town centre, and wrote a song of the same name.
Lange
Lange may refer to:
People
*Lange (surname), a German surname
* Lange (musician) (born 1974), British DJ
* Lange (Brazilian footballer) (born 1966), Brazilian footballer
Companies
* Lange (ski boots), a producer of ski boots used in alpine (dow ...
, a DJ and dance music producer, who was born in Shrewsbury. The 1980s pop group ''
T'Pau'' was formed in the town and the band's vocalist
Carol Decker
Carol Ann Decker (born 10 September 1957) is an English singer and musician. She is the lead vocalist of the band T'Pau, which had international success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although Decker is mainly associated with the group, sh ...
was born and educated in the town, along with other members of the band. Notable music historian and composer
Charles Burney was born and educated in the town.
![Clive of India statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Clive_of_India_statue.jpg)
Sporting Salopians include footballers
Danny Guthrie of
Newcastle United and
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
youth academy graduates and England goalkeeper
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John Hart (born 19 April 1987) known professionally simply as Joe Hart is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic.
He began his career at his hometown club Shrewsbury T ...
and Wales midfielder
David Edwards.
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
and Scotland striker
Steven Fletcher was born in the town, where his serviceman father was stationed. Four
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...
winning players who took part in the first decade of the Cup's history were born in or lived in Shrewsbury:
John Hawley Edwards
John Hawley Edwards (21 March 1850 – 14 January 1893) was an English footballer who made one appearance for England in 1874, before going on to play for Wales in 1876. He was a member of the Wanderers team that won the 1876 FA Cup Final.
Ca ...
,
Henry Wace and
John Wylie, of the
Wanderers and
Clopton Lloyd-Jones
Clopton Allen Lloyd-Jones (12 November 1858 – 7 March 1918) was an English businessman and amateur sportsman, best known for football and cricket. He played for the Clapham Rovers when they won the FA Cup in 1880 and was selected, but did not ...
of
Clapham Rovers
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...
.
Sandy Lyle
Alexander Walter Barr Lyle (born 9 February 1958) is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s. He spe ...
, a professional golfer, was born in the town.
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (2 April 188828 February 1975) was an English writer and critic. From an impoverished home background, and mainly self-educated, he became ''The Manchester Gua ...
spent some of his formative years as assistant cricket coach at
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 ...
.
Other notable people of the town include; comic book artist
Charlie Adlard
Charles Adlard is a British comic book artist known for his work on books such as '' The Walking Dead'' and '' Savage''.
Career
Adlard began his work in the UK on ''White Death'' with Robbie Morrison and '' 2000 AD'' series including ''Judge Dr ...
was born in Shrewsbury and is most known for illustrating ''
The Walking Dead'';
Robert Cadman
Robert Cadman or Robert Kidman (1711–2 February 1739) was an 18th-century steeplejack and ropeslider who between 1732 and 1739 performed feats of daring, ultimately by sliding or flying down a rope from St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury to the Gay ...
, a performer and steeplejack, who is buried in the town, at St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, St Mary's Church; Simon Gosling, a visual effects designer was born in the town, and was resident there until 1994; John Gwynn (architect), John Gwynn, an 18th-century architect, who designed the
English Bridge and the bridge at
Atcham
Atcham is a village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It lies on the B4380 (once the A5), 5 miles south-east of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows round the village. To the south is the village of Cross Houses and ...
was born in the town; Percy Thrower, the gardener and broadcaster lived in Shrewsbury, where he set up the garden centre near Meole Brace and just down the road from the football club. Justin Pearson (stuntman), Justin Pearson, an award winning stunt performer and stunt coordinator currently lives in the town.
Flight Lieutenant Eric Lock Distinguished Service Order, DSO, Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom), DFC and Medal bar, Bar was born in nearby
Bayston Hill
Bayston Hill is a large village and civil parish in central Shropshire, England. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury and located on the main A49 road, the Shrewsbury to Hereford road.
Occupied continuously since before the Middle Ages, ...
and was educated at Prestfelde School, Prestfelde preparatory school on London Road. Lock became internationally recognised as a high scoring Flying ace, fighter ace of the Royal Air Force in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
with 26 victories before his death in combat at the age of 21. He was the RAF's most successful British-born pilot in the Battle of Britain. One Victoria Cross recipient is known to have lived in Shrewsbury; Arthur Herbert Procter, who was decorated in 1916 during World War I and retired from his later full-time clergy ministry in 1964 to briefly live at Mytton Oak Road,
Copthorne, before relocating to Sheffield.
The forerunner of ''Private Eye'' was a school magazine edited by Richard Ingrams, Willie Rushton, Christopher Booker and Paul Foot (journalist), Paul Foot at
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 ...
in the mid-1950s. Michael Palin, the writer, actor and comedian; John Peel, the tastemaker and radio DJ also attended Shrewsbury School.
Culture
Museums and entertainment
![Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Shrewsbury_Museum_and_Art_Gallery.jpg)
Shrewsbury celebrates the intrinsic links to Darwin with an annual Darwin Festival in February. The two and a half week multi-media event celebrates the town as the 'Origin of Independent Thinking' with activities including lectures, dance performances and live music.
Shrewsbury has a busy spring and summer events season, which includes music, art, food and sport.
The town is home to the 'longest running flower show in the world'. The annual Shrewsbury Flower Show is a two-day event, which takes place in mid-August, has been running for more than 125 years. The event attracts around 100,000 visitors each year and offers a multitude of events, exhibitions and gardens, with a fireworks display at the end of each day.
![Musicians at Shrewsbury Folk Festival](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Musicians_at_Shrewsbury_Folk_Festival.jpg)
The Shrewsbury Folk Festival has been held in Shrewsbury since 2006. Held annually over the August bank holiday, the event is very popular, with people travelling from across the UK to attend.
Other events held in Shrewsbury's busy spring and summer of events include the Shrewsbury Bookfest, Shrewsbury Regatta, Cycle Grand Prix, Shrewsbury Carnival, Food Festival, Dragon Boat Race and the Coracle World Championships. Since 2017, Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival has been held over the third weekend of July in multiple venues across town & featuring acts previewing material prior to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Comics Salopia (formerly the Cartoon Festival) is a large biannual festival of the comics arts, attracting over a quarter of a million visitors. In format and scope it aims to rival on a smaller scale the world-famous Angouleme International Comics Festival in mid France.
The Old Market Hall cinema opened in 2004 in the prominent Tudor market hall positioned in The Square. The independent cinema features daily screens of films from around the world along with a cafe and bar.
Theatre Severn is the town's main performing arts complex, it is situated in
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 calle ...
next to the Welsh Bridge on the bank of the River Severn. The theatre includes two performance spaces, the 635 seat Main Auditorium and a smaller studio space, the Walker Theatre which can accommodate 250 seating or 500 standing. The venue includes a full sized dance studio, function rooms and a restaurant. The new complex replaced the old theatre, the Music Hall, which itself has been refurbished and expanded in preparation for its current use as home to Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery (opened 2014).
Further museums in the town include the acclaimed Shropshire Regimental Museum, renamed in 2019 Soldiers of Shropshire Museum, based at
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 ...
,
and the restored 19th century steam-powered
Coleham Pumping Station
Coleham Pumping Station is a historical pumping station at Coleham in Shrewsbury, England.
History
The sewage pumping station was built at the end of the 19th century as part of a major upgrading of Shrewsbury's sewerage system. Two massive ...
, which opens for tours on specific days each year. Nearby National Trust properties include the last remaining Town Walls Tower which dates from the 14th century and, just outside the town, Attingham Park, former home of the Noel-Hill family, Baron Berwick, Barons Berwick.
There are some very old public houses, which have been continuously open, such as the Golden Cross, Shrewsbury, Golden Cross in Princess Street, the Dun Cow in Abbey Foregate, and the King's Head in Mardol. The Golden Cross is reputed to be the oldest licensed public house in Shrewsbury and records show that it was used as an inn as far back as 1428. Its original name was the Sextry, because it was originally the sacristy of Old St Chad's Church.
In the arts
Famous literary figures who have lived in or visited the town include (in the 17th century) Daniel Defoe, Celia Fiennes, the Shrewsbury School-educated Arthur Mainwaring (writer), Arthur Mainwaring and Ambrose Philips and playwright
George Farquhar whose 1706 play 'The Recruiting Officer' was set in the town.
![Shrewsbury Abbey 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Shrewsbury_Abbey_2014.jpg)
The town appears in the ''Brother Cadfael'' novels by Ellis Peters (pen name of Edith Pargeter). The novels take
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 No ...
for their setting, with Shrewsbury and other places in Shropshire portrayed regularly, and have made Medieval Shrewsbury familiar to a wide worldwide readership.
Later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the likes of John Wesley, Thomas de Quincey and
Benjamin Disraeli the latter of which was MP for Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency), Shrewsbury 1841–47, would visit the town. Charles Dickens once visited to present a series of lectures at the Music Hall, staying at the Lion Hotel. However, in this period the town's most prolific literary figure and famous son was born –
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
.
![Evolution Explored Shrewsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Evolution_Explored_Shrewsbury.jpg)
Darwin was educated at Shrewsbury School and later, with the development of his 1859 work ''On the Origin of Species'' became the pre-eminent naturalist of the 19th century. Although Darwin's work was both revolutionary and highly controversial at the time, his teachings and beliefs have become ever more globalised and he is today widely recognised as the father of the modern theory of evolution.
In his 1910 novel, ''Howards End'', E. M. Forster makes a brief reference to "astonishing Shrewsbury", an impression he received after having visited the town in the early 20th century. In the same century, Shrewsbury became famous for its poets. The Great War poet
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced b ...
was a resident.
Mary Webb
Mary Gladys Webb (25 March 1881 – 8 October 1927) was an English romance novelist and poet of the early 20th century, whose work is set chiefly in the Shropshire countryside and among Shropshire characters and people whom she knew. Her ...
, the novelist, much loved the town and referred to it many a time in her works under the guise of ''Silverton''.
In film, Shrewsbury was used as the setting for the popular 1984 film, ''A Christmas Carol (1984 film), A Christmas Carol'', which filmed many of its interior and exterior shots in and around the town. The gravestone theatrical property, prop of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by George C. Scott) that was used in the movie is still present in the graveyard of
St Chad's Church.
In early 2017, Shrewsbury BID, The Hive and GRAIN Photography Hub organised an outdoor Magnum Photos exhibition. Inspired by Shrewsbury's links to Charles Darwin, this exhibition showcased the theme of evolution through the eyes of international photographers. The 10-week exhibition was free to the public and staged at St Mary's Churchyard and The Square.
Media
Two newspapers are published for Shrewsbury – the local edition of the county's ''Shropshire Star'' and the more traditional ''Shrewsbury Chronicle'', which is one of the oldest weekly newspapers in the country, having produced its first edition in 1772. There are three radio stations that specifically serve either the Shrewsbury area or encompass it as part of a Shropshire-wide broadcast. They are: Beacon Radio, Free Radio Shropshire & Black Country;, BBC Radio Shropshire, which is based in Shrewsbury; and, as of September 2020, Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, which broadcasts from the Shropshire Star building in Telford.
In 2009 an online independent media company launched covering Shrewsbury and Shropshire. ''shropshirelive.com'',
Food
Shrewsbury is well known in culinary circles for being the namesake of a classic English dessert. Shrewsbury cakes (or biscuits) are typically crisp and brittle creations that may incorporate fruit. They can be small in size for serving several at a time, or large for serving as a dessert in their own right. Traditionally Shrewsbury cakes have a distinct hint of lemon.
The playwright William Congreve mentioned Shrewsbury cakes in his play ''The Way of the World'' in 1700 as a simile (Witwoud – "Why, brother Wilfull of Salop, you may be as short as a Shrewsbury cake, if you please. But I tell you 'tis not modish to know relations in town"). The recipe is also included in several early cookbooks including ''The Compleat Cook of 1658''. A final reference to the cakes can be seen to this day as the subject of a plaque affixed to a building close to Shrewsbury's town library by the junction of Castle Street and School Gardens. The aforementioned plaque marks the spot where the Shrewsbury Cake's recipe is said to have been pioneered in 1760 by Mr Pailin; a further quote, drawn from Richard Harris Barham's ''Ingoldby Legends'', reads:
Shrewsbury is the origin of the most popular Simnel cake recipe. Different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the Simnel cake. Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury, Devizes and Shrewsbury produced large numbers to their own recipes, but it is the Shrewsbury version that became most well known. Shrewsbury had a large cheese market in Victorian times.
Education
![Shrewsbury School and boathouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Shrewsbury_School_and_boathouse.JPG)
Shrewsbury is home to
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 ...
, a Public school (UK), public school, on a large site (in Kingsland, Shropshire, Kingsland) just south of the town centre overlooking the loop of the Severn. The school was once in the town centre, in the buildings that are now the main county library on Castle Street. Opposite it on the other side of the river is Shrewsbury High School (England), Shrewsbury High School, an independent girls' day school.
The long established Prestfelde School is an Preparatory school (UK), independent preparatory school, on London Road, close to the
Lord Hill's Column. As part of the Woodard Schools group, it is affiliated to the largest group of
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
schools in the country. Whilst originally a school for boys it diversified and, in the late 1990s, started accepting girls between the ages of three and thirteen. The school is set in of grounds on the outskirts of the town. The town's other long-established boys' preparatory school, Kingsland Grange (on Old Roman Road in Kingsland, Shropshire, Kingsland), merged in 2007 with the junior department of Shrewsbury Girls' High School, sharing the two sites with some classes remaining all-boys or all-girls, but others switching to a co-ed format.
![Shrewsbury VI form College](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Shrewsbury_VI_form_College.JPG)
Adcote, Adcote School is an Public school (UK), independent day and boarding school for girls, northwest of Shrewsbury. The school was founded in 1907 and is set in a Grade I listed country house built in 1879 for Rebecca Darby – a great niece of Abraham Darby I, Abraham Darby and a member of the iron-master family who built The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge.
However, the majority of the town's pupils attend one of the seven comprehensive schools. The Priory School (Shrewsbury), The Priory School, formerly a grammar school for girls; Meole Brace School currently carries the status of Science College; The Grange School the status of Arts College; Sundorne School the status of Sports College and Belvidere School, Shrewsbury, Belvidere School has the status of Technology College.
In 2016, The Grange and Sundorne officially merged to form Shrewsbury Academy. The school has two campuses however it is planned in the next few years for all pupils to move to the Corndon Crescent site, formerly Sundorne. In the future, a new building will be constructed in Shrewsbury to house Shrewsbury Academy.
The Wakeman School, which was geographically the closest school to the town centre 'loop', next to the
English Bridge, was previously called Shrewsbury Technical School, and was attended by the notable First World War poet
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced b ...
. It closed as part of reorganisation in July 2013.
Additionally, two other establishments outside town serve town students – The Corbet School to the north-west at Baschurch; and Mary Webb School and Science College, Mary Webb School, in the village of Pontesbury to the south-west.
Post-16 education is handled by Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, previously The Priory Grammar School for Boys, Shrewsbury, the Priory School for Boys, ranked 17th in the top 20 of sixth form colleges nationally by the ''Sunday Times'' newspaper in November 2012, and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, which handles primarily vocational courses.
During the Commonwealth of England, Commonwealth which followed the execution of
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
, a Shropshire man, Richard Baxter, a puritan minister suggested the establishment of a university for Wales at Shrewsbury and thought he could obtain the support of Oliver Cromwell, Cromwell and Parliament for the scheme. In the end the scheme came to nothing and it was not until the 2000s that higher education institutions were established in the town: University Centre Shrewsbury has been offering postgraduate courses since autumn 2014 and undergraduate students are being welcomed to the institution from autumn 2015. Established by the University of Chester and
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is the local authority of Shropshire, in England, comprising the ceremonial county of Shropshire except Telford and Wrekin. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combi ...
, the University Centre is focused on high-quality teaching and research, fostering entrepreneurship, contributing to the community and, ultimately, making a global impact.
Transport
![Shrewsbury station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Shrewsbury_station.JPG)
Shrewsbury is the county's public transport hub; it has road and rail links to the rest of the county and country.
Railway
Lines
Five railway lines connect the town to most corners of Shropshire and the region.
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Built in 1848, it was designated a grade II listed building in 1969.
The station is north west of Birmingham New Street. Many services starting at or passing through the stati ...
is served by Transport for Wales Rail and West Midlands Trains with trains running north to , , and , south to and , west to , and east to via , and . Heart of Wales line trains also operate to .
Services
In May 1998, Virgin Trains West Coast introduced a service from Shrewsbury to Euston railway station, London Euston; it was withdrawn in 2000. On 28 April 2008, open access operator Wrexham & Shropshire commenced services from Wrexham General to , restoring the county's direct rail link to the capital; previously, Shropshire had been one of only two mainland English counties without a dedicated service to the capital, the other being Rutland. However, the service ceased on 28 January 2011. Virgin Trains reintroduced a service to London Euston in December 2014.
Shrewsbury General
The main railway station building of includes a clock tower, imitation Tudor chimneys and carved heads in the frames of every window. There is a small British Transport Police station within the building.
Closed stations
* Shrewsbury Abbey railway station, Shrewsbury Abbey
* Shrewsbury West railway station, Shrewsbury West
Proposed station
* Shrewsbury railway station#New stations, Shrewsbury Parkway
Bus
Bus services in the town are operated by Arriva Midlands and serve most parts of the town from Shrewsbury bus station, adjacent to the
Darwin Shopping Centre, and a short walk from the railway station. Arriva also operate county services both independent of and on behalf of Shropshire County Council. There are other bus companies operating around the Shrewsbury area, including Boulton's of Shropshire, Minsterley Motors and Tanat Valley Coaches with the last operating services crossing from over the Welsh border from nearby towns including Llanfyllin, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, Newtown, Powys, Newtown and
Welshpool
Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
.
Shrewsbury has a park & ride bus scheme in operation and three car parks on the edge of town are used by many who want to travel into the town centre. The three car parks are at
Harlescott
Harlescott is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne to the ea ...
(to the north, colour-coded blue), Oxon (to the west, colour-coded pink) and
Meole Brace
Meole Brace, sometimes known locally as simply Meole (pronounced like ''meal''), is a south-western suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.
The Rea Brook, a tributary of the River Severn, flows through the area. The brook was in the past k ...
(to the south, colour-coded green). It is proposed that a fourth one be built to the east of the town, at either Emstrey, Shropshire, Emstrey or Preston.
Road
Shrewsbury has been an important centre for road traffic. In 1815, Thomas Telford designed a new coaching route from London to
Holyhead in order to improve communications with Ireland. He routed the new road via Shrewsbury, which opened in 1830. The road is now the
A5. The road connects the town northwest to
Oswestry, and east towards Telford, where it joins the M54 motorway, M54. The A5 once ran through the town centre, until a Bypass route, bypass was built in the 1930s. Subsequently, in 1992, a 17-mile (27 km) dual carriageway was completed at a cost of £79 million to the south of the town and was made to form part of the A5 route. This dual carriageway was built further out of the town to act as a substantial link to Telford, as well as a bypass for the town.
The
A49 also goes to Shrewsbury, joining the A5 at the south of the town, coming from Ludlow and Leominster. At this point, the road merges with the A5 for , before separating again to the east of the town. From there it runs north, passing
Sundorne
Sundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the ...
, then
Battlefield
A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
, before heading out towards Whitchurch, Shropshire, Whitchurch. At Battlefield, the A53 road, A53 route begins and heads north-east towards
Shawbury
Shawbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire. The village is northeast of the town of Shrewsbury, northwest of Telford and northwest of London.
The village straddles the A53 between Shrewsbury and Market Dray ...
and
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "D ...
, then onwards towards Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent.
The A458 road, A458 (
Welshpool
Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
-
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079.
Histor ...
) runs through the town centre, entering in the west and leaving to the southeast. The A528 road, A528 begins in the town centre and heads north, heading for Ellesmere, Shropshire, Ellesmere. The A488 road, A488 begins just west of the town centre in
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 calle ...
and heads out to Bishop's Castle, Clun and Knighton, Powys, Knighton crossing the border in the southwest of Shropshire.
Major roads within the town include the A5112 road, A5112, A5191 road, A5191 and A5064 road, A5064. The A5191 goes north-south via the town centre, while the A5112 runs north-south to the east of the town centre. The A5064 is a short, one mile (1.6 km) stretch of road to the southeast of the town centre, called "London Road". Additionally, the A5124 road, A5124, the most recent bypass, was completed in 1998, and runs across the northern edge of the town at Battlefield (connecting the A49/A53 to the A528), though it did exist before as Harlescott Lane (which has since become unclassified).
Construction of a major new artery referred to as the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road, North West Relief Road (NWRR) was granted central government funding in April 2019. Together with the existing A5 and A49 by-passes, the Battlefield Link Road (A5124) and the Oxon Link Road (construction expected to be completed by 2021), this will result in the completion of the ring road around the outskirts of the town. The NWRR will involve the construction of a new bridge over the River Severn, upstream from the town centre.
Cycling
Shrewsbury has a comprehensive network of on-road and traffic-free cycle routes. In 2008 the town was awarded Cycling Town status by Cycling England; as a result, it benefited from £1.8 million of grant funding from the Department for Transport between 2008 and 2011. The funding was used to make improvements to the cycle network in Shrewsbury, and to provide cycle training, information and advice to people to help encourage them to cycle to school and work.
Sport
![Pengwern Boat Club Club House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Pengwern_Boat_Club_Club_House.jpg)
Shrewsbury is home to a professional Association football, football club, Shrewsbury Town F.C., Shrewsbury Town Football Club. The team currently competes in the third tier of English football, Football League One and since 2007 has played their home games at New Meadow – from 1910 to 2007 the club played at the Gay Meadow stadium. Shrewsbury Town's achievements include winning the Welsh Cup six times, a record for an English club, a 10-year run in the old Football League Second Division, Second Division now known as EFL Championship, The Championship from 1979 until 1989, a Football League Third Division, Third Division Championship in 1979, a Football League Third Division, Division 3 Championship and victory in the Conference National Playoff Final 2004. The town is also home to a semi-professional Association football, football club, Haughmond F.C., Haughmond, who take their name from the nearby
Haughmond Hill
Haughmond Hill is a small, shallow hill in the English county of Shropshire. It is covered by woodland for the most part, although there is an open cast quarry (for stone aggregates) in use. Its proximity to the town of Shrewsbury has meant that ...
. The team currently compete in the Midland Football League and play their home games at Shrewsbury Sports Village, in the
Sundorne
Sundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the ...
area of the town.
There is a local Rugby union, rugby club, Shrewsbury Rugby Club.
The River Severn in the town is used for rowing by both Pengwern Boat Club and the Royal
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 ...
Boat Club (RSSBC). More recently these have been joined by rowing students of Harper Adams University, University Centre Shrewsbury and some crews from other local schools. There in an annual rowing regatta in the town in May.
Shrewsbury Sports Village is a sports centre in the
Sundorne
Sundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the ...
district of the town, aimed at providing a wide range of sports facilities for townspeople. There are a number of motorsports and golf facilities (including Meole Brace Municipal Golf Course) in the area. The local motorsports heritage includes the Loton Park Hillclimb and Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit near Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Motocross Club has staged motocross events in the area for over 30 years.
Shrewsbury holds its own annual Sprint Triathlon which takes place each September at the West Midlands Country Showground and organised by SYTri (Shrewsbury Triathlon Club) and permitted by the British Triathlon Federation.
A free weekly parkrun takes place in the centre of Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury has also seen activity in the physical discipline, Parkour.
Twin town
Shrewsbury has no twin towns. Until 2018 Shrewsbury was twinned with
Zutphen
Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river Ijssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in th ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, a move inspired by the fact Sir Philip Sidney, an alumnus of Shrewsbury School, was fatally wounded Battle of Zutphen, there in 1586. At the end of the Second World War Shrewsbury's then Mayor, Harry Steward, who was made in 1946 an honorary citizen of Zutphen in return, launched an appeal for second-hand tools, clothes, bedding and other materials towards the town's post-war reconstruction after Nazi German occupation and war damage.
[Account of Steward who is buried there.] The association was ended in late 2018 when the municipal council of Zutphen chose to review all of its global twinning arrangements due to budgetary constraints.
[
A potential twinning of Shrewsbury with Bayreuth, Germany, was under discussion in 2009.][''Stadt ist auf Partnersuche'' in newspaper ''Nordbayerischer Kurier'' dated 6 March 2009.]
See also
* List of Mayors of Shrewsbury
* Listed buildings in Shrewsbury
* Reabrook Valley – local nature reserve
* Shrewsbury sauce
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
Original Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury Town Council
Shrewsbury BID
Visit Shrewsbury
The History of Parliament: the House of Commons – Shrewsbury, Borough, 1386 to 1831
The Mount Shrewsbury
- History of the Town
{{Authority control
Shrewsbury,
Populated places on the River Severn
Market towns in Shropshire
Towns of the Welsh Marches
County towns in England
Railway towns in England
Populated places established in the 1st millennium
Towns with cathedrals in the United Kingdom
Towns in Shropshire
Civil parishes in Shropshire
Massacres during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms