Shrewsbury
Encyclopedia
Shrewsbury is the county town
of Shropshire
, in the West Midlands region
of England
. Lying on the River Severn
, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council
. It is the second largest town in the ceremonial county
of Shropshire, after Telford
.
Shrewsbury is a historic market town
with the town centre having a largely unaltered medieval street plan. The town features over 660 historic listed buildings, including several examples of timber framing
from the 15th and 16th century. Shrewsbury Castle
, a red sandstone
castle
fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey
, a former Benedictine
monastery
, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively, by the Norman
Earl of Shrewsbury
, Roger de Montgomery. The town hosts one of the oldest and largest horticultural events in the country, Shrewsbury Flower Show
, and is known for its floral displays, having won various awards since the turn of the 21st century, including Britain in Bloom
in 2006.
Today, lying 9 miles (14.5 km) east of the Welsh
border, Shrewsbury serves as a cultural and commercial centre for the ceremonial county and a large area of mid-Wales, with retail output alone worth over £299 million per year. There are some light industry and distribution centres, such as Battlefield Enterprise Park, located mainly on the outskirts. The A5 and A49
trunk road
s cross near to the town, as do five railway lines at Shrewsbury railway station
.
, signifying "the alder hill"; and to the Anglo-Saxons as Scrobbesburh (dative Scrobbesbyrig), which has several meanings; "fort in the scrub-land region", "Scrobb's fort", "shrubstown" or "the town of the bushes". This name was gradually corrupted in three directions, into 'Sciropscire' which became Shropshire
, into 'Sloppesberie', which became Salop/Salopia (an alternative name for both the town and its county), and into 'Schrosberie' which eventually became the name of the county town, Shrewsbury. Its Welsh name Amwythig means "fortified place".
Shrewsbury is known as a town with significant medieval heritage, having been founded ca. 800 AD. It was during the late Middle Ages (14th/15th Centuries) when the town was at its height of commercial importance. This was mainly due to the wool trade, a major industry at the time, with the rest of Britain and Europe, especially with the River Severn and Watling Street
as trading routes. It is believed that Henry VIII
intended to make Shrewsbury a cathedral city after the formation of the Church of England
, but the citizens of the town declined the offer.
Over the ages, the geographically important town has been the site of many conflicts, particularly between the English
and Welsh
. Shrewsbury was the seat of the Princes of Powis for many years; however, the Angles, under King Offa of Mercia
, took possession of it in 778. The Welsh again besieged it in 1069, but were repelled by William the Conqueror. Roger de Montgomery was given the town as a gift from William, and built Shrewsbury Castle
in 1074, taking the title of Earl. The 3rd Earl, Robert of Bellême was deposed in 1102, in consequence of taking part in the rebellion against Henry I
. In 1403, the Battle of Shrewsbury
took place a few miles north of the town centre, at Battlefield
; it was fought between King Henry IV
and Henry Hotspur Percy, with the King emerging victorious, an event celebrated in William Shakespeare
's Henry IV, Part 1
, Act 5.
The town is home to the Ditherington Flax Mill
, 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. Shrewsbury in the Industrial Revolution was also located on the Shrewsbury Canal
which linked it to the Shropshire Canal
and wider canal network of Great Britain.
Shrewsbury has also played a part in Western intellectual history, by being the town in which the naturalist Charles Darwin
was born and raised. Nearby is the village of Wroxeter
, 5 miles (8 km) to the south-west, where the now ruined Roman
city of Viroconium Cornoviorum lies. Viroconium was the fourth largest civitas
capital in Roman Britain
. As Caer Guricon it may have served as the early Dark Age capital of the kingdom of Powys.
The town was not bombed in World War II
and so many of its ancient buildings remain intact and there was little redevelopment during the 1960s and 1970s, which arguably destroyed the character of many historic towns in the UK. However, a large area of half timbered houses and businesses was destroyed to make way for the Raven Meadows multi-story car park, and other historic buildings were demolished to make way for the brutalist architectural style of the 1960s. The town was saved from a new 'inner ring road' due to its challenging geography.
Shrewsbury won the West Midlands
Capital of Enterprise award in 2004. The town has two expanding business parks, the Shrewsbury Business Park
and the Battlefield Enterprise Park. 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 and commute to Telford
, Wolverhampton
and Birmingham
. There is also the Greenhills EnterprIse Park which is a 15 acre commercial development site approximately 5 miles north of the town centre. In 2000 and again in 2002, Shrewsbury unsuccessfully applied for city status
.
allowing the collection of rents. King Richard I
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
), 1495 (Henry VII
), 1638 (Charles I
), and 1685 (James II
). In 1974 a charter from Queen Elizabeth II incorporated the Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham.
Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for the new Shropshire Council
, the unitary authority
covering most of Shropshire (but does not include the Borough of Telford and Wrekin
, a separate unitary authority area). Shropshire Council have their headquarters at The Shirehall, on Abbey Foregate, and the old Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council headquarters at The Guildhall, on Frankwell
Quay, is now one of the many offices and customer service points around the county used by the council.
Shrewsbury is in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency
and is the only large settlement in the constituency. At the most recent general election, in 2005, Daniel Kawczynski
of the Conservative Party was elected with a majority of 1,808. Previous MPs for Shrewsbury have included former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
Shrewsbury is twinned with Zutphen in The Netherlands. The town also serves as the administrative headquarters of the British Army
's 5th Division
, which has its administrative HQ at the Copthorne
Barracks.
Shrewsbury was until 2009 an unparished area
and had no town or parish council(s), instead the Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham
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 (only Weston-super-Mare
has a greater population) with a population of over 70,000.
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 which are coterminous with Shropshire Council
electoral divisions. The political make-up of the town council is currently – Conservatives: 11, Labour: 4 and Liberal Democrats: 2.
The current Mayor of Shrewsbury is Alan Townsend, who was officially elected mayor on 18 June 2009. Councillor Townsend was born in the town and has lived there all of his life, except for a few years as an undergraduate at University College London
. The Mayor taught for many years at a local secondary school before serving for ten years at the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Throughout his adult life, Alan Townsend and his wife, Judy, have been prominent members of the community, known for their fund raising activities for local charities.
Earlier plans to locate the town council at Rowley's House have been altered and the town council has its headquarters and meeting place at The Guildhall, which was the headquarters of the former borough council.
Bridge running above the loggerheads. Shrewsbury Town FC historically have used the Loggerheads but now have a bespoke badge depicting a lion rather than a loggerhead. (A loggerhead, heraldically, means a leopard's head).
Shrewsbury is located approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) to the west of Telford
, 43 miles (69.2 km) west of Birmingham
and the West Midlands Conurbation
, and about 150 miles (241.4 km) north-west of the capital, London
. More locally, the town is to the east of Welshpool
, and Bridgnorth
and Kidderminster
are to the south-east. The border with Wales
is 9 miles (14.5 km) to the west. The town centre is partially built on a hill whose elevation is, at its highest, 75 metres above sea level. The longest river in the UK, the River Severn
, flows through the town, forming a meander around its centre.
From the late 1990s the town has experienced severe flooding problems from the Severn and Rea Brook
. In the autumn of 2000 large swathes of the town were underwater, notably Frankwell
which was flooded three times in the space of six weeks. The Frankwell flood defences were completed in 2003, along with the new offices of the borough council. More recently, such as in 2005 and 2007, 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.
The town is situated near Haughmond Hill, 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
.
s and surrounding villages. As the town continues to expand, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the suburbs, which are joined to the town, and the surrounding villages, which often join on to the suburbs.
An example of where this has happened is Bayston Hill
, which has grown considerably in the last 20 years; now separated from the Meole Brace
suburb by only a few fields and the A5 road. It remains, however, a separate entity to the town, with its own parish council, etc. Bayston Hill lies 3 miles (5 km) south of the town centre of Shrewsbury and on the A49 and near to the A5. The smaller village of Battlefield
, this time to the north of the town, is also considered now as a suburb of the town due to growth in the surrounding area. It is covered by the parish of Shrewsbury.
of Shrewsbury is similar to that of the rest of Shropshire
, generally moderate. Rainfall averages 76 to 100 cm (30 to 40 in), influenced by being in the rainshadow of the Cambrian Mountains
from warm, moist frontal systems of the Atlantic Ocean
which bring generally light precipitation in Autumn and Spring. The nearest weather station is located at Shawbury
, about 6.5 miles North-west 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 34.9c(94.8f) and absolute minimum of -25.2c(-13.4f) 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 will achieve a maximum temperature of 28.4c(83.1f), giving a total of 8.9 days of 25.1c(77.2f) or above. The absolute maximum of 34.9c(94.8f) was recorded during August 1990.
Conversely, the coldest night of the year will typically fall to -9.6c(14.7f) - in total 61.7 air frosts will be recorded in an 'average' year. The absolute minimum of -25.2c(-13.4f) was recorded during 1981.
Annual average rainfall averages around 650mm, with over 1mm falling on 124 days of the year.
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001
, the population of the town of Shrewsbury is 67,126. The same census puts the population of the 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
. The population of the town centre (the area within the loop of the Severn) is approximately 1,300. In line with the rapid growth of town population, a 2005 report on prison population in the UK has found that the prison, HMP Shrewsbury, is the most overcrowded in England and Wales.
The 2001 census also 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 composition of the town is largely white
, at 98.5% of the total population. The next largest ethnic group is mixed race, at 0.5% of the town's population. 0.4% of the population is Indian, Pakistan
i or Bangladesh
i, and 0.1% of the population is South Asian or British Asian
. A further 0.1% is Black
, Caribbean
or African
.
.
The town is the location of the town and county councils, and a number of retail
complexes, both in and out of the town centre, and these provide significant employment. Four in five jobs in the town are in the service industry. Within this sector, the largest employers are the administration and distribution
sectors, which includes retail, food and accommodation. Shrewsbury is home to four shopping centres. The principal centres comprise the Darwin
and Pride Hill centres, which house many high street retailers such as Marks & Spencer
, TK Maxx and Boots. Riverside provides further retail accommodation for stores including Somerfield
, Wilkinson
and TJ Hughes. A plan to modernise the Darwin centre and to redevelop Riverside is being discussed with the Council and is being developed by Chapman Taylor Architects. There is also the large Meole Brace Retail Park
to the south, and the Harlescott Retail Park
to the north. Major supermarkets in the town are the 2007-opened environmentally friendly Tesco
Extra at Harlescott, Morrisons
on Whitchurch Road, Asda
on Old Potts Way and Sainsbury's at Meole Brace.
The visitor economy
of Shrewsbury and Atcham was worth about £115 million in 2001, with approximately 2,500 people employed directly in the visitor industry and 3,400 indirectly. There were about 3.1 million day 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, 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
has the only A&E department westwards until Aberystwyth
, approximately 75 miles (120.7 km) away.
A brewery was established in the town in 1995. The Salopian Brewery is based in the Old Dairy and produces cask ale
and bottle conditioned beers. It has a production of 80 barrles a week and mainly serves the pubs in and around Shrewsbury.
In terms of social and economic deprivation
, 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 located in the ward of Harlescott
. A further four SOAs fall into the bottom 30% nationally, these being located in the wards of Monkmoor, Sundorne
, Battlefield
and Heathgates
, and Meole Brace
. The most affluent areas of the town are located to the south, surrounding Shrewsbury School
.
s have also remained unchanged in centuries and there are some more unusual names, such as Butcher Row, 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
building, is situated on Castle Hill. Above the main entrance are two statues bearing the inscriptions "Philomathes" and "Polumathes". 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.
The town was also used as the set for the popular 1984 movie, A Christmas Carol
, which filmed many of its interior and exterior shots in and around Shrewsbury. The gravestone 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 the centre of the town lies The Quarry
. This 29 acre (120,000 m²) riverside park attracts thousands of people throughout the year and is enjoyed as a place of recreation. Shrewsbury is known as the "Town of Flowers" and this was the motto printed onto many of the signs on entrance to the town via major roads, although in 2007 the signs were replaced, instead branding the town as 'the birthplace of Charles Darwin'.
The British Army
's Light Infantry
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
to the current conflicts in Iraq
and Afghanistan
. Today, after several major reorganisations, the Light Infantry Brigade
now forms part of the regiment known simply as The Rifles
. Shrewsbury's Copthorne Barracks, spiritual home of the Light Brigade, still houses the Headquarters of the British Army's 5th Division
.
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
and would have sounded the four minute warning
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 and wore a Royal Air Force
style uniform. 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 is at the Music Hall
on The Square in the town centre. The three main museums are Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery (located at Rowley's House), Shrewsbury Castle
(which houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum) and the Coleham Pumping Station
. Also, there is the Gateway arts and drama centre and there are also various private galleries and art shops around the town. Another notable feature of the town is Lord Hill's Column
, the largest free-standing Doric column in the world.
Quantum Leap was unveiled in Mardol Quay Gardens, Shrewsbury to mark Darwin’s bicentenary in 2009. The sculpture represents Darwin’s ground breaking scientific ideas and his impact on the scientific world.
denominations represented in Shrewsbury, housed in a range of buildings, including Shrewsbury Abbey
, founded by Roger de Montgomery in 1083. The Orthodox Church is located on Wenlock Road to the east. Shrewsbury is home to the Roman Catholic Shrewsbury Cathedral
, located by Town Walls, as well as two other parishes in Harlescott
and Monkmoor, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury
.
There are several Anglican Churches in Shrewsbury. Other denominations, such as Methodists
,Baptists and United Reformed Church (formerly Congregational and Presbyterian) are represented alongside newer church groups, which include: Elim Pentecostal
and two Newfrontiers
churches. Shrewsbury Evangelical Church meets in the St Julian's Centre at the Wyle Cop end of Fish Street.
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. Basics Bank is another example, based at The Barnabas Centre, which provides debt relief for local people. Churches Together in Shrewsbury is seeking to continue its long term commitment to helping homeless people through The Ark project.
One of the houses in Fish Street, facing St Alkmond's Church, is noted as being the location of John Wesley's
first preaching in Shrewsbury. The wall plaque records the date as March 16, 1761.
Shrewsbury is home to one of the largest and oldest horticultural events in the UK - the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show
. A two day event, the Flower Show takes place in mid-August, has been running for more than 125 years, and attracts around 100,000 visitors each year. Set in the Quarry park, there are a multitude of events, exhibitions and displays, with a fireworks display at the end of each day. The town is well known for its flower displays, and has won numerous awards in recent years.
Shrewsbury is also home to one of the region's main agricultural shows - the West Mid Show. This is held every year, usually in May, at the Shropshire Agricultural Showground on the outskirts of town at Coton Hill. The town is host to the Shrewsbury International Music Festival, when musical groups from all over the world come to perform for about a week for local residents, and give a final concert in the Abbey
. The festival is organised by WorldStage Tours. 2006 saw the first Shrewsbury Folk Festival, after the event moved to the town from nearby Bridgnorth
. Held annually over the August bank holiday, the event is very popular, with people travelling from across the UK to attend. In 2006 much of the event was held in the Quarry
, with other related festivities happening around the town. For 2007 the event moved to the West Midlands Showground on the other side of the river. A new annual arts festival - the Shrewsbury Summer Season - was established in 2004 and runs each year from June to August with an extensive programme of music, visual arts, theatre and spectacle.
There are some very old public house
s, which have been continuously open as pubs, such as the Golden Cross, the Dun Cow and the King's Head. 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.
Construction of Theatre Severn, a new entertainment complex in Frankwell
, was commissioned in September 2006. Actual construction began on the site in April 2007 when the Borough Council appointed a contractor. The design features a prominent glass curve and steel frame. The site is positioned next to the Guildhall, alongside the namesake River Severn. The new complex replaced the old theatre, the Shrewsbury Music Hall. The Music Hall is currently being refurbished, to take on the role of Rowley's House Museum, which will soon be closed for renovation for the foreseeable future.
). The novels take Shrewsbury Abbey
for their setting, with Shrewsbury and other places in Shropshire portrayed regularly, and have made Medieval Shrewsbury familiar to a wide worldwide readership.
The local author, Carol Ewels has written two children's books, including Jack the Cat, which are set in the town. Also, the children's author Pauline Fisk writes about a town called Pengwern, which is based entirely on Shrewsbury, in books including Midnight Blue, and Sabrina Fludde. Frank Cottrell Boyce
, another children's author, writes briefly about Shrewsbury in his book Millions
.
, and the local edition of the county's Shropshire Star
. There are presently three radio stations that specifically serve either the Shrewsbury area or encompass it as part of a Shropshire-wide broadcast. They include: Beacon Shropshire, which also shares it's programming with beacon black country. BBC Radio Shropshire
, which is based in Shrewsbury; and, as of September 2006, The Severn
, which broadcasts from the Shropshire Star building in Telford.
In 2009 a brand new online independent media company launched covering Shrewsbury and Shropshire. shropshirelive.com, is based in Shrewsbury with local residents encouraged to get involved with the web site by becoming citizen journalists and contributors.
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Shrewsbury is home to a variety of established amateur, semi-professional and professional sports clubs, including Shrewsbury Town
, a Football League
team currently playing in Football League Two
. Shrewsbury Town's achievements include winning the Welsh Cup
six times, a record for an English club (as English-based clubs were allowed to compete in the competition until the early 1990s), a 10-year run in the old Second Division
now known as The Championship from 1979 until 1989, a Third Division
Championship (now League One) in 1979, a Division 3
Championship (now League Two) and victory in the Conference National Playoff Final 2004. The club relocated to the Prostar Stadium in 2007, to a purposely built site located near Meole Brace
. Prior to this, the club played at the Gay Meadow
stadium, situated just outside of the town centre, for a 97 year period from 1910 to 2007. They first gained Football League membership in 1950 and stayed there for 53 years, when they were relegated, only to gain promotion after just one season. Four months before their relegation in 2003, they famously eliminated Premier League club Everton
from the FA Cup
- ironically they were being managed by former Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe
at the time. In recent years the club as progressed to the League 2 play-off final twice at Wembley Stadium
only to lose out on the show piece occasions. The 2007 League 2 play-off final defeat against Bristol Rovers produced the highest ever attendance for a 4th tier fixture, 61,589 of which over 23,000 were from Shropshire
.
Currently, international footballers for three nations were born in the town. They are former Shrewsbury Town players Joe Hart
and Dave Edwards
for England and Wales respectively, and Scotland forward Steven Fletcher
who was born in the town when his father, a soldier was stationed in Shrewsbury.
There is also a local rugby
club, Shrewsbury Rugby Club. The River Severn in the town is used for rowing by both Pengwern Boat Club and the Shrewsbury School
Boat Club. Shrewsbury Sports Village, a new sports centre, was recently opened in the Sundorne
district of the town, with the aim of providing a wider and improved range of sports facilities for townspeople. There are also 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
situated near Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Motocross Club
has staged motocross
events in the area for over 30 years.
, a public school
, located on a large commanding site ("Kingsland") just south of the town centre overlooking the loop of the Severn. The school was once located 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, an independent girls' day school.
The long established Prestfelde School
is an independent
preparatory school
, located on London Road, close to the Lord Hill column. As part of the Woodard Schools
group, it is affiliated to the largest group of Church of England
schools in the country. Whilst originally a school for boys only it diversified and, in the late 1990s, started also accepting girls between the ages of three and thirteen. The school is set in 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of grounds on the outskirts of the town. The town's other long-established boys' preparatory school, Kingsland Grange (located on Old Roman Road in Kingsland
), in 2007 merged 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.
Adcote School
is an independent
day and boarding school for girls, located five miles 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
and a member of the iron-master family who built Ironbridge
.
However, the majority of the town's pupils attend one of the eight comprehensive schools. The Priory School
, formerly a grammar school
for girls. Meole Brace School currently carries the status of Science College; The Grange and The Wakeman the status of Arts College; Sundorne the status of Sports College and Belvidere has the status of Technology College.
The Wakeman School, which is geographically the nearest school to the town, situated next to the English Bridge
, was previously known as 'Shrewsbury Technical School', which was attended by the famous war poet Wilfred Owen
. Additionally, there are two other establishments located out of the town which serve the town's students. The Corbet School, located to the north at Baschurch; and Mary Webb School, located in the large village of Pontesbury
, to the south-west.
Post-16 education is handled by Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
, and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, which handles primarily vocational courses. In 2007 the Learning and Skills Council
strongly promoted co-location of the two colleges on an out-of-town site. The plans were opposed by local MP Daniel Kawczynski
and many local students, teaching staff, and town centre traders. In November 2008 the co-location plans were rejected by Shrewsbury and Atcham
borough council, and the plans have been described by Kawczynski as "dead in the water".
is served by Arriva Trains Wales
and London Midland
with trains running north to Chester
, Manchester
, Crewe
and Wrexham
, south to Hereford
and Cardiff
, west to Aberystwyth
, and east to Birmingham
via Telford
, Shifnal, and Wolverhampton
. Heart of Wales Line
trains also operate to Swansea
. On 28 April 2008, open access operator Wrexham & Shropshire commenced services to London, restoring the county's direct rail link to the capital; previously, Shropshire had been one of only two English counties without a dedicated service to the capital, the other being Rutland
. However, the service ceased on 28 January 2011.
The main station building includes a clock tower, imitation Tudor chimneys, and carved heads in the frames of every window. There is a small British Transport Police
station located within the building.
The A5 connects the town northwest to Oswestry
, and east towards Telford
, where it joins the M54
. The A5 once ran through the town centre, until a bypass was built in the 1930s. Subsequently, in 1992, a seventeen mile (27 km) dual carriageway
was completed at a cost of 79 million pounds 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 three miles (5 km), before separating again to the east of the town. From there it runs north, passing Sundorne
, then Battlefield
, before heading out towards Whitchurch
. At Battlefield, the A53
route begins and heads northeast towards Shawbury
and Market Drayton
then onwards towards Newcastle-under-Lyme
and Stoke-on-Trent
.
The A458
(Welshpool
-Bridgnorth
) runs through the town centre, entering in the west and leaving to the southeast. The A528 begins in the town centre and heads north, heading for Ellesmere
. The A488
begins just west of the town centre in Frankwell
and heads out to Bishop's Castle
, Clun
and Knighton crossing the border in the southwest of Shropshire.
Major roads within the town include the A5112
, A5191 and 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
, 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).
and serve most parts of the town, congregating at the town's bus station
adjacent to the Darwin Shopping Centre
and a short stroll 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 Boultons of Shropshire, Minsterley Motors
and Tanat Valley Coaches
with the latter operating services crossing from over the Welsh border from nearby towns including Llanfyllin
, Montgomery
, Newtown and Welshpool
.
Shrewsbury has a Park and 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 located at Harlescott
(to the north, colour-coded orange), Oxon (to the west, colour-coded brown) and Meole Brace
(to the south, colour-coded green). It is proposed that a fourth one be built to the east of the town, at either Emstrey or Preston.
. As a result Shrewsbury will benefit from £1.8 million of grant funding from the Department for Transport
between 2008 and 2011. The funding will be 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.
The town has nine bridges which cross the River Severn and many that cross the Rea Brook
. Working downstream (anti-clockwise around the town) Frankwell
footbridge is a modern pedestrian footbridge between Frankwell and the town centre spanning the River Severn. Downstream is the Welsh Bridge, which was built in the 1790s to replace the ancient St George's Bridge
. Further along is the Porthill Bridge
, a pedestrian suspension bridge running between The Quarry
and Porthill, built in 1922. The next bridge along the river is the Kingsland Bridge
, a privately owned toll bridge
, 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 1930s, and beyond it is the railway station
, which is partly built over the river. After the station is the 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
wrote of the area this verse, which mentions the bridges of the town:
There have been a number of notable Salopians, and people otherwise associated with the town of Shrewsbury, including Charles Darwin
, a biologist and evolutionary theorist
, one of the most important thinkers of the nineteenth century, who was born in Shrewsbury on 12 February 1809 at The Mount House, and was educated in the town at Shrewsbury School
.
People with political associations also have connections with the town. Leo Blair
, the father of former Prime Minister Tony Blair
, is a resident of the town. Former residents have included Michael Heseltine
, a Conservative
politician who was educated at Shrewsbury School, and Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, 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 70s pop group Mott the Hoople
, was a resident of 23a Swan Hill in the town centre, and wrote a song of the same name. Also a resident of the town was John Peel
, a DJ
and radio presenter, who was educated at Shrewsbury School. Another DJ from the town is Lange
, a producer of dance music, who was born in Shrewsbury. The 1980s pop group T'Pau
was formed in the town and the band's vocalist Carol Decker was born and educated in the town, along with other members of the band. Underground musician, Ken Worthing; was also born in Shrewsbury in 1964 and with his band ('Otherside') http://www.othersideuk.com released 'MORicana' (4 track CD single) which was a college hit in 2007 in the U.S.A.
Shrewsbury has also been home to contributors to literature. Prior to the First World War, the poet Wilfred Owen
lived in the town. The romantic novelist Mary Webb
is buried there. Michael Palin
, the writer, actor and comedian attended Shrewsbury School. Other actors with associations with the town include Nick Hancock, presenter of They Think It's All Over
, who, like Palin, was educated at Shrewsbury School. Nick Conway
is another actor connected to the town, and was born in it in 1962.
Sporting Salopians include footballers Danny Guthrie
of Newcastle United
and Shrewsbury Town
youth academy graduates England goalkeeper Joe Hart
and Wales midfielder David Edwards
, both of whom are currently playing in the Premier League. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Scotland striker Steven Fletcher
was also born in the town, where his serviceman father was stationed. Sandy Lyle
, a professional golfer, was also born in the town.
Neville Cardus
spent some of his formative years as assistant cricket coach at Shrewsbury School
.
Other notable people of the town include Robert Cadman
, a performer and steeplejack
, who is buried in the town, at St. Mary's Church
. Simon Gosling
, a design
er was born in the town, and was resident there until 1994. John Gwynn
, an 18th century architect
, who designed the English Bridge
and the bridge at Atcham was born in the town. Percy Thrower
, the gardener and broadcaster was a resident of Shrewsbury.
It is currently the home of renowned singer Steve Winwood
, with his family. Flight Lieutenant
Eric Lock
DSO
, DFC
and Bar
was born in nearby Bayston Hill
and was educated at Prestfelde
public school
on London Road. Lock became internationally recognised as a high scoring fighter ace
of the Royal Air Force
during World War II
with twenty six victories before his death in combat at the age of twenty one. He was the RAF's most successful British-born pilot during the Battle of Britain
, shooting down 16.5 German aircraft in a period of just a few weeks.
The forerunner of Private Eye
was a school magazine edited by Richard Ingrams
, Willie Rushton
, Christopher Booker
and Paul Foot
at Shrewsbury School
in the mid-1950s.
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, in the West Midlands region
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Lying on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
. It is the second largest town in the ceremonial county
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Shropshire, after Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
.
Shrewsbury is a historic market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
with the town centre having a largely unaltered medieval street plan. The town features over 660 historic listed buildings, including several examples of timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
from the 15th and 16th century. Shrewsbury Castle
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 is situated directly above Shrewsbury railway station....
, a red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
, a former Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively, by the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
, Roger de Montgomery. The town hosts one of the oldest and largest horticultural events in the country, Shrewsbury Flower Show
Shrewsbury Flower Show
The Shrewsbury Flower Show is an annual event held in mid-August over two days at The Quarry, the main park in the town of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The show is organised by the Shropshire Horticultural Society and is one of the largest events of its type in the United...
, and is known for its floral displays, having won various awards since the turn of the 21st century, including Britain in Bloom
Britain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
in 2006.
Today, lying 9 miles (14.5 km) east of the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
border, Shrewsbury serves as a cultural and commercial centre for the ceremonial county and a large area of mid-Wales, with retail output alone worth over £299 million per year. There are some light industry and distribution centres, such as Battlefield Enterprise Park, located mainly on the outskirts. The A5 and A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
trunk road
Trunk road
A trunk road, trunk highway, or strategic road is a major road—usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports, and other things.—which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic...
s cross near to the town, as do five railway lines at Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
.
History
The town was known to the ancient Britons as PengwernPengwern
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 establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
, signifying "the alder hill"; and to the Anglo-Saxons as Scrobbesburh (dative Scrobbesbyrig), which has several meanings; "fort in the scrub-land region", "Scrobb's fort", "shrubstown" or "the town of the bushes". This name was gradually corrupted in three directions, into 'Sciropscire' which became Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, into 'Sloppesberie', which became Salop/Salopia (an alternative name for both the town and its county), and into 'Schrosberie' which eventually became the name of the county town, Shrewsbury. Its Welsh name Amwythig means "fortified place".
Shrewsbury is known as a town with significant medieval heritage, having been founded ca. 800 AD. It was during the late Middle Ages (14th/15th Centuries) when the town was at its height of commercial importance. This was mainly due to the wool trade, a major industry at the time, with the rest of Britain and Europe, especially with the River Severn and Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
as trading routes. It is believed that Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
intended to make Shrewsbury a cathedral city after the formation of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, but the citizens of the town declined the offer.
Over the ages, the geographically important town has been the site of many conflicts, particularly between the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
. Shrewsbury was the seat of the Princes of Powis for many years; however, the Angles, under King Offa of Mercia
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
, took possession of it in 778. The Welsh again besieged it in 1069, but were repelled by William the Conqueror. Roger de Montgomery was given the town as a gift from William, and built Shrewsbury Castle
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 is situated directly above Shrewsbury railway station....
in 1074, taking the title of Earl. The 3rd Earl, Robert of Bellême was deposed in 1102, in consequence of taking part in the rebellion against Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. In 1403, the Battle of Shrewsbury
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 "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland....
took place a few miles north of the town centre, at Battlefield
Battlefield, Shropshire
Battlefield is a village north of Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire, England.The village is today split between three parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.-Battle of Shrewsbury:...
; it was fought between King Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
and Henry Hotspur Percy, with the King emerging victorious, an event celebrated in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
, Act 5.
The town is home to the Ditherington Flax Mill
Ditherington Flax Mill
Ditherington Flax Mill , located in Ditherington, a suburb of Shrewsbury, England, is the oldest iron framed building in the world. As such, it is seen as the "grandfather of skyscrapers", despite being only as tall as a modern five-story building. Its importance was officially recognised in the...
, 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. Shrewsbury in the Industrial Revolution was also located on the Shrewsbury Canal
Shrewsbury Canal
The Shrewsbury 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 1835, when the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal built the Newport Branch from...
which linked it to the Shropshire Canal
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...
and wider canal network of Great Britain.
Shrewsbury has also played a part in Western intellectual history, by being the town in which the naturalist Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
was born and raised. Nearby is the village of Wroxeter
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
, 5 miles (8 km) to the south-west, where the now ruined Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
city of Viroconium Cornoviorum lies. Viroconium was the fourth largest civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
capital in Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. As Caer Guricon it may have served as the early Dark Age capital of the kingdom of Powys.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and so many of its ancient buildings remain intact and there was little redevelopment during the 1960s and 1970s, which arguably destroyed the character of many historic towns in the UK. However, a large area of half timbered houses and businesses was destroyed to make way for the Raven Meadows multi-story car park, and other historic buildings were demolished to make way for the brutalist architectural style of the 1960s. The town was saved from a new 'inner ring road' due to its challenging geography.
Shrewsbury won the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
Capital of Enterprise award in 2004. The town has two expanding business parks, the Shrewsbury Business Park
Shrewsbury Business Park
The Shrewsbury Business Park is a commercial development on the outskirts of Shrewsbury, Shropshire . Construction commenced in late 2001 on the , £25 million site, and is still ongoing. Almost of business premises have been delivered, largely attributed to Phase One of the scheme...
and the Battlefield Enterprise Park. 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 and commute to Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. There is also the Greenhills EnterprIse Park which is a 15 acre commercial development site approximately 5 miles north of the town centre. In 2000 and again in 2002, Shrewsbury unsuccessfully applied for city status
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
.
Governance
The Borough of Shrewsbury's first Charter was granted by King Henry IHenry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
allowing the collection of rents. King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
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 of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
), 1495 (Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
), 1638 (Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
), and 1685 (James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
). In 1974 a charter from Queen Elizabeth II incorporated the Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham.
Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for the new Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
, the unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
covering most of Shropshire (but does not include the Borough of Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
, a separate unitary authority area). Shropshire Council have their headquarters at The Shirehall, on Abbey Foregate, and the old Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council headquarters at The Guildhall, on Frankwell
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....
Quay, is now one of the many offices and customer service points around the county used by the council.
Shrewsbury is in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency
Shrewsbury and Atcham (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury and Atcham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and is the only large settlement in the constituency. At the most recent general election, in 2005, Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Robert Kawczynski is the Conservative Party Member for Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham in Shropshire, England.-Biography:...
of the Conservative Party was elected with a majority of 1,808. Previous MPs for Shrewsbury have included former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
Shrewsbury is twinned with Zutphen in The Netherlands. The town also serves as the administrative headquarters of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's 5th Division
British 5th Infantry Division
The 5th Infantry Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was established by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, and has been active for most of the period since, including the First World War and the...
, which has its administrative HQ at the Copthorne
Copthorne, Shropshire
Copthorne is a suburb in the county town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.Surrounding Copthorne Road, the suburb is mainly residential and runs from the junction where Copthorne Bank meets New Street, in the north east near Frankwell Island, to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the suburb of...
Barracks.
Town Council
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
and had no town or parish council(s), instead the Mayor of Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England.Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflection of the incorporation into the borough of the former...
was also the mayor of the town. However as part of wider changes to local governance in Shropshire, the town was parished
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
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
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in England (only Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
has a greater population) with a population of over 70,000.
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 which are coterminous with Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council
Shropshire Council is a unitary authority in Shropshire, United Kingdom.It replaced the former two-tier local government structure in the non-metropolitan county of Shropshire on 1 April 2009, which involved its immediate predecessor, Shropshire County Council, and five non-metropolitan districts -...
electoral divisions. The political make-up of the town council is currently – Conservatives: 11, Labour: 4 and Liberal Democrats: 2.
The current Mayor of Shrewsbury is Alan Townsend, who was officially elected mayor on 18 June 2009. Councillor Townsend was born in the town and has lived there all of his life, except for a few years as an undergraduate at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. The Mayor taught for many years at a local secondary school before serving for ten years at the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Throughout his adult life, Alan Townsend and his wife, Judy, have been prominent members of the community, known for their fund raising activities for local charities.
Earlier plans to locate the town council at Rowley's House have been altered and the town council has its headquarters and meeting place at The Guildhall, which was the headquarters of the former borough council.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the former Shrewsbury Borough Council, and now the Town Council, depicts three loggerheads, 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 AtchamAtcham
Atcham is a village, ecclesiastical parish and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the B4380 , 5 miles south east of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows around the village...
Bridge running above the loggerheads. Shrewsbury Town FC historically have used the Loggerheads but now have a bespoke badge depicting a lion rather than a loggerhead. (A loggerhead, heraldically, means a leopard's head).
Geography
Shrewsbury is located approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) to the west of Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, 43 miles (69.2 km) west of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and the West Midlands Conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
, and about 150 miles (241.4 km) north-west of the capital, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. More locally, the town is to the east of Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
, and Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
and Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
are to the south-east. The border with Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
is 9 miles (14.5 km) to the west. The town centre is partially built on a hill whose elevation is, at its highest, 75 metres above sea level. The longest river in the UK, the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, flows through the town, forming a meander around its centre.
From the late 1990s the town has experienced severe flooding problems from the Severn and Rea Brook
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....
. In the autumn of 2000 large swathes of the town were underwater, notably Frankwell
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....
which was flooded three times in the space of six weeks. The Frankwell flood defences were completed in 2003, along with the new offices of the borough council. More recently, such as in 2005 and 2007, 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.
The town is situated near Haughmond Hill, a site where Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
rocks, some of the oldest rocks in the county can be found, and the town itself is sited on an area of largely Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
rocks. A fault, the Hodnet Fault, starts approximately at the town, and runs as far as Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
.
Suburbs and surrounding settlements
Shrewsbury has a large number of suburbSuburbs of Shrewsbury
Suburbs of Shrewsbury refers to residential areas within the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England and includes:...
s and surrounding villages. As the town continues to expand, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the suburbs, which are joined to the town, and the surrounding villages, which often join on to the suburbs.
An example of where this has happened is Bayston Hill
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....
, which has grown considerably in the last 20 years; now separated from the Meole Brace
Meole Brace
Meole Brace is a suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.The Rea Brook flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family...
suburb by only a few fields and the A5 road. It remains, however, a separate entity to the town, with its own parish council, etc. Bayston Hill lies 3 miles (5 km) south of the town centre of Shrewsbury and on the A49 and near to the A5. The smaller village of Battlefield
Battlefield, Shropshire
Battlefield is a village north of Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire, England.The village is today split between three parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.-Battle of Shrewsbury:...
, this time to the north of the town, is also considered now as a suburb of the town due to growth in the surrounding area. It is covered by the parish of Shrewsbury.
Climate
The climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Shrewsbury is similar to that of the rest of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, generally moderate. Rainfall averages 76 to 100 cm (30 to 40 in), influenced by being in the rainshadow of the Cambrian Mountains
Cambrian Mountains
The Cambrian Mountains are a series of mountain ranges in Wales, reaching from, and including, the South Wales mountains of the Brecon Beacons, north Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, the Black Mountains of eastern Wales, to Snowdonia in North Wales...
from warm, moist frontal systems of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
which bring generally light precipitation in Autumn and Spring. The nearest weather station is located at Shawbury
Shawbury
Shawbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire. The village is north east of the town of Shrewsbury, north west of Telford and north west of London. The village straddles the A53 between Shrewsbury and Market Drayton...
, about 6.5 miles North-west 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 34.9c(94.8f) and absolute minimum of -25.2c(-13.4f) 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 will achieve a maximum temperature of 28.4c(83.1f), giving a total of 8.9 days of 25.1c(77.2f) or above. The absolute maximum of 34.9c(94.8f) was recorded during August 1990.
Conversely, the coldest night of the year will typically fall to -9.6c(14.7f) - in total 61.7 air frosts will be recorded in an 'average' year. The absolute minimum of -25.2c(-13.4f) was recorded during 1981.
Annual average rainfall averages around 650mm, with over 1mm falling on 124 days of the year.
Demography
| Shrewsbury & Atcham Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census 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.... |
S'bury & Atch. | West Midlands West Midlands (region) The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,... |
England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
| Total population | 95,850 | 5,267,308 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 98.5% | 86.2% | 87.0% |
| Asian | 0.4% | 7.3% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.1% | 2.0% | 2.3% |
| Over 65 years old | 17.2% | 16.0% | 15.9% |
| Christian | 77.9% | 72.6% | 71.7% |
| No Religion | 13.7% | 12.3% | 14.6% |
According to the United Kingdom Census 2001
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 population of the town of Shrewsbury is 67,126. The same census puts the population of the 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
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
. The population of the town centre (the area within the loop of the Severn) is approximately 1,300. In line with the rapid growth of town population, a 2005 report on prison population in the UK has found that the prison, HMP Shrewsbury, is the most overcrowded in England and Wales.
The 2001 census also 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
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
as a whole. According to the same census, the ethnic composition of the town is largely white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, at 98.5% of the total population. The next largest ethnic group is mixed race, at 0.5% of the town's population. 0.4% of the population is Indian, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i or Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i, and 0.1% of the population is South Asian or British Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
. A further 0.1% is Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
, Caribbean
British African-Caribbean community
The British African Caribbean communities are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were primarily indigenous to Africa...
or African
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
.
Historical population
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 31,280 | 34,158 | 38,263 | 40,480 | 41,858 | 43,818 | 46,261 | 48,704 | 51,146 | 50,678 | 52,181 | ||||||||||
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | |||||||||||
| Population | 53,729 | 55,481 | 57,290 | 62,398 | 67,965 | 74,831 | 82,392 | 85,136 | 92,347 | 95,896 | |||||||||||
| Population figures for Shrewsbury & Atcham borough. Source: A Vision of Britain through Time | |||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
Throughout the Medieval period, Shrewsbury was a centre for the 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, part of the strategic route to North WalesNorth Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
complexes, both in and out of the town centre, and these provide significant employment. Four in five jobs in the town are in the service industry. Within this sector, the largest employers are the administration and distribution
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
sectors, which includes retail, food and accommodation. Shrewsbury is home to four shopping centres. The principal centres comprise the Darwin
Darwin Shopping Centre
The Darwin Shopping Centre is the largest of the three main shopping centres in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England, comprising approximately 17 per cent of the town centre's retail offer by leasable area....
and Pride Hill centres, which house many high street retailers such as Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, TK Maxx and Boots. Riverside provides further retail accommodation for stores including Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
, Wilkinson
Wilkinson
-Places:In the United States:* Wilkinson, Indiana, a town in Hancock County* Wilkinson, Wisconsin, a town in Rusk County* Wilkinson County, Georgia* Wilkinson County, Mississippi* Wilkinson Heights, South Carolina* Wilkinson Station, North Carolina...
and TJ Hughes. A plan to modernise the Darwin centre and to redevelop Riverside is being discussed with the Council and is being developed by Chapman Taylor Architects. There is also the large Meole Brace Retail Park
Meole Brace
Meole Brace is a suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.The Rea Brook flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family...
to the south, and the Harlescott Retail Park
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 east and Ditherington to the south...
to the north. Major supermarkets in the town are the 2007-opened environmentally friendly Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Extra at Harlescott, Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
on Whitchurch Road, Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
on Old Potts Way and Sainsbury's at Meole Brace.
The visitor economy
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
of Shrewsbury and Atcham was worth about £115 million in 2001, with approximately 2,500 people employed directly in the visitor industry and 3,400 indirectly. There were about 3.1 million day 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, 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
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital is a hospital in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It forms the Shrewsbury site for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust....
has the only A&E department westwards until Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, approximately 75 miles (120.7 km) away.
A brewery was established in the town in 1995. The Salopian Brewery is based in the Old Dairy and produces cask ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
and bottle conditioned beers. It has a production of 80 barrles a week and mainly serves the pubs in and around Shrewsbury.
In terms of social and economic deprivation
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, 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 located in the ward of Harlescott
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 east and Ditherington to the south...
. A further four SOAs fall into the bottom 30% nationally, these being located in the wards of Monkmoor, Sundorne
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 Shrewsbury by-pass at Sundorne Roundabout and heading east...
, Battlefield
Battlefield, Shropshire
Battlefield is a village north of Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire, England.The village is today split between three parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.-Battle of Shrewsbury:...
and Heathgates
Heathgates
Heathgates is a road and a roundabout in Shrewsbury, England; it is also the name for the wetlands found just off Telford Way nearby. There is a pub, "The Heathgates", by the roundabout....
, and Meole Brace
Meole Brace
Meole Brace is a suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.The Rea Brook flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family...
. The most affluent areas of the town are located to the south, surrounding Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
.
Landmarks
The historic town centre still retains its medieval street pattern and many narrow streets and passages. Some of the passages, especially those which 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 nameStreet name
A street name or odonym is an identifying name given to a street. The street name usually forms part of the address...
s have also remained unchanged in centuries and there are some more unusual names, such as Butcher Row, Longden Coleham, Dogpole, Mardol
Mardol (street)
Mardol is a historic street in Shrewsbury, Shropshire with a variety of architectural styles, ranging from Tudor timber-framed buildings to more modern constructs...
, Frankwell, Roushill, Grope Lane, Gullet Passage, Murivance, The Dana, Portobello, Bear Steps, Shoplatch and Bellstone.
The Public Library
Shrewsbury Library
Shrewsbury Town Public Library is housed in a historically important building situated on Castle Hill near Shrewsbury Castle. The building was the site of Shrewsbury School until 1882. It opened as the Library in 1983 following restoration work....
, in the pre-1882 Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
building, is situated on Castle Hill. Above the main entrance are two statues bearing the inscriptions "Philomathes" and "Polumathes". 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.
The town was also used as the set for the popular 1984 movie, A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol (1984 film)
A Christmas Carol is a 1984 made-for-television film adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous 1843 novella of the same name. The film is directed by Clive Donner who had been an editor of the 1951 film Scrooge and stars George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge...
, which filmed many of its interior and exterior shots in and around Shrewsbury. The gravestone prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
of Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness...
(played by George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
) that was used in the movie is still present in the graveyard of St. Chad's Church
St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury
St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury occupies a prominent position in the county town of Shropshire. The current church building was built in 1792, and with its distinctive round shape and high tower it is a well-known landmark in the town. It faces The Quarry area of parkland, which slopes down to the...
.
The Quarry
The Quarry is the main recreational park in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The park was created in 1719 and encompasses...
. This 29 acre (120,000 m²) riverside park attracts thousands of people throughout the year and is enjoyed as a place of recreation. Shrewsbury is known as the "Town of Flowers" and this was the motto printed onto many of the signs on entrance to the town via major roads, although in 2007 the signs were replaced, instead branding the town as 'the birthplace of Charles Darwin'.
The British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's Light Infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
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
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
to the current conflicts in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Today, after several major reorganisations, the Light Infantry Brigade
Light Infantry Brigade
The Light Infantry Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular English light infantry regiments....
now forms part of the regiment known simply as The Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
. Shrewsbury's Copthorne Barracks, spiritual home of the Light Brigade, still houses the Headquarters of the British Army's 5th Division
British 5th Infantry Division
The 5th Infantry Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was established by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsula War, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, and has been active for most of the period since, including the First World War and the...
.
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide the authorities with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of likely fallout profiles across the country in the event of war.The UKWMO was established and...
and would have sounded the four minute warning
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 when the system was dismantled after the cold war ended...
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 and wore a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
style uniform. 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 is at the Music Hall
Music Hall, Shrewsbury
The Music Hall in Shrewsbury, England, is a large Victorian building owned by Shropshire Council and currently houses the town's theatre and central Visitor Information Centre, as well as a cafe and some council offices....
on The Square in the town centre. The three main museums are Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery (located at Rowley's House), Shrewsbury Castle
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 is situated directly above Shrewsbury railway station....
(which houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum) and the Coleham Pumping Station
Coleham Pumping Station
Coleham Pumping Station is a historical pumping station in Coleham, 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...
. Also, there is the Gateway arts and drama centre and there are also various private galleries and art shops around the town. Another notable feature of the town is Lord Hill's Column
Lord Hill's Column
Lord Hill's Column, outside the Shirehall , is one of the most notable landmarks of the town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The tallest Doric column in England, standing at 133 feet 6 inches , it commemorates Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, with a standing on the top of the column...
, the largest free-standing Doric column in the world.
Quantum Leap was unveiled in Mardol Quay Gardens, Shrewsbury to mark Darwin’s bicentenary in 2009. The sculpture represents Darwin’s ground breaking scientific ideas and his impact on the scientific world.
Religious sites
There are many churchChurch Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
denominations represented in Shrewsbury, housed in a range of buildings, including Shrewsbury Abbey
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
, founded by Roger de Montgomery in 1083. The Orthodox Church is located on Wenlock Road to the east. Shrewsbury is home to the Roman Catholic Shrewsbury Cathedral
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...
, located by Town Walls, as well as two other parishes in Harlescott
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 east and Ditherington to the south...
and Monkmoor, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury
Diocese of Shrewsbury
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in England. The diocese encompasses parts of the North West of England and parts of the West Midlands...
.
There are several Anglican Churches in Shrewsbury. Other denominations, such as Methodists
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
,Baptists and United Reformed Church (formerly Congregational and Presbyterian) are represented alongside newer church groups, which include: Elim Pentecostal
Elim Pentecostal Church
The Elim Pentecostal Church is a UK-based Pentecostal Christian denomination.-History:George Jeffreys , a Welshman, founded the Elim Pentecostal Church in Monaghan, Ireland in 1915. Jeffreys was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational church background. He was converted at age 15 during the...
and two Newfrontiers
Newfrontiers
Newfrontiers is a neocharismatic apostolic ministry network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 50s and 60s combining features of Pentecostalism with British evangelicalism...
churches. Shrewsbury Evangelical Church meets in the St Julian's Centre at the Wyle Cop end of Fish Street.
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. Basics Bank is another example, based at The Barnabas Centre, which provides debt relief for local people. Churches Together in Shrewsbury is seeking to continue its long term commitment to helping homeless people through The Ark project.
One of the houses in Fish Street, facing St Alkmond's Church, is noted as being the location of John Wesley's
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
first preaching in Shrewsbury. The wall plaque records the date as March 16, 1761.
Events and venues
Shrewsbury Flower Show
The Shrewsbury Flower Show is an annual event held in mid-August over two days at The Quarry, the main park in the town of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The show is organised by the Shropshire Horticultural Society and is one of the largest events of its type in the United...
. A two day event, the Flower Show takes place in mid-August, has been running for more than 125 years, and attracts around 100,000 visitors each year. Set in the Quarry park, there are a multitude of events, exhibitions and displays, with a fireworks display at the end of each day. The town is well known for its flower displays, and has won numerous awards in recent years.
Shrewsbury is also home to one of the region's main agricultural shows - the West Mid Show. This is held every year, usually in May, at the Shropshire Agricultural Showground on the outskirts of town at Coton Hill. The town is host to the Shrewsbury International Music Festival, when musical groups from all over the world come to perform for about a week for local residents, and give a final concert in the Abbey
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
. The festival is organised by WorldStage Tours. 2006 saw the first Shrewsbury Folk Festival, after the event moved to the town from nearby Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
. Held annually over the August bank holiday, the event is very popular, with people travelling from across the UK to attend. In 2006 much of the event was held in the Quarry
The Quarry
The Quarry is the main recreational park in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The park was created in 1719 and encompasses...
, with other related festivities happening around the town. For 2007 the event moved to the West Midlands Showground on the other side of the river. A new annual arts festival - the Shrewsbury Summer Season - was established in 2004 and runs each year from June to August with an extensive programme of music, visual arts, theatre and spectacle.
There are some very old public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, which have been continuously open as pubs, such as the Golden Cross, the Dun Cow and the King's Head. The Golden Cross
Golden Cross, Shrewsbury
The Golden Cross is a public house in Shrewsbury, England; it 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, some years before the introduction of formal licensing....
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
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
of Old St. Chad's Church.
Construction of Theatre Severn, a new entertainment complex in Frankwell
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....
, was commissioned in September 2006. Actual construction began on the site in April 2007 when the Borough Council appointed a contractor. The design features a prominent glass curve and steel frame. The site is positioned next to the Guildhall, alongside the namesake River Severn. The new complex replaced the old theatre, the Shrewsbury Music Hall. The Music Hall is currently being refurbished, to take on the role of Rowley's House Museum, which will soon be closed for renovation for the foreseeable future.
Cultural references
The town appears in the Brother Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters (pen name of Edith PargeterEdith Pargeter
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM , also known by her nom de plume Ellis Peters, was a British author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both...
). The novels take Shrewsbury Abbey
Shrewsbury Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.-Background:...
for their setting, with Shrewsbury and other places in Shropshire portrayed regularly, and have made Medieval Shrewsbury familiar to a wide worldwide readership.
The local author, Carol Ewels has written two children's books, including Jack the Cat, which are set in the town. Also, the children's author Pauline Fisk writes about a town called Pengwern, which is based entirely on Shrewsbury, in books including Midnight Blue, and Sabrina Fludde. Frank Cottrell Boyce
Frank Cottrell Boyce
-Awards:*2004: Buch des Monats des Instituts für Jugendliteratur/Book of the Month by the Institute for Youth Literature , Millions*2004: Carnegie Medal, Millions*2004: Luchs des Jahres , Millions...
, another children's author, writes briefly about Shrewsbury in his book Millions
Millions
Millions is a 2004 British comedy-drama film, directed by Academy Award–winning director Danny Boyle, and starring Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, and James Nesbitt. The screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce adapted his novel while the film was in the process of being made...
.
Media
Two newspapers are published for Shrewsbury - the Shrewsbury ChronicleShrewsbury Chronicle
The Shrewsbury Chronicle is the local newspaper for Shrewsbury and the surrounding area, including Church Stretton, in Shropshire, England....
, and the local edition of the county's Shropshire Star
Shropshire Star
The Shropshire Star is a regional newspaper covering the whole of Shropshire, plus parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Cheshire, the Llangollen area and northern Powys in the United Kingdom.-About:The editor is Keith Harrison....
. There are presently three radio stations that specifically serve either the Shrewsbury area or encompass it as part of a Shropshire-wide broadcast. They include: Beacon Shropshire, which also shares it's programming with beacon black country. BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Radio Shropshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Shropshire. Launched on 23 April 1985 it broadcasts from its studios in Shrewsbury on 96 , 90 , 95 , 104.1 FM and DAB...
, which is based in Shrewsbury; and, as of September 2006, The Severn
The Severn (radio)
The Severn is a local commercial station owned by MNA Broadcasting which is split into three areas covering Shrewsbury & Central Shropshire, Oswestry & North Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin in the United Kingdom. The Shrewsbury and Oswesrty radio stations launched at 7am on Monday 18 September 2006...
, which broadcasts from the Shropshire Star building in Telford.
In 2009 a brand new online independent media company launched covering Shrewsbury and Shropshire. shropshirelive.com, is based in Shrewsbury with local residents encouraged to get involved with the web site by becoming citizen journalists and contributors.
Sports
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
, a Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
team currently playing in Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. Shrewsbury Town's achievements include winning the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
six times, a record for an English club (as English-based clubs were allowed to compete in the competition until the early 1990s), a 10-year run in the old Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
now known as The Championship from 1979 until 1989, a Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Championship (now League One) in 1979, a Division 3
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
Championship (now League Two) and victory in the Conference National Playoff Final 2004. The club relocated to the Prostar Stadium in 2007, to a purposely built site located near Meole Brace
Meole Brace
Meole Brace is a suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.The Rea Brook flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family...
. Prior to this, the club played at the Gay Meadow
Gay Meadow
The Gay Meadow is the former home ground of Shrewsbury Town FC, a football club in England. It was situated just outside the town centre of Shrewsbury, on the banks of the River Severn and it opened in August 1910....
stadium, situated just outside of the town centre, for a 97 year period from 1910 to 2007. They first gained Football League membership in 1950 and stayed there for 53 years, when they were relegated, only to gain promotion after just one season. Four months before their relegation in 2003, they famously eliminated Premier League club Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
from the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- ironically they were being managed by former Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe
Kevin Ratcliffe
Kevin Ratcliffe is a former Welsh footballer who spent most of his career playing for Everton. He was born in Mancot, near Queensferry in North Wales.-Club career:...
at the time. In recent years the club as progressed to the League 2 play-off final twice at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
only to lose out on the show piece occasions. The 2007 League 2 play-off final defeat against Bristol Rovers produced the highest ever attendance for a 4th tier fixture, 61,589 of which over 23,000 were from Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Currently, international footballers for three nations were born in the town. They are former Shrewsbury Town players Joe Hart
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John "Joe" Hart is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national football team and was previously a regular for the England under-21 team....
and Dave Edwards
David Edwards (footballer)
David Alexander Edwards is an English-born Welsh international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He is known for his energetic runs and work rate.-Early life:...
for England and Wales respectively, and Scotland forward Steven Fletcher
Steven Fletcher
Steven John Fletcher, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004, representing the riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia as a member of the Conservative Party. He is the first quadriplegic to serve in the House of Commons, as well as in Cabinet...
who was born in the town when his father, a soldier was stationed in Shrewsbury.
There is also a local rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Shrewsbury Rugby Club. The River Severn in the town is used for rowing by both Pengwern Boat Club and the Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
Boat Club. Shrewsbury Sports Village, a new sports centre, was recently opened in the Sundorne
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 Shrewsbury by-pass at Sundorne Roundabout and heading east...
district of the town, with the aim of providing a wider and improved range of sports facilities for townspeople. There are also 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
Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit
Hawkstone Park Motocross Circuit, typically referred to as Hawkstone Park or Hawkstone, is a motocross circuit situated near Market Drayton, north Shropshire, England...
situated near Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Motocross Club
Shrewsbury Motocross Club
Shrewsbury Motocross Club is an amateur motocross club catering for competition motocross riders in the Shrewsbury area and surrounding districts. The club is affiliated to the AMCA....
has staged motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
events in the area for over 30 years.
Education
Shrewsbury is home to Shrewsbury SchoolShrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
, a public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
, located on a large commanding site ("Kingsland") just south of the town centre overlooking the loop of the Severn. The school was once located 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, an independent girls' day school.
The long established Prestfelde School
Prestfelde School
Prestfelde School is an independent coeducational day and boarding preparatory school, located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for children between the ages of 3 and 13...
is an independent
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
, located on London Road, close to the Lord Hill column. As part of the Woodard Schools
Woodard Schools
Woodard Schools is a group of Anglican schools affiliated to the Woodard Corporation which has its origin in the work of Nathaniel Woodard, an Anglo-Catholic clergyman....
group, it is affiliated to the largest group of Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
schools in the country. Whilst originally a school for boys only it diversified and, in the late 1990s, started also accepting girls between the ages of three and thirteen. The school is set in 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of grounds on the outskirts of the town. The town's other long-established boys' preparatory school, Kingsland Grange (located on Old Roman Road in Kingsland
Kingsland, Shropshire
Kingsland was a village near to, but a suburb of the town Shrewsbury, Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. It lies less than 1 mile west of the town of Shrewsbury. The River Severn flows through Kingsland, over the river leads the Kingsland Bridge....
), in 2007 merged 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.
Adcote
Adcote School is an independent non-selective day and boarding school for girls, located in the village of Little Ness, five miles northwest of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The school was founded in 1907, and is set in a Grade I listed country house built in 1879 for Rebecca Darby, the widow...
is an independent
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
day and boarding school for girls, located five miles 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
Abraham Darby I
Abraham Darby I was the first, and most famous, of three generations with that name in an English Quaker family that played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. He developed a method of producing pig iron in a blast furnace fuelled by coke rather than charcoal...
and a member of the iron-master family who built Ironbridge
The Iron Bridge
The Iron Bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, by the village of Ironbridge, in Shropshire, England. It was the first arch bridge in the world to be made out of cast iron, a material which was previously far too expensive to use for large structures...
.
However, the majority of the town's pupils attend one of the eight comprehensive schools. The Priory School
The Priory School (Shrewsbury)
The Priory School is a secondary school in the Shropshire market town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The school was opened in September 1939 and became a Business and Enterprise College in 2003, with the addition of Applied GCSE courses to the curriculum. The headmistress is Ms Candy Garbett...
, formerly a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for girls. Meole Brace School currently carries the status of Science College; The Grange and The Wakeman the status of Arts College; Sundorne the status of Sports College and Belvidere has the status of Technology College.
The Wakeman School, which is geographically the nearest school to the town, situated next to the English Bridge
English Bridge
The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is known to have stood at this spot since at least Norman times. Historically, it was known as...
, was previously known as 'Shrewsbury Technical School', which was attended by the famous war poet Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War...
. Additionally, there are two other establishments located out of the town which serve the town's students. The Corbet School, located to the north at Baschurch; and Mary Webb School, located in the large village of Pontesbury
Pontesbury
Pontesbury is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire and is approximately eight miles southwest of the county town of Shrewsbury. The village of Minsterley is just over a mile further southwest. The A488 road runs through the village, on its way from Shrewsbury to Bishop's Castle...
, to the south-west.
Post-16 education is handled by Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
Shrewsbury Sixth Form College
Shrewsbury Sixth Form College is a post-secondary co-educational sixth form college located in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The college, which is commonly referred to as SSFC, currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,300 students, generally ranging between the ages of...
, and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, which handles primarily vocational courses. In 2007 the Learning and Skills Council
Learning and Skills Council
The Learning and Skills Council was a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England...
strongly promoted co-location of the two colleges on an out-of-town site. The plans were opposed by local MP Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Kawczynski
Daniel Robert Kawczynski is the Conservative Party Member for Parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham in Shropshire, England.-Biography:...
and many local students, teaching staff, and town centre traders. In November 2008 the co-location plans were rejected by Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham
Shrewsbury and Atcham was, between 1974 and 2009, a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England.Shrewsbury was the only town in the borough; Atcham, although itself only a village, was included in the name as a reflection of the incorporation into the borough of the former...
borough council, and the plans have been described by Kawczynski as "dead in the water".
Transport
Shrewsbury is the county's public transportation hub and has road and rail links to the rest of the county and country.Rail
Five railway lines connect the town to most corners of Shropshire and the region, and the town is known as the "Gateway to Wales". Shrewsbury railway stationShrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
is served by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
and London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
with trains running north to Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
and Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, south to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, west to Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, and east to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
via Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, Shifnal, and Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. Heart of Wales Line
Heart of Wales Line
The Heart of Wales Line is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in South Wales. It runs, as the name suggests, through some of the heartlands of Wales. It serves a number of rural centres en route, including several once fashionable spa towns, including Llandrindod Wells...
trains also operate to Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. On 28 April 2008, open access operator Wrexham & Shropshire commenced services to London, restoring the county's direct rail link to the capital; previously, Shropshire had been one of only two English counties without a dedicated service to the capital, the other being Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
. However, the service ceased on 28 January 2011.
The main station building includes a clock tower, imitation Tudor chimneys, and carved heads in the frames of every window. There is a small British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
station located within the building.
Roads
Shrewsbury is connected to the national road network and nearby towns via a number of roads.The A5 connects the town northwest to Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, and east towards Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, where it joins the M54
M54 motorway
The M54 is a 23 mile east-west motorway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford Motorway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford...
. The A5 once ran through the town centre, until a bypass was built in the 1930s. Subsequently, in 1992, a seventeen mile (27 km) dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
was completed at a cost of 79 million pounds 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
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
, as well as a bypass for the town.
The A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
also goes to Shrewsbury, joining the A5 at the south of the town, coming from Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
and Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
. At this point, the road merges with the A5 for three miles (5 km), before separating again to the east of the town. From there it runs north, passing Sundorne
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 Shrewsbury by-pass at Sundorne Roundabout and heading east...
, then Battlefield
Battlefield, Shropshire
Battlefield is a village north of Shrewsbury town centre in Shropshire, England.The village is today split between three parishes - Shrewsbury, Astley and Pimhill.-Battle of Shrewsbury:...
, before heading out towards Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
. At Battlefield, the A53
A53 road
The A53 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from Buxton in Derbyshire to Shrewsbury in Shropshire.-Route of Road:The A53 begins in the centre of Buxton off the A6 road, before meeting the A515 road at a roundabout. Out of the town, it has a junction with the A54 road before...
route begins and heads northeast towards Shawbury
Shawbury
Shawbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire. The village is north east of the town of Shrewsbury, north west of Telford and north west of London. The village straddles the A53 between Shrewsbury and Market Drayton...
and Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
then onwards towards Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
and Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
.
A458 road
The A458 is a route on the UK highway network that runs from Mallwyd, near Machynlleth, in Wales, to Halesowen, near Stourbridge, in England. On the way it passes through Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Much Wenlock, Bridgnorth and Stourbridge.-Welshpool to Shrewsbury:...
(Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
-Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
) runs through the town centre, entering in the west and leaving to the southeast. The A528 begins in the town centre and heads north, heading for Ellesmere
Ellesmere, Shropshire
Ellesmere is a small market town near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, notable for its proximity to a number of prominent lakes, the Meres.-History:...
. The A488
A488 road
The A488 is a route on the British highway network that runs from Penybont, near Llandrindod Wells, in Wales, to Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in England. Near Shrewsbury the A488 has a junction with the A5 trunk road...
begins just west of the town centre in Frankwell
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....
and heads out to Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle is a small market town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,630. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of Shrewsbury. To the south is Clun...
, Clun
Clun
Clun is a small town in Shropshire, England. The town is located entirely in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2001 census recorded 642 people living in the town...
and Knighton crossing the border in the southwest of Shropshire.
Major roads within the town include the A5112
A5112 road
The A5112 is a road in Shropshire, England that runs north-south through the town of Shrewsbury. It runs around the town centre, to the east, and acts as a quicker route through the town than going via the town centre....
, A5191 and 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
A5124 road
The A5124 is a road in Shropshire, England, that forms part of the northern section of the Shrewsbury by-pass. It is better known locally as the Battlefield Link Road....
, 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).
Buses
Bus services in the town are operated by Arriva MidlandsArriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands is a division of Arriva. It operates bus services around the Midlands area of England and is made up of various previous bus operators.-Arriva Midlands North:...
and serve most parts of the town, congregating at the town's bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
adjacent to the Darwin Shopping Centre
Darwin Shopping Centre
The Darwin Shopping Centre is the largest of the three main shopping centres in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England, comprising approximately 17 per cent of the town centre's retail offer by leasable area....
and a short stroll 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 Boultons of Shropshire, Minsterley Motors
Minsterley Motors
Minsterley Motors is a bus operator and limited company based in Minsterley, Shropshire, England.The company's main operations concentrate on stage service and schools contract work for Shropshire County Council...
and Tanat Valley Coaches
Tanat Valley Coaches
Tanat Valley Coaches operates bus and coach services in Montgomeryshire and across the Shropshire-Welsh borderland, in the United Kingdom.The family-run firm is based in the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, west of Oswestry. It also has a depot in the nearby village of Pentrefelin, in addition...
with the latter operating services crossing from over the Welsh border from nearby towns including Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin
Llanfyllin is a small town in Powys, Mid Wales, United Kingdom.- Location, history and amenities :Llanfyllin's population at the date of the 2001 Census was 1,407. The town lies on the River Cain by the Berwyn Mountains in Montgomeryshire. It is known for its holy well, dedicated to Saint Myllin....
, Montgomery
Montgomery, Powys
The historic county town of Montgomery in Powys, Wales lies just three miles from the English border in the Welsh Marches. It is best known for its castle, Montgomery Castle, begun in 1223, and its parish church, begun in 1227. However its origins go back much further, as seen by the Celtic Iron...
, Newtown and Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
.
Shrewsbury has a Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
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 located at Harlescott
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 east and Ditherington to the south...
(to the north, colour-coded orange), Oxon (to the west, colour-coded brown) and Meole Brace
Meole Brace
Meole Brace is a suburb of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.The Rea Brook flows through the area, a tributary of the River Severn. The brook was in the past known as the "Meole Brook". The name Meole Brace comes from the old Saxon manor house, which no longer stands, owned by the Brace family...
(to the south, colour-coded green). It is proposed that a fourth one be built to the east of the town, at either Emstrey or Preston.
Cycling
Shrewsbury has an excellent network of on-road and traffic-free cycle routes. In 2008 Shrewsbury was awarded Cycling Town status by Cycling EnglandCycling England
Cycling England was an independent body funded by the Department for Transport to promote cycling in England. It was founded in 2005 to replace the National Cycling Strategy Board. Following the 2010 Comprehensive Spending review it was earmarked for abolition, to be replaced by Local...
. As a result Shrewsbury will benefit from £1.8 million of grant funding from the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
between 2008 and 2011. The funding will be 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.
Bridges
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....
. Working downstream (anti-clockwise around the town) Frankwell
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....
footbridge is a modern pedestrian footbridge between Frankwell and the town centre spanning the River Severn. Downstream is the Welsh Bridge, which was built in the 1790s to replace the ancient St George's Bridge
St George's Bridge
St George's Bridge was a bridge over the River Severn in Shrewsbury, England; so named as it was close to St. George's Hospital. It connected Frankwell, an old suburb of the town, to the town centre via Mardol. The gate on the town side was called Mardol Gate and is located where the Mardol Quay...
. Further along is the Porthill Bridge
Porthill Bridge
Porthill Bridge, also often referred to as Port Hill Footbridge, is a suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England....
, a pedestrian suspension bridge running between The Quarry
The Quarry
The Quarry is the main recreational park in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The park was created in 1719 and encompasses...
and Porthill, built in 1922. The next bridge along the river is the Kingsland Bridge
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 Listed Building, Grade II.-History:...
, a privately owned toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
, and the subsequent bridge is the Greyfriars Bridge
Coleham
Coleham is a district of the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is located just south, over the River Severn, from Shrewsbury town centre....
, a pedestrian bridge between Coleham and the town centre. Following the Greyfriars Bridge is the English Bridge
English Bridge
The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is known to have stood at this spot since at least Norman times. Historically, it was known as...
, historically called "Stone Bridge", which was rebuilt in the 1930s, and beyond it is the railway station
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
, which is partly built over the river. After the station is the Castle Walk Footbridge
Castle Walk Footbridge
Castle Walk Footbridge spans the River Severn in Shrewsbury, England, and was the first prestressed concrete bridge in Shropshire.The footbridge was completed in November 1951, and built using balanced cantilever construction, with two cantilever sections and a central suspended span. The total...
, 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
A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman , usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. Lyrical and almost epigrammatic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900...
wrote of the area this verse, which mentions the bridges of the town:
Notable people
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, a biologist and evolutionary theorist
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, one of the most important thinkers of the nineteenth century, who was born in Shrewsbury on 12 February 1809 at The Mount House, and was educated in the town at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
.
People with political associations also have connections with the town. Leo Blair
Leo Blair (senior)
Leo Charles Lynton Blair is a retired University of Durham law lecturer. He is the author of the book The Commonwealth Public Service...
, the father of former Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, is a resident of the town. Former residents have included Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
, a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who was educated at Shrewsbury School, and Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, 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
Ian Hunter (singer)
Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
(or Ian Patterson), the lead singer of the 70s pop group Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
, was a resident of 23a Swan Hill in the town centre, and wrote a song of the same name. Also a resident of the town was John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and radio presenter, who was educated at Shrewsbury School. Another DJ from the town is Lange
Lange
-People named Lange:* Algot Lange, Swedish explorer* André Lange , German bobsledder* Andrew E. Lange , U.S. astronomer* Antoni Lange, Polish poet* Artie Lange , U.S...
, a producer of dance music, who was born in Shrewsbury. The 1980s pop group T'Pau
T'Pau (band)
T'Pau was a 1980s British Rock group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK, and several hits in the United States and Europe...
was formed in the town and the band's vocalist Carol Decker was born and educated in the town, along with other members of the band. Underground musician, Ken Worthing; was also born in Shrewsbury in 1964 and with his band ('Otherside') http://www.othersideuk.com released 'MORicana' (4 track CD single) which was a college hit in 2007 in the U.S.A.
Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC was an English poet and soldier, one of the leading poets of the First World War...
lived in the town. The romantic novelist Mary Webb
Mary Webb
Mary Webb , was an English romantic novelist and poet of the early 20th century, whose work is set chiefly in the Shropshire countryside and among Shropshire characters and people which she knew. Her novels have been successfully dramatized, most notably the film Gone to Earth in 1950 by Michael...
is buried there. Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
, the writer, actor and comedian attended Shrewsbury School. Other actors with associations with the town include Nick Hancock, presenter of They Think It's All Over
They Think It's All Over (TV series)
They Think It's All Over was a British comedy panel game with a sporting theme produced by Talkback Thames and shown on BBC One. The show's name is taken from Kenneth Wolstenholme's famous 1966 World Cup commentary quotation, "they think it's all over...it is now!" and the show used the phrase as...
, who, like Palin, was educated at Shrewsbury School. Nick Conway
Nick Conway
Nicholas "Nick" Conway is an English actor. He played Billy Boswell in Carla Lane's popular BBC comedy series Bread...
is another actor connected to the town, and was born in it in 1962.
Sporting Salopians include footballers Danny Guthrie
Danny Guthrie
Danny Sean Guthrie is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United, as a midfielder.His displays in Liverpool's Academy side earned him a call-up to the England schoolboy side...
of Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
youth academy graduates England goalkeeper Joe Hart
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John "Joe" Hart is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national football team and was previously a regular for the England under-21 team....
and Wales midfielder David Edwards
David Edwards (footballer)
David Alexander Edwards is an English-born Welsh international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He is known for his energetic runs and work rate.-Early life:...
, both of whom are currently playing in the Premier League. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Scotland striker Steven Fletcher
Steven Fletcher (footballer)
Steven Kenneth Fletcher is a Scottish international footballer who plays as a striker. He is currently signed to English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers....
was also born in the town, where his serviceman father was stationed. Sandy Lyle
Sandy Lyle
Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle, MBE 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...
, a professional golfer, was also born in the town.
Neville Cardus
Neville Cardus
Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus CBE was an English writer and critic, best known for his writing on music and cricket. For many years, he wrote for The Manchester Guardian. He was untrained in music, and his style of criticism was subjective, romantic and personal, in contrast with his critical...
spent some of his formative years as assistant cricket coach at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
.
Other notable people of the town include Robert Cadman
Robert Cadman
Robert Cadman or Robert Kidman was an 18th century steeplejack and ropeslider who between 1732 and 1739 performed feats of daring by sliding or flying down a rope from St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury to the Gay Meadow across the River Severn....
, a performer and steeplejack
Steeplejack
A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales buildings, chimneys and church steeples to carry out repairs or maintenance.Britain's most famous steeplejack was Fred Dibnah, who became a television presenter and minor celebrity as a result of his craft....
, who is buried in the town, at St. Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury
St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, is a redundant Anglican church in St Mary's Place, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It is the largest church in Shrewsbury...
. Simon Gosling
Simon Gosling
Simon "Goose" Gosling is a British designer and builder of special effects models. He is best known for his work on commercials featuring stop-frame animation for Brisk, Apple Jacks and Chips Ahoy in America, and the Windy Miller adverts for Quaker Oats in Britain.Gosling has created props and...
, a design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
er was born in the town, and was resident there until 1994. John Gwynn
John Gwynn
John Gwynn was an English architect and civil engineer of the 18th century, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768....
, an 18th century architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, who designed the English Bridge
English Bridge
The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is known to have stood at this spot since at least Norman times. Historically, it was known as...
and the bridge at Atcham was born in the town. Percy Thrower
Percy Thrower
Percy John Thrower MBE was a British gardener, horticulturist, broadcaster and writer born at Horwood House in the village of Little Horwood in Buckinghamshire....
, the gardener and broadcaster was a resident of Shrewsbury.
It is currently the home of renowned singer Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, with his family. Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Eric Lock
Eric Lock
Flight Lieutenant Eric Stanley Lock DSO, DFC & Bar was a fighter ace of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Lock became the RAF's most successful British-born pilot during the Battle of Britain, shooting down 16.5 German aircraft...
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
was born in nearby Bayston Hill
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....
and was educated at Prestfelde
Prestfelde School
Prestfelde School is an independent coeducational day and boarding preparatory school, located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for children between the ages of 3 and 13...
public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
on London Road. Lock became internationally recognised as a high scoring fighter ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with twenty six victories before his death in combat at the age of twenty one. He was the RAF's most successful British-born pilot during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, shooting down 16.5 German aircraft in a period of just a few weeks.
The forerunner of Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
was a school magazine edited by Richard Ingrams
Richard Ingrams
Richard Ingrams is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical magazine Private Eye, and now editor of The Oldie magazine.-Career:...
, Willie Rushton
Willie Rushton
William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the Private Eye satirical magazine.- School and army :William George Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in the family home at Scarsdale Villas,...
, Christopher Booker
Christopher Booker
Christopher John Penrice Booker is an English journalist and author. In 1961, he was one of the founders of the magazine Private Eye, and has contributed to it for over four decades. He has been a columnist for the Sunday Telegraph since 1990...
and Paul Foot
Paul Foot
Paul Mackintosh Foot was a British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party...
at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
in the mid-1950s.