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Shrewsbury
County Town
Flag of Shrewsbury
Flag
Coat of arms of Shrewsbury
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
"Floreat Salopia"
("May Shrewsbury Flourish")
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Ceremonial countyShropshire
Local governmentShropshire Council
WebsiteShrewsbury Town Council
Foundedc. 9th century
Market charter1189
Administrative HQGuildhall, Frankwell
Government
 • TypeTown council
 • Governing bodyShrewsbury Town Council
 • UK ParliamentShrewsbury and Atcham
 • European ParliamentWest Midlands
Elevation
233 ft (71 m)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
71,715
Time zoneGMT
 • Summer (DST)BST
Post codes
SY1, SY2, SY3
Area code01743
Police ForceWest Mercia Police
Fire ServiceShropshire Fire
Ambulance ServiceWest Midlands
DemonymSalopian

Shrewsbury (/ˈʃroʊzbri/ ⓘ or /ˈʃruːzbri/ ⓘ)[1][2] is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England, on the River Severn. It has a population of approximately 72,000[3] and is the second largest town in Shropshire, after Telford.

Shrewsbury is a historic market town whose town centre has a largely unaltered medieval street plan and over 660 listed buildings,[4] including several examples of timber framing from the 15th and 16th centuries. Shrewsbury Castle, a red sandstone fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery.[5]

The Shrewsbury Flower Show is one of the largest horticultural events in the country of England.[6][7][8]

Today, 9 miles (14 km) east of the Welsh border, Shrewsbury serves as the commercial centre for Shropshire and mid-Wales, with a retail output of over £299 million per year.[9] There are some light industry and distribution centres, such as Battlefield Enterprise Park, mainly on the outskirts. The A5 and A49 trunk roads cross near to the town, as do five railway lines at Shrewsbury railway station.

History

Main article: History of Shrewsbury

Early history

Typical Tudor and Georgian architecture on Butcher Row.

The town was possibly the site of the capital of Powys, known to the ancient Britons as Pengwern, signifying "the alder hill";[10] and in Old English as Scrobbesburh (dative Scrobbesbyrig), which has several meanings; "fort in the scrub-land region", "Scrobb's fort", "shrubstown" or "the town of the bushes".[11][12] This name gradually evolved in three directions, into Sciropscire, which became Shropshire; into Sloppesberie, which became Salop/Salopia (an alternative name for both town and county), and into Schrosberie, which eventually became the town's name, Shrewsbury.[10] Its Welsh name Amwythig means "fortified place".[13]

It is believed that Anglo-Saxon Shrewsbury was most probably a settlement fortified through the use of earthworks comprising a ditch and rampart, which were then shored up with a wooden stockade.[14]

Nearby is the village of Wroxeter, 5 miles (8 km) to the south-east, site of the now ruined Roman city of Viroconium Cornoviorum. 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.[15] The Shrewsbury area's regional importance in the Roman era was recently underlined with the discovery of the Shrewsbury Hoard in 2009.

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.

There is evidence to show that by the beginning of the 900's, Shrewsbury was home to a mint.[14]

Medieval

Shrewsbury Castle was the traditional seat of the borough council and was used, as such, for councillors' meetings until 1981.

Shrewsbury is known as a town with significant medieval heritage, having been founded c. 800 AD.

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.[10]

In 1138, King Stephen successfully besieged the castle held by William FitzAlan for the Empress Maud during the period known as The Anarchy.

It was in the late Middle Ages (14th and 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.[16]

In 1403 the Battle of Shrewsbury was fought 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,[17] an event celebrated in William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Act 5.

Early Modern

Ireland's Mansion circa 1900; at the eastern end of Shrewsbury High Street, the building was built in 1596 for wealthy wool trader Robert Ireland. Still extant.

Shrewsbury's monastic gathering was disbanded with the Dissolution of the Monasteries and as such the Abbey was closed in 1540. However, it is believed that Henry VIII thereafter intended to make Shrewsbury a cathedral city after the formation of the Church of England, but the citizens of the town declined the offer. Despite this, Shrewsbury throve throughout the 16th and 17th centuries; largely due to the town's fortuitous location, which allowed it to control the Welsh wool trade. As a resultant a number of grand edifices, including the 1575 Ireland's Mansion and 1658 Draper's Hall, were constructed. It was also in this period that Edward VI gave permission for the foundation of a free school, which was later to become Shrewsbury School.[18]

Sir Francis Ottley with his wife, Lucy, and children, Richard and Mary. Sir Francis was the royalist military governor of Shrewsbury at the beginning of the English Civil War.

During the English Civil War, the town was a Royalist stronghold and only fell to Parliament forces after they were let in by a parliamentarian sympathiser at the St Mary's Water Gate (now also known as Traitor's Gate). Shrewsbury Unitarian Church was founded in 1662. By the 18th century Shrewsbury had become an important market town and stop off for stagecoaches travelling between London and Holyhead on their way to Ireland; this led to the establishment of a number of coaching inns, many of which, such as the Lion Hotel, are extant to this day.

Local soldier and statesman Robert Clive was Shrewsbury's MP from 1762 until his death in 1774. Clive also served once as the town's mayor in 1762.

St Chad's Church collapsed in 1788 after attempts to expand the crypt compromised the structural integrity of the tower above; it was, however, rebuilt just four years later as a large neo-classical round church in a new location close to the Quarry Park.[14]

In the period directly after Napoleon's surrender after Waterloo, the town's own 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was sent to guard him in his exile on St Helena. A locket containing a lock of the emperor's hair (presented to an officer of the 53rd) remains, to this day, in the collections of the Shropshire Regimental Museum at Shrewsbury Castle.[19]

Late Modern

A view of Shrewsbury town centre from Shrewsbury School, 1900.

Shrewsbury has also played a part in Western intellectual history, by being the town where the naturalist Charles Darwin was born and raised.[20] The town is also 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.[21][22] Shrewsbury in the Industrial Revolution was also on the Shrewsbury Canal, which linked it with the Shropshire Canal and the rest of the canal network of Great Britain.[23] Despite this, Shrewsbury escaped much of the industrialisation taking place in 19th-century Britain due to its isolation from other large manufacturing towns and ports.

Pride Hill displays a multitude of architecture styles from various eras.

The town suffered very little from the bombing runs in World War II that did damage to many English locations. The worst case in Shrewsbury, was in 1940, a woman and her two grandchildren were killed when a cottage was destroyed on Ellesmere Road, the only local air raid deaths.[24] Therefore many of its ancient buildings remain intact and there was little redevelopment in the 1960s and 1970s, which arguably destroyed the character of many historic towns in the UK. However, 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.[25]

Shrewsbury won the West Midlands Capital of Enterprise award in 2004.[26] The town has two large expanding business parks, the Shrewsbury Business Park by the A5 in the southeast and the Battlefield Enterprise Park in the north. There are many residential developments currently under construction in the town to cater for the increasing numbers of people wishing to live in the town, which is a popular place to commute to Telford, Wolverhampton, and Birmingham from.[27]

In 2000 and again in 2002, Shrewsbury unsuccessfully applied for city status.[28]

In 2009 Shrewsbury Town Council was formed and the town's traditional coat of arms was returned to everyday use.

A 2005 report on prison population found that HM Prison Shrewsbury was the most overcrowded in England and Wales.[29] The prison, which was also known as The Dana, was closed in 2013 and then sold by the Ministry of Justice to private property developers in 2014.[30]

Geography

See also: Geography of Shropshire

Shrewsbury is about 14 miles (23 km) west of Telford, 43 miles (69 km) west of Birmingham and the West Midlands Conurbation, and about 153 miles (246 km) north-west of the capital, London. More locally, the town is to the east of Welshpool, with Bridgnorth and Kidderminster to the south-east. The border with Wales is 9 miles (14 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.[10]

Template:Shrewsbury area 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 flooded three times in six weeks.[31] 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.[32]

The town is near Haughmond Hill, a site where Precambrian rocks, some of the oldest rocks in the county can be found,[33] and the town itself is sited on an area of largely Carboniferous rocks.[34] A fault, the Hodnet Fault, starts approximately at the town, and runs as far as Market Drayton.

Suburbs and surrounding settlements

See also: Suburbs of Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury has a large number of suburbs and surrounding villages. Shrewsbury's suburbs vary in size, with Harlescott being an example of a larger one and Porthill which is mush smaller. The River Severn seperates the western, southern and eastern suburbs from the town centre and northern suburbs. An example of a large neighbouring village that has effectively become a suburb of the town is Bayston Hill, which grew considerably in the latter half of the 20th century and is now separated from the Meole Brace suburb by only a few fields and the A5 by-pass. It remains, however, a separate entity to the town, with its own parish council, etc. Bayston Hill lies 3 miles (5 km) south of the town centre of Shrewsbury and on the A49 and near to the A5.[35] 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.[36]

Climate

In fair weather Shrewsbury's parks are regularly well patronised, whilst bands occasionally provide light entertainment.

The climate 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.[37] The nearest weather station is at Shawbury, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) 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 34.9 °C (94.8 °F) and absolute minimum of -25.2 °C (-13.4 °F) represents the largest temperature range of any individual weather station in the British Isles - although the maximum range of average temperatures tends to peak to the south east of the Shrewsbury area, particularly in the south east midlands, inland East Anglia and inland south east England.

In an average year, the warmest day is 28.4 °C (83.1 °F),[38] giving a total of 8.9 days[39] of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above. The absolute maximum of 34.9 °C (94.8 °F)[40] was recorded in August 1990.

Conversely, the coldest night of the year typically falls to -9.6 °C (14.7 °F)[41] - in total 61.7 air frosts are recorded in an average year. The absolute minimum of -25.2 °C (-13.4 °F)[42] was recorded in 1981.

Annual average rainfall averages around 650 mm, with over 1 mm falling on 124 days of the year.

Climate data for Shawbury, elevation 72 m, 1971-2000, extremes 1960-
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.6
(58.3) 		16.6
(61.9) 		21.5
(70.7) 		25.2
(77.4) 		26.7
(80.1) 		31.2
(88.2) 		33.7
(92.7) 		34.9
(94.8) 		28.5
(83.3) 		25.0
(77.0) 		18.4
(65.1) 		15.4
(59.7) 		34.9
(94.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.9
(44.4) 		7.3
(45.1) 		9.7
(49.5) 		12.1
(53.8) 		15.7
(60.3) 		18.3
(64.9) 		20.9
(69.6) 		20.6
(69.1) 		17.6
(63.7) 		13.7
(56.7) 		9.8
(49.6) 		7.6
(45.7) 		13.4
(56.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3) 		0.5
(32.9) 		2.1
(35.8) 		3.2
(37.8) 		6.0
(42.8) 		8.9
(48.0) 		11.0
(51.8) 		10.8
(51.4) 		8.6
(47.5) 		5.9
(42.6) 		2.8
(37.0) 		1.4
(34.5) 		5.2
(41.4)
Record low °C (°F) −21.4
(−6.5) 		−12.9
(8.8) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−5.9
(21.4) 		−3.3
(26.1) 		−0.5
(31.1) 		2.5
(36.5) 		0.8
(33.4) 		−2.5
(27.5) 		−5.9
(21.4) 		−12.5
(9.5) 		−25.2
(−13.4) 		−25.2
(−13.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 58.5
(2.30) 		42.9
(1.69) 		49.0
(1.93) 		47.1
(1.85) 		51.1
(2.01) 		54.9
(2.16) 		47.3
(1.86) 		59.1
(2.33) 		60.8
(2.39) 		60.4
(2.38) 		60.2
(2.37) 		64.5
(2.54) 		655.8
(25.81)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 48.7 63.6 96.1 138.6 187.9 174.9 191.6 172.7 126.3 94.9 61.5 41.5 1,398.3
Source 1: Met Office[43]

date=March 2011

Source 2: KNMI[44]

date=February 2011

Governance

Lord Hill's Column, sited outside the Shirehall, is the largest Grecian doric column in the world [45]

The Borough of Shrewsbury's first Charter was granted by King Henry I 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, under the auspices of which the town remained until 2009.[18]

Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for the new Shropshire Council, the unitary authority covering most of Shropshire (but excluding the Borough of Telford and Wrekin, a separate unitary authority area). Shropshire Council have their headquarters at The Shirehall, on Abbey Foregate,[46] whilst the Guildhall, on Frankwell Quay, is partly utilised by the council as one of its many offices and customer service points around the county.

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.[47]

Shrewsbury has been twinned with Zutphen, Netherlands since 1977.[48] The Royal Navy submarine HMS Talent is affiliated with Shrewsbury and the town also serves as the administrative headquarters of the British Army's regional 143 (West Midlands) Brigade whose administrative HQ is based at Copthorne Barracks.[49]

Town Council

The newly built Guildhall is the current seat of Shrewsbury Town Council

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 approximately 72,000. The area of the parish is 3,799 hectares (9,390 acres).[3]

Shrewsbury Town Council
Year valign=top style="width: 4px; style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color;"| Lab valign=top style="width: 4px; style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color;"| Con valign=top style="width: 4px; style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats/meta/color;"| Lib
2009 3 12 2
2010* 4 11 2
2012* 4 10 3
2013 7 5 5
The changing political make-up of the town council. * = by-election

The town council, which is the parish council, first convened on 1 April 2009, and its chair is the Mayor of Shrewsbury. For the interim period before the first elections, the existing county councillors who represented electoral divisions covering Shrewsbury were the town councillors. On 4 June 2009, the first election was held to the town council, with councillors elected from 17 single-member wards coterminous with Shropshire Council electoral divisions.

The political make-up of the town council, as of the 2013 local elections, sees Labour as the largest party with 7 seats, and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats both on 5. The current Mayor of Shrewsbury is Labour councillor Jon Tandy.

The town council has its headquarters and meeting place at The Guildhall, which was the headquarters of the former Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council.[50]

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".[51][52] The coat of arms of the (now abolished) Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council was Shrewsbury's shield with the addition of Atcham Bridge running above the loggerheads. Shrewsbury Town FC historically used the loggerheads, but since 2007 have a badge depicting a lion rather than a loggerhead. (A loggerhead, in heraldry, means a leopard's head - its naming derived from the carving of such faces on the ends of logs, including battering rams). The flag of Shropshire, and other county crests etc., also uses the three loggerheads.

Demography

Shrewsbury & Atcham Compared
2001 UK Census S'bury & Atch. West Midlands England
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, the population of the town of Shrewsbury was 67,126.[53] The same census put the population of the wider (and now abolished) borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham at 95,850.[53] In 1981 the population of the town was 57,731 and in 1991 the population of the town was 64,219.[54] Shrewsbury is Shropshire's second largest town, after Telford.

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.[55] 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, Pakistani or Bangladeshi, and 0.1% of the population is South Asian or British Asian. A further 0.1% is Black, Caribbean or African.[55]

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 2011
Population 53,729 55,481 57,290 62,398 67,965 74,831 82,392 85,136 92,347 95,896 102,328
Population figures for Shrewsbury & Atcham borough. Source: A Vision of Britain through Time

Economy

Nearby RAF Shawbury is home to the RAF's Defence Helicopter Flying School, the MOD's main rotary aircraft training facility, and a major local employer.

Throughout the Medieval period, Shrewsbury was a centre for the wool trade,[56] 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 Wales.[57]

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.[55]

The Parade Shopping Centre is housed in the former premises of the Royal Shrewsbury Infirmary

Shrewsbury is home to four shopping centres. The principal centres comprise the Darwin and Pride Hill shopping centres, which house many High Street retailers such as Marks & Spencer, H&M, Next, and Boots.[58] Riverside provides further retail accommodation for stores including Wilkinson. A plan to redevelop Riverside and integrate a new development with the Darwin and Pride Hill centres was granted planning permission in April 2012. The project is dubbed "New Riverside".[59][60] The Parade Shopping Centre is a fourth centre exclusively housing independent retailers. There are also two retail warehouse clusters: at Meole Brace Retail Park to the south, and at Sundorne Retail Park to the north. Major supermarkets in the town are the environmentally friendly[61] Tesco Extra at Harlescott, Morrisons on Whitchurch Road, Asda on Old Potts Way and Sainsbury's at Meole Brace. A Waitrose supermarket scheme to the south could - if approved - open by the end of 2013.[62]

Shrewsbury is home to a wealth of independent and specialist retailers, such as those shown in High Street.

The visitor economy of Shrewsbury and Atcham was worth about £115 million in 2001, with about 2,500 people employed directly in the visitor industry and 3,400 indirectly. There were about 3.1 million visitors – both day visitors and staying visitors – to the borough in 2001, with 88% being day visitors and 12% being staying visitors; staying visitors accounted for 42% of spending.[63] 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, about 75 miles (121 km) away.[64]

Although a less prominent brewing centre than at Burton-on-Trent, beer made in Shrewsbury was celebrated as early as about 1400 when bard Iolo Goch praised the supply of "Crwg Amwythig" dispensed at the Sycharth palace of Owain Glyndwr.[65] In 1900 there were eight breweries in the town, chief among them being Southam's and Trouncer's, which also had their own maltings and owned many local public houses, as well as five other maltsters,[66] but the conventional brewing industry gradually closed after takeovers in the 1960s, and the last maltings, at Ditherington, in 1986. A real ale brewery was established in the town in 1995.[67] The Salopian Brewery is based in the Old Dairy in Mytton Oak Road, and produces cask ale and bottle conditioned beers. It has a production of 80 barrels a week and mainly serves the pubs in and around Shrewsbury.[68]

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 in the ward of Harlescott.[69] A further four SOAs fall into the bottom 30% nationally, these being in the wards of Monkmoor, Sundorne, Battlefield and Heathgates, and Meole Brace. The most affluent areas of the town are generally to the south and west, around the grounds of Shrewsbury School, and the Copthorne area.

Panorama over Shrewsbury from the grounds of Shrewsbury School, in Kingsland. The spires visible (from L‑R) are those of St Chad's church, The Market Hall clocktower, St Mary's church, St Alkmund's Church, and St Julian's.

Architecture

Landmarks

Shrewsbury Public Library, Castlegates; formerly housed Charles Darwin's alma mater.

The historic town centre still retains its medieval street pattern and many narrow streets and passages. Some of the passages, especially those that pass through buildings from one street to the next, are called "shuts" (the word deriving from "to shoot through" from one street to another).[70][71] Many specialist shops, traditional pubs and local restaurants can be found in the hidden corners, squares and lanes of Shrewsbury. Many of the street names have also remained unchanged for 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.[72]

The Public Library, in the pre-1882 Shrewsbury School building,[73] is on Castle Hill. Above the main entrance are two statues bearing the Greek inscriptions "Philomathes" and "Polymathes". These portray the virtues "Lover of learning" and "Much learning" to convey the lesson that it is good to gain knowledge through a love of learning.

Fish Street, the spire of St Alkmund's church and the tower of St Julian's church are visible.

In the centre of the town lies The Quarry. This 29 acre (120,000 m²)[74] riverside park attracts thousands of people throughout the year and is enjoyed as a place of recreation. Shrewsbury has traditionally been known as the "Town of Flowers", a moniker incorporated into many of the signs on entrance to the town via major roads, although this was replaced in 2007 with 'the birthplace of Charles Darwin'.[75]

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 now forms part of the regiment known simply as The Rifles. Shrewsbury's Copthorne Barracks, spiritual home of the Light Division, still houses the Headquarters of the British Army's 143 (West Midlands) Brigade, while that of the 5th Division disbanded in April 2012 as part of the reorganisation of the Army's Support Command.[76]

The church of Saint Chad and The Quarry park (foreground) on a summer's day.

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.[77] 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 Rowley's House up Barker Street in the town centre. The three main museums are Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery (at Rowley's House), Shrewsbury Castle (which houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum) and the Coleham Pumping Station.[78] 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.[79]

The Quantum Leap is an abstract sculpture unveiled in the town centre in 2009 to mark the bicentenary on the birth of Shrewsbury biologist Charles Darwin.

Bridges

Shrewsbury, being almost entirely encircled by the River Severn, has nine bridges across the river and many that cross the Rea Brook.

The Kingsland Bridge, the town's only toll bridge, connects Kingsland with the Town Walls area.

Working downstream from Frankwell Bridge, a modern pedestrian footbridge spans the River Severn between Frankwell and the town centre. The Welsh Bridge was built in the 1790s to replace the ancient St George's Bridge.

The English Bridge (pictured) and Welsh Bridge are Shrewsbury's two main access bridges for cars.

Further along from the Welsh Bridge is the Porthill Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge running between The Quarry and Porthill, built in 1922. The next bridge along the river is 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. 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.[80] 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:[81]

High the vanes of Shrewsbury gleam
Islanded in Severn stream;
The bridges from the steepled crest,
Cross the water east and west.

Religious sites

The nave of the Church of St Mary the Virgin.

There are many church denominations represented in Shrewsbury, housed in a range of buildings, including Shrewsbury Abbey, founded by Roger de Montgomery in 1083.[82] Shrewsbury Greek Orthodox Church (a former Anglican church building) is off Sutton Road to the south.[83] Shrewsbury is home to the Roman Catholic Shrewsbury Cathedral, by the Town Walls,[84] as well as two other parishes in Harlescott and Monkmoor, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury. What is more, 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 16 March 1761. According to legend, the spire of St Alkmond's Church was damaged by the Devil in 1553, and climbed four times by a drunken steeplejack in 1621.[85]

There are several Anglican churches in Shrewsbury.[86] Other denominations, such as Methodists,[87] Baptists[88] and United Reformed Church (formerly Congregational and Presbyterian) are represented alongside newer church groups, which include: Elim Pentecostal[89] and two Newfrontiers churches.[90][91] Shrewsbury Evangelical Church meets in the St Julian's Centre (the former Anglican parish church of St Julian) at the Wyle Cop end of Fish Street.[92] Furthermore, Shrewsbury's first non-Christian place of worship, a Muslim centre, was approved in June 2013.[93]

Many community projects in Shrewsbury are based in, or have been started by local churches, including the Isaiah 58 project, which is the primary work amongst homeless people in the town, whilst Churches Together in Shrewsbury works to help homeless people through The Ark project.[94][95] Basics Bank is another example, based at The Barnabas Centre, which provides debt relief for local people.[96]

Culture

Museums and entertainment

The regency façade of the Music Hall, formerly the town's theatre, the building was converted and reopened as its museum and gallery in 2014

Shrewsbury is home to one of the largest and oldest horticultural events in the UK - the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show.[97] 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.[98]

The Dingle, formerly a Quarry, the area was transformed into a scenic garden in the Victorian era.
The Shrewsbury Horticultural Society, which organises the town's annual flower show, is based in premises close to the Quarry Park's main gates.

Theatre Severn[99] is the town's main performing arts complex, its design features a prominent glass curve and steel frame and was nominated for the 2009 Carbuncle Cup. The site is in Frankwell and is next to the Guildhall, alongside its namesake, the River Severn.[100] The new complex replaced the old theatre, the Music Hall, which itself has been refurbished and expanded in preparation for its current use as home to the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery[101] (opened 2014). Further museums in the town include the acclaimed Shropshire Regimental Museum, based at Shrewsbury Castle, and the restored 19th-century steam-powered Coleham Pumping Station, which opens for tours on specific days each year. Nearby National Trust properties include Attingham Park, former home of the Hill family, Barons of Berwick, and the last remaining Town Walls Tower which dates from the 14th century.[102]

Shrewsbury is also home to one of the region's main agricultural shows - the Shropshire County Show (formerly 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.[103] 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.[104] 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.[105] 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.[106]

There are some very old public houses, which have been continuously open, such as the Golden Cross in Princess Street, the Dun Cow in Abbey Foregate, and the King's Head in Mardol. The Golden Cross is reputed to be the oldest licensed Public House in Shrewsbury and records show that it was used as an inn as far back as 1428. Its original name was the Sextry, because it was originally the sacristy of Old St Chad's Church.[107]

Shrewsbury in the arts

Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, painted by Louise Rayner, c. 1868.

In his 1910 novel Howards End, E. M. Forster makes a brief reference to "astonishing Shrewsbury", an impression he received after having visited the town in the early 20th century. Other famous literary figures who similarly visited the town include (in the 17th century) Daniel Defoe, Celia Fiennes, the Shrewsbury School-educated Arthur Mainwaring and Ambrose Phillips and playwright George Farquhar whose 1706 play 'The Recruiting Officer' was set in the town.[108]

Later, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the likes of John Wesley, Thomas de Quincey and Benjamin Disraeli the latter of which was MP for Shrewsbury 1841-47, would visit the town. Charles Dickens once also visited to present a series of lectures at the Music Hall, staying at the Lion Hotel. However, in this period the town's most prolific literary figure and famous son was born - Charles Darwin. Darwin was educated at Shrewsbury School and later, with the development of his 1859 work On the Origin of Species became the preeminent naturalist of the 19th century. Although Darwin's work was both revolutionary and highly controversial at the time, his teachings and beliefs have become ever more globalised and he is today widely recognised as the father of the modern theory of evolution.

The Brother Cadfael series was based at Shrewsbury Abbey.

In the 20th century Shrewsbury became famous for its poets. The great war poet Wilfred Owen was a resident, whilst his fellow poet Mary Webb much loved the town and referred to it many a time in her works under the guise of Silverton. Owen is the subject of the 1993 sculpture Symmetry, which was unveiled in the grounds of Shrewsbury Abbey, whilst Webb was finally laid to rest in one of the town's cemeteries.[108]

The 'grave' of Ebenezer Scrooge, made for the 1984 film A Christmas Carol remains in Shrewsbury.

The town appears in the Brother Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters (pen name of Edith Pargeter). 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.[109]

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. Shrewsbury Library also hosts the West Midlands Literary Heritage website, developed to provide information about West Midland people and places, including those featured in the library's own West Midland Creative Literature Collection.

In film Shrewsbury was used as the setting for the popular 1984 movie, A Christmas Carol,[110] which filmed many of its interior and exterior shots in and around the town. 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.

Media

Two newspapers are published for Shrewsbury - the local edition of the county's Shropshire Star and the more traditional Shrewsbury Chronicle, which is one of the oldest weekly newspapers in the country, having produced its first edition in 1772.[111][112] 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: Free Radio Shropshire & Black Country;,[113] BBC Radio Shropshire, which is based in Shrewsbury;[114] and, as of September 2006, The Severn, which broadcasts from the Shropshire Star building in Telford.[115]

In 2009 a brand new online independent media company launched covering Shrewsbury and Shropshire. shropshirelive.com,[116] is based in Shrewsbury with local residents encouraged to get involved with the web site by becoming citizen journalists and contributors.

Food

Main article: Shrewsbury cake
Small Shrewsbury cakes.

Shrewsbury is well known in culinary circles for being the namesake of a classic English dessert. Shrewsbury cakes (or biscuits) are typically crisp and brittle creations that may incorporate fruit. They can be small in size for serving several at a time, or large for serving as a dessert in their own right. Traditionally Shrewsbury cakes have a distinct hint of lemon.

The playwright William Congreve mentioned Shrewsbury cakes in his play The Way of the World in 1700 as a simile [117] (Witwoud - "Why, brother Wilfull of Salop, you may be as short as a Shrewsbury cake, if you please. But I tell you 'tis not modish to know relations in town"). The recipe is also included in several early cookbooks including The Compleat Cook of 1658.[118] A final reference to the cakes can be seen to this day as the subject of a plaque affixed to a building close to Shrewsbury's town library at the top of Pride Hill. The aforementioned plaque marks the spot where the Shrewsbury Cake's recipe is said to have been pioneered in 1760 by Mr Pailin; a further quote, drawn from Richard Harris Barham's Ingoldby Legends, reads:

Oh! Pailin. Prince of Cake Compounders
The mouth liquifies at the very name.

Shrewsbury is also the origin of the most popular Simnel cake recipe. Different towns had their own recipes and shapes of the Simnel cake. Bury, Devizes and Shrewsbury produced large numbers to their own recipes, but it is the Shrewsbury version that became most well known.

Music

There is a diversity in music performed music, ranging from Metal to Folk.[citation needed]

There is a local organisation which promotes Country, Americana and Bluegrass Music. It has performed at the local theatre.[citation needed]

There are Rockabilly Shows which are performed at the market hall In the centre of the town, rockabilly bands can been seen busking. Folk Music is the focus of the annual Folk Festival.[citation needed]

Various song writing competitions have been held.[citation needed]

The following are annual festivals:

Education

Shrewsbury School is a public school. The building shown here, which was constructed circa 1765, is Grade II listed.

Shrewsbury is home to Shrewsbury School, a public school, on a large site ("Kingsland") just south of the town centre overlooking the loop of the Severn. The school was once in the town centre, in the buildings that are now the main county library on Castle Street.[119] 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, 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 (12 ha) of grounds on the outskirts of the town.[120] The town's other long-established boys' preparatory school, Kingsland Grange (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.[121]

The Main Grade II listed building of Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, which was constructed circa 1910.

Adcote School is an independent day and boarding school for girls, 5 miles (8.0 km) 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 seven comprehensive schools. The Priory School, formerly a grammar school for girls;[122] Meole Brace School currently carries the status of Science College; The Grange School the status of Arts College; Sundorne School the status of Sports College and Belvidere School has the status of Technology College.

The Wakeman School, which was geographically the closest school to the town centre 'loop', next to the English Bridge, was previously called Shrewsbury Technical School, and was attended by the notable First World War poet Wilfred Owen. It closed as part of reorganisation in July 2013.[123] Additionally, two other establishments outside town serve town students. The Corbet School to the north at Baschurch; and Mary Webb School, in the village of Pontesbury to the south-west.

Post-16 education is handled by Shrewsbury Sixth Form College, previously the Priory School for Boys[124] recently ranked 17th in the top 20 of sixth form colleges nationally by the Sunday Times newspaper and Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, which handles primarily vocational courses.

In 2014, the University of Chester announced its intention to develop a satellite campus in the town called University Centre Shrewsbury, potentially opening to undergraduates in Autumn 2015. This was part of a longer-term plan for Shrewsbury to have its own university.[125][126]

Transport

Shrewsbury railway station, here viewed from by the castle, is remarkable for its mock Tudor architecture.

Shrewsbury is the county's public transportation hub and has road and rail links to the rest of the county and country.

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 station 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.[127] 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 mainland English counties without a dedicated service to the capital, the other being Rutland.[128] However, the service ceased on 28 January 2011. Virgin Trains announced in September 2014 that a new London service comprising two trains in each direction daily would be introduced in December of that year.[129]

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 within the building.

Shrewsbury is a regional transport hub and has a large bus station that provides convenient local transport and links to other Shropshire towns. Street location - Wyle Cop.

Bus services in the town are operated by Arriva Midlands 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 at Harlescott (to the north, colour-coded blue), Oxon (to the west, colour-coded pink) 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.[130]

A map of Shrewsbury showing suburbs, surrounding villages, Rivers (blue), Roads (red) and Rail routes (green).

With regard to roads, 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.[131]

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 3 miles (4.8 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).

Cycling

Shrewsbury has a comprehensive network of on-road and traffic-free cycle routes.[132] In 2008 Shrewsbury was awarded Cycling Town status by Cycling England.[133] As a result Shrewsbury benefited from £1.8 million of grant funding from the Department for Transport between 2008 and 2011. The funding was used to make improvements to the cycle network in Shrewsbury, and to provide cycle training, information and advice to people to help encourage them to cycle to school and work.[134]

Sport

Shrewsbury Town playing Gillingham at the Greenhous Meadow stadium, which is on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

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 moved to the New Meadow in 2007, to a purposely built site near Meole Brace. Prior to this, the club played at the Gay Meadow stadium, just outside 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 in an Everton team that included a 17 year old Wayne Rooney. Ironically, they were managed by former Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe at the time.[135] 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.

Rowing is a popular pastime in the town, and Shrewsbury regatta is one of the oldest amateur rowing events in England.

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.[136] The River Severn in the town is used for rowing by both Pengwern Boat Club[137] and the Shrewsbury School Boat Club.[138] 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.[139] 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 near Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury Motocross Club has staged motocross events in the area for over 30 years.[140]

Shrewsbury Cricket Club is currently one of the most successful club cricket sides in the country. They have won the EBC National Club Championship twice in 1983 and recently in 2011. They are the currently Birmingham and District Premier League champions 2013 which is the highest league for club cricket on both regional and national scale. England International player James Taylor currently plays for Shrewsbury. One interesting fact is that current England football international goalkeeper Joe Hart played for both Shrewsbury Cricket Club and Shrewsbury Town Football Club.

There is also a thriving running scene with a free weekly parkrun situated in the centre of Shrewsbury. The event is attended by over 250 runners every week. The Quarry park offers tarmac paths through avenues of trees and along the river Severn. Shrewsbury parkrun is also 'twinned' to Darwin parkrun in the Northern Territory, Australia. Due to the city of Darwin being named after Charles Darwin.

Notable Salopians

Maj Gen. Robert Clive, conqueror of British India, was both an MP and mayor of the town. He is honoured with a statue on The Square.

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 19th century,[141] who was born in Shrewsbury on 12 February 1809 at The Mount House,[142] 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, was a resident of the town.[143] Former residents have included Michael Heseltine, a Conservative politician who was educated at Shrewsbury School,[144] and Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, who was once Britain's richest man, and was MP for Shrewsbury.[145] He lived in apartments at Shrewsbury Castle. Robert Clive was MP for Shrewsbury, and also the mayor.[146]

Charles Darwin, Shrewsbury's most illustrious historical resident.

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.[147] Also a resident of the town was John Peel, a DJ and radio presenter, who was educated at Shrewsbury School.[148] as was musician Mark Rousseau. Another DJ from the town is Lange, a producer of dance music, who was born in Shrewsbury.[149] 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.[150] Notable music historian Charles Burney was born and educated in the town.

Shrewsbury has also been home to contributors to literature. In the early years of the 18th century, the Irish dramatist George Farquhar resided in the town while acting as a recruiting officer for the Army. He drew on this experience in writing the comedy The Recruiting Officer. Prior to the First World War, the poet Wilfred Owen lived in the town.[151] The romantic novelist Mary Webb is buried there.[152] Michael Palin, the writer, actor and comedian attended Shrewsbury School.[153] 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.[154] Nick Conway is another actor connected to the town, and was born in it in 1962.[155] Actor Jason Bateman's mother was born in Shrewsbury.[156]

Prolific travel writer and Monty Python member Michael Palin boarded and was educated in the town in the mid to late 1950s.

Sporting Salopians include footballers Danny Guthrie of Newcastle United[157] and Shrewsbury Town youth academy graduates England goalkeeper Joe Hart[158] and Wales midfielder David Edwards, both of whom are currently playing in the Premier League. Sunderland 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.[159] Neville Cardus spent some of his formative years as assistant cricket coach at Shrewsbury School.[160]

Other notable people of the town include Robert Cadman, a performer and steeplejack, who is buried in the town, at St Mary's Church.[161] Simon Gosling, a visual effects designer was born in the town, and was resident there until 1994.[162] John Gwynn, an 18th-century architect, who designed the English Bridge and the bridge at Atcham was born in the town.[163] Percy Thrower, the gardener and broadcaster lived in Shrewsbury, where he set up the garden centre near Meole Brace and just down the road from the football club.[164] 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 in the Second World War with 26 victories before his death in combat at the age of 21. He was the RAF's most successful British-born pilot in the Battle of Britain, shooting down 16.5[clarification needed] German aircraft in a period of just a few weeks.[165][166]

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.[167]

Comic book artist Charlie Adlard was born in Shrewsbury and is most known for illustrating The Walking Dead. Actor Adam Rayner was born in Shrewsbury and grew up in the United States.

Twin Town

Shrewsbury is twinned with Zutphen, Netherlands, a move inspired by the fact Sir Philip Sidney, an alumnus of Shrewsbury School, was fatally wounded there in 1586. At the end of the Second World War Shrewsbury's then Mayor, Harry Steward, who was made in 1946 an honorary citizen of Zutphen in return, launched an appeal for second-hand tools, clothes, bedding and other materials towards the town's post-war reconstruction after Nazi German occupation and war damage.[168]

A potential twinning with Shrewsbury by Bayreuth, Germany, was under discussion in 2009.[169]

See also

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