Shrewsbury, Shropshire
This article is about the town of Shrewsbury in England. For other places of the same name, see Shrewsbury (disambiguation)
Shrewsbury (pronounced both Shroozbury and Shrozebury) is the county town of the county of Shropshire, England. It may have been founded by the Romans who had the city of Viroconium (Wroxeter) nearby, but the Saxons are more likely to have founded the town. It is also the main town in the Shrewsbury and Atcham borough.
Shrewsbury is located in a loop of the River Severn, near the Welsh border. The town centre has a large hill upon which sits Shrewsbury Castle, built shortly after the Norman Conquest, though the present day castle dates from the 13th century. There are many well-preserved half-timbered black-and-white houses here, among them the Abbot's House of 1500 on Butcher Row, and Rowley's House (home to the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery) on Barker Street.
The population of the town of Shrewsbury is approx 70'000 although the population of the borough is higher, at around 100'000. The A5, A53, A49 and 5 railway lines connect the town to most corners of Shropshire and the town is regarded as the "Gateway to Wales", which is certainly true for those travelling from the West Midlands connurbation to the Principality. In 2000 and again in 2002 Shrewsbury unsuccessfully applied for city status.
Shrewsbury is also home to one of the largest 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 (the town's main park), there are 29 acres (120,000 m²) of events, exhibitions and displays, with a magnificent fireworks display at the end of each day.
Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for both Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough and Shropshire County (but not the Telford and Wrekin borough, which is now a unitary authority). The County Council have their headquarters in the Shirehall, on Abbey Foregate and the Borough Council have their new headquarters in the Guildhall, on Frankwell Quay. The Borough Council have recently moved from their old Guildhall, which is on Dogpole.
Suburbs and districts surrounding the town centre:
(North)
Ditherington,
Castlefields,
Sundorne,
Harlescott,
Mount Pleasant,
Battlefield,
Greenfields,
Coton Hill
(East)
Underdale,
Cherry Orchard,
Abbey Foregate,
Telford Estate,
Monkmoor,
Belvidere
(South)
Sutton Farm,
Springfield,
Reabrook,
Sutton Park,
Meole Brace,
Belle Vue,
Coleham
(West)
Copthorne,
Frankwell,
Porthill,
Kingsland,
Gains Park,
Radbrook
Famous residents
- Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, at The Mount House.
- Robert Clive ("Clive of India") was Mayor and Member of Parliament for Shrewsbury.
- John Gwynn, architect (1713-1786), was born and died in Shrewsbury. The town's English Bridge and the bridge at Atcham were both designed by him.
- The 80s pop group T'Pau came from Shrewsbury.
The Brother Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters, aka Edith Pargeter, take Shrewsbury Abbey for their setting.
Shrewsbury Town
In 2004, the local football team, Shrewsbury Town F.C., were promoted to the Football League Division 3 (now called League 2) from the Nationwide Conference. They were in the Conference for just one year and became the first team in 10 years to bounce straight back up just one year after relegation.
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