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Shrewsbury (pronounced either /ˈʃɹuːzbɹiː/ or /ˈʃɹəʊzbɹiː/) is a town of 72,000 in Shropshire, England. It is the County town of Shropshire and the seat of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham. It lies on the River Severn and is 9 miles east of the Welsh border - the town has a Welsh name too, Amwythig.
Shrewsbury is popularly known as a medieval town, having been founded c.800 and it was during the "late middle ages" (14th/15th Centuries) in which the town was at its height in terms of national importance and wealth. 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 as a trading route.
The town was little affected by the Industrial Revolution, despite the proximity to Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge, commonly known as the birthplaces of industry.
Many A roads, including the A5, meet at the town, making it a notable junction on the UK road network. In 2000 and again in 2002, Shrewsbury unsuccessfully applied for city status. The borough council is expected to apply for city status again, whenever the next round of cities are to be made (normally at a royal occasion).
Within the borough, but not part of the town of Shrewsbury, is the large village of Bayston Hill. This was once a much smaller village but has grown up to become a suburb of the town. It remains, however, a separate entity to the town, with its own parish council, etc. Bayston Hill lies some 3 miles 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 recent growth in the surrounding area.
There are some very old public houses, which have been continuously open as pubs, such as the Golden Cross (established 1428 - the oldest pub in the town), the Dun Cow and the King's Head.
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. The town is known as the town of flowers and this is the motto printed onto many of the signs as you enter the town on major roads.
Shrewsbury is home to one of the largest and oldest horticultural events in the UK - the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show ( Shrewsbury Flower Show website). 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 magnificent fireworks display at the end of each day. Some people dislike the fact that there is an admission charge to enter the park during the flower show, as there is usually no admission for entering the park. Keen residents could (and have) sailed dingheys across the River Severn from the historic Royal Shrewsbury Boat Club to gain entry for free.
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 organized by WorldStage Tours.
The tourist information centre is at the Music Hall on The Square in the town centre. The three main museums are Rowley's House, Shrewsbury Castle (including the Shropshire Regimental Museum) and the Coleham Pumping Station. Also there is the art gallery at Rowley's House, the Gateway arts and drama centre and there are also various private galleries and art shops around the town. The town is also noted for its antique shops as well as music specialists.
Bus services are operated by Arriva 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.
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, coloured orange), Oxon (to the west, coloured brown) and Meole Brace (to the south, coloured green). It is proposed that a fourth one be built to the east of the town, at either Emstrey or Preston.
The A458 (Welshpool-Bridgnorth) runs through the town centre though, 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 and Clun in the southwest of Shropshire.
The A5112, A5191 and A5064 are all internal roads of the town - the A5191 goes north-south via the town centre, the A5112 goes north-south to the east of the town centre and the A5064 is a short, 1 mile stretch of road to the southeast of the town centre, called "London Road". The A5124 is the most recently built section of the Shrewsbury bypasses 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 is now unclassified).
Shrewsbury railway station is partially located above the River Severn too.
The town centre has two large indoor shopping centres - the 'Pride Hill' and 'Charles Darwin' centres - and the company which owns them has announced plans to expand these two and link them together. Plans for the first phase of this work were approved by the borough council on the 1st February 2005. The approved scheme was for a new 6 storey building to be built on what is currently a surface car park, which will include a night club on the street and centre management offices at the top. On August 13, 2005, it was announced that the new combined shopping centre of Shrewsbury will be called the Castle Gate Shopping Centre, after a public vote.
Ofcom have recently announced that a radio broadcasting license will be granted for a new radio station for the Shrewsbury area. At present 2 groups are expected to compete for the licence, one of them Shrewsbury FM and the other Shrewsbury Local Radio. The successful applicant is expected to begin broadcasting around Summer 2006.
The town also serves as the administrative headquarters of the British Army's 5th Division, which has their administrative HQ at the Copthorne Barracks.
Two newspapers are published for Shrewsbury - the Shrewsbury Chronicle and the local edition of the county's Shropshire Star.
North:
Ditherington - location of the first iron framed building in the world
Castlefields
Sundorne - location of the Shrewsbury Sports Village
Harlescott - location of the Shrewsbury Sunday Market
Mount Pleasant
Battlefield - site of the Battle of Shrewsbury 1403
East:
Cherry Orchard
Abbey Foregate
Telford Estate
Monkmoor
Belvidere
South:
Sutton Farm
Reabrook
Sutton Park
Meole Brace
Coleham
Bayston Hill
West:
Porthill
Kingsland - see also Shrewsbury School
Gains Park
Radbrook
Story has it that when King Henry VIII created the Church of England he wanted a Diocese of Shropshire, with Shrewsbury as the Cathedral City. However the town of Shrewsbury rejected the offer, claiming that it wanted to remain a "first of towns" rather than a second rate city. It is said that this is where the term "Proud Salopians" comes from; a term used for the people of Shrewsbury.
HMP Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury prison is the most overcrowded prison in England and Wales, according to a 2005 report on the UK prison population.
Pronunciation of "Shrewsbury"
The name of the town can be pronounced "Shrooz-bury" or "Shroze-bury". The latter pronunciation is older and is the one favoured by the BBC, although the former seems more logical. Both are heard widely in the town. The "bury" in Shrewsbury is always pronounced as one syllable by natives - "shrews-bree", and is difficult for many, especially Americans.
Shrewsbury and Shropshire
The name "Shrewsbury" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "Scrobbesbyrig". "Byrig" means "fortified place". "Scrobb" could mean shrubs or scrubland, or it could be the name of an Anglo-Saxon chieftain, so the meaning would be "scrubland fort" or "Scrobb's fort". Similarly, the name "Shropshire" evolved from "Scrobbesbyrigscire".
Both Shrewsbury and Shropshire have the same alternative name, Salop, which can be confusing. On some maps, Shropshire is recorded as "Salop", while on milestones in and near to the county, "Salop" refers to Shrewsbury.
Zutphen
Shrewsbury is twinned with Zutphen in the Netherlands.
Simnel cake
The most popular and well known recipe for Simnel cake is from Shewsbury.
The character William of Baskerville (played by Sean Connery in the movie) in the Umberto Eco book The Name of the Rose was from Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury School is a leading public school in the country, where Sir Philip Sydney, Charles Darwin, Michael Palin and Michael Heseltine were educated. It is 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.
Floreat Salopia - latin; "may Salop flourish" (Salop can mean both Shrewsbury and Shropshire).
This shield is that of the Borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham - Shrewsbury's town shield is the same but without the bridge (which is the Atcham Bridge). Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Shrewsbury Town FC and Shropshire all use the same loggerheads and motto.
| Towns on the River Severn, UK | ||
| Heading downstream: Llanidloes | Newtown | Welshpool | Shrewsbury | Bridgnorth Bewdley | Stourport | Worcester | Tewkesbury | Gloucester | Berkeley | Bristol | ||
| Settlements on the River Severn between Llandrinio and Ironbridge (heading downstream) | ||
| Llandrinio | Ford | Montford | Shrewsbury | Uffington | Atcham | Wroxeter | Cressage | Buildwas | Ironbridge | ||