Shrewsbury
Shropshire's ancient county town of Shrewsbury is strikingly situated, being almost entirely encircled by the sparkling River Severn where its course forms a horseshoe bend - lying at the heart of this watery loop the town is virtually an island site. Its narrow streets branch off at right angles from two main thoroughfares, as with Roman towns built on the familiar grid pattern. Shrewsbury (pronounced Shrozebury) may well have been founded by Britons after abandoning the nearby Roman city of Viroconium, the remains of which are still in evidence at Wroxeter.
A very real sense of living history confronts the visitor throughout the town, where picturesque black-and-white half-timbered houses, too numerous to count, make Shrewsbury one of the finest Tudor towns in England. Despite there being fine examples of later Queen Anne, Georgian and Victorian architecture, it is the quaint overhanging upper storeys and wonderfully carved beams of the many Elizabethan houses that linger longest in the memory. One of the finest examples is Ireland's Mansion in the High Street, a tall four-gabled masterpiece from 1575 with variegated oriel windows.
Another striking piece of Elizabethan architecture is the Abbot's House in Butcher Row, built around 1500. Several of the buildings are associated with famous figures in history, including the house where Queen Mary Tudor lodged, or the upper room where Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, slept a night while on his way to London. Many of these houses are located in streets little changed from the days of Elizabeth I, a number of which have fascinating names - Grope Street, Dogpole, Fish Street, Butcher's Row, Wyloe Cop, Murivance and Mardol.
Shrewsbury is also a city of spires for despite its relatively small size it is blessed with thirty churches, all of which enjoy some features of architectural or historical interest. The great parish church of St Mary dates back to the 12 th century and proudly bears its lofty octagonal spire, which dominates the town. It is memorable too for its fine medieval carving and superb stained glass. The circular St Chad's, designed in 1792 by George Steuart, stands in a prominent position looking westward over the looping Severn. It is one of the country's few round churches and incorporates a tower that resembles a minaret topped by a dome. St Alkmund's displays a magnificent chancel window, while Holy Trinity Church, Meole Brace, is a joy for those fascinated with stained glass, designed by the incomparable William Morris. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady, located on Town Walls, was built and designed by Pugin in 1856. Arguably the most attractive is Holy Cross Abbey, with its superb west front in the form of a great Perpendicular window. Sumptuously traceried and extended by a crocketed ogee gable up to the statue of Edward III, in whose reign the building of the tower began, the abbey incorporates the remains of a shrine to St Winifred, part of the original building. Standing outside is an exquisite 14 th century stone pulpit shaped like a lantern, once a part of the earlier abbey from which lessons were read whilst the monks ate.
Soon after the Norman Conquest in 1083, Roger de Montgomery constructed a castle commanding the approach to Shrewsbury, of which the original gateway still stands in situ. The present structure, however, is for the most part 13 th century, built with a view to securing the border with Wales, and last saw action during the Civil War in the mid 17 th century. Parts of the old town walls survive, including a 13 th century tower. Nine bridges connect Shrewsbury to the opposite banks of the Severn, the earliest being the English Bridge opened in 1774, followed by the Welsh Bridge in 1795.
The town's library, art gallery and museum are housed in the original 17 th century buildings of Shrewsbury's famous public school. Sir Philip Sydney in the 16 th century and the naturalist Charles Darwin in the 19 th century both attended Shrewsbury School; a statue of the latter stands in front of the library. Rowley's House, a glorious 16 th century timber-framed building, together with an adjoining brick and stone built mansion of 1618, houses the largest collection of artefacts from Roman Viroconium , including the famous silver mirror unique to Roman Britain. Clive House, in the nearby Georgian area of the town, was home to Clive of India in 1762 whilst serving as Mayor of Shrewsbury - there remain a few momentoes of the great man. Clive House also contains important ceramics collections.
The Lion is an ancient coaching inn with a fine ballroom. Amongst its famous 19 th century visitors the singer Jenny Lind, the violinist Paganini and Charles Dickens are prominent. Parts of the inn still reveal its 15 th century timber-framed origins. Joined on to one end is the Henry Tudor House where Henry, Earl of Richmond, stayed after landing in South Wales on his way to the Battle of Bosworth Field, and eventually to his coronation as Henry VII. The battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 was fought at Battlefield, three miles north of the town.