Shrewsbury
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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 Shrowzbury) is the county town of the county of Shropshire, England.
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History
Shrewsbury 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. The earliest written mention of it existing is from the year 901. It is also the town at the centre of the Shrewsbury and Atcham borough. It is known as the "town of flowers" and an alternative name is Salop (which is also an alternative name for the county).
The centre of Shrewsbury is located in a meander of the River Severn and the town is near the Welsh border. The town centre has a pronounced 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 c.1500 on Butcher Row, and Rowley's House (now home to the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery) on Barker Street.
Population
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.
Attractions
Shrewsbury is also home to one of the largest horticultural events in the UK - the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show ([1]). 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 School, where Charles Darwin, Michael Palin and Michael Heseltine were educated, is located on large private grounds just south of the town centre.
Administrative functions
Shrewsbury is the administrative centre for both Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough and Shropshire County (which does not include 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. For an explaination of how the town (and its borough) is run, click here.
The town also serves as the administrative headquarters of the British Army's 5th Division.
Future
Shrewsbury won the West Midlands Captial of Enterprise award in 2004. The town has two expanding business parks - the Shrewsbury Business Park and the Battlefield Enterprise Park. There are many developments currently under construction in the town, mainly residential (the town is becoming a place where many commuters who travel to Telford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham live). The borough council has also recently added to this building activity in the town, by building the new Guildhall and the council is planning on building a large new theatre and a sports village too.
The town centre has two 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 are being unveiled at the moment.
Suburbs of the town
Suburbs and districts surrounding the town centre:
(North)
Ditherington
Castlefields
Sundorne
Harlescott
Mount Pleasant
Battlefield
Greenfields
Coton Hil
(East)
Underdale
Cherry Orchard
Abbey Foregate
Telford Estate
Monkmoor
Belvidere
(South)
Sutton Farm
Reabrook
Sutton Park
Meole Brace
Belle Vue
Coleham
(West)
Copthorne
Frankwell
Porthill
Kingsland
Gains Park
Radbrook
Bicton Heath
Famous residents
- Charles Darwin, son of Robert 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.
Links
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.
External Links
Crest and motto
Floreat Salopia - latin; "may Salop flourish" (Salop can mean both Shrewsbury and Shropshire)
This crest is that of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham - Shrewsbury's town crest 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.
fr:Shrewsbury (Angleterre)
