Shrewsbury
The pride of Shropshire makes a great base for exploration
“Shroosbury” or “Shrowsbury” then?
Oh, don’t ask — whichever you use you’ll get it wrong, since the locals can’t make up their minds either.
Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind. Still worth a visit though?
Definitely. It’s packed with history and beautiful old buildings, which mercifully survived the architectural vandalism of the 60s and 70s. Built in a loop of the River Severn, it was easily fortified so it attracted the wealth of medieval nobles and wool merchants, a prosperity that continued right through to the Tudor period. The architecture’s a mix of medieval stone and Tudor brick-andtimber framing, but you’ll also find the world’s first iron-framed building in Shrewsbury — the Ditherington Flax Mill — which paved the way for high-rise structures everywhere.
Sounds rather nice. Any famous people live there?
Charles Darwin famous enough for you? He was born here in 1809. More recently, Michael Palin and John Peel went to the posh public school in the town and of course there’s arguably Shrewsbury’s most famous son, Brother Cadfael.
What, that baldy monk off the telly?
Indeed. Fictional he may be, but the backdrop to Ellis Peters’ tales of murder and skullduggery (and, it has to be said, quite a bit of cross-dressing...) were all set against meticulously researched detail of Shrewsbury’s medieval past, during the civil wars of the turbulent 12th Century. It’s been a nice little earner for the town, with guided trips around the Abbey and town available from the Visitor Centre in the town square.
So much for the town — any nice countryside round there?
Oh yes. To the East you’re into the Black Country but there’s still great scenery to be found, even in the shadow of industrial sprawl. You won’t find a better example than Ironbridge, the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century: it’s now a living museum and the setting is beautiful. A short hop south on the A49, you’ll find the Shropshire Hills, while to the west is Wales — an all-you-can-eat buffet of great roads and wonderful scenery.