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Friday 9th May 2008

Shrewsbury

Charles Darwin - Shrewsburys most famous son

Shrewsbury has been called 'England's finest Tudor town' with good reason, black and white properties are everywhere and with over 660 listed buildings (quite a list) all linked by ancient shuts or passageways.

On the Border of Wales and England and surrounded almost entirely by the River Severn, Shrewsbury has been protected from the ravages of modern life.

Throughout the year, there is plenty to see and do in Shrewsbury. If you pop into town for a bit of shopping Shrewsbury has the big High Street names, as well as plenty of independent shops - so it’s easy to find something that bit different. And if it's entertainment you are looking for, visit our online events list. Check the How to Get to Shrewsbury pages for details of the Shrewsbury Park & Ride Service.

Perhaps you would simply like to wander around Shrewsbury town centre – there is plenty to see. Charles Darwin, perhaps the town's greatest son, would still recognise much of modern Shrewsbury. His statue stands outside the library, erected by proud townsfolk in 1894 - even though at that time he was still considered a dangerous atheist.

Whatever the merits of that particular debate, the opposing point of view is well represented in our many beautiful churches (St. Chad's, a revolutionary design when it was built in 1792, is a major venue in our Darwin festival); and, of course, by Shrewsbury Abbey. This was one of the great monasteries, founded in 1083, and home to the (fictional) Brother Cadfael.

Its imposing Norman church survives - despite the attentions of our famous local engineer Thomas Telford, who, in a pre-Darwinian moment of madness, decided to run a major road through the west wing separating the pulpit from the main building. The pulpit still stands in splendid isolation on the other side of the road.

 

Did you know

There are towns called Shrewsbury all over the United States of America, in Massachusetts, Oregon, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermont and Louisiana.

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