Introducing Shrewsbury and Shropshire

Despite its largely rural character, Shropshire is easily accessible from the rest of England. See Getting There

The county is divided into two by the River Severn. Northern Shropshire is a landscape dotted with woodedred sandstone outcrops and small lakes. Southern Shropshire is hilly and wooded and one of England's least populated areas and a paradise for walkers. There are two main towns:

Shrewsbury is the county town (seat of local government), with a long history and a wealth of Tudor and Georgian buildings.

Telford is a new town created out of number of small industrial and mining towns and villages. It includes Ironbridge, a World Heritage site, regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and is full of fascinating museums.

There are also many attractive small towns and villages.

Shrewsbury

The county town of Shropshire, Shrewsbury stands on a low hill in a tight loop of the River Severn, so that it is almost on an island. This defensive site was occupied in turn by the Welsh, the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans.

Shrewsbury is rich in historic buildings, including the 12th-century Castle and Abbey (the scene of the fictional Brother Cadfael books and TV series) and numerous half-timbered buildings from Tudor times.

Whilst fully aware of its past, Shrewsbury is also a modern town with an excellent shopping centre and all the facilities you would expect. It is also home to Shrewsbury Town Football Club, who are currently performing well in Divison Two. Shrewsbury calls itself "Town of Flowers" due to it continually doing well in the "Britain in Bloom" competition and a major Flower Show, held in August. See Events

The name Shrewsbury was originally Scrobbesbyrig with the likely meaning "the fortified place amidst the broom". The name is pronounced "Shroozebury"or "Shrozebury" take your pick. Shropshire is from Scrobbesbyrigscir, the county of Shrewsbury.

Telford

Telford, the largest town in Shropshire, is an amalgamation of a number of small towns which grew up on the Shropshire coalfield. The town now bases its prosperity on high-tech industries, including such firms as Epson and NEC and Enta Techologies.

Within the town boundary is the attractive Ironbridge Gorge of the River Severn. This contains a large complex of museums of the sites where the Industrial Revolution began. The gorge is spanned by the world's first iron bridge, erected in 1779. Ironbridge is now a World Heritage Site and conservation area.

Telford was named after Thomas Telford (1757-1834), the great Scottish engineer who carried out many projects in the area, including the London-Holyhead road which passes though the town.

Places to see

• The main towns Shrewsbury and Telford.
• The small town of Ludlow one of Britain's architectural gems, with a large number of medieval and Georgian buildings in a wonderful setting. It has an annual festival, with Shakespeare performed in the grounds of the ruined Norman castle.
• The rocky outcrop of Hawkstone Park is a 100-acre wonderlandof follies and grottoes, created by Sir Rowland Hill, recently restored and opened to the public.
• Stokesay Castle, near the small town of Craven Arms, is a fine 13th-century fortified manor house.
• Wroxeter where the remains of one of the most important British towns of the Roman period, Uriconium, lie.
• Shropshire is full of gardens, including Hodnet Hall Gardens and the Dingle in the Quarry Gardens in Shrewsbury.
• Just inside Wales, but only 55 km from Shrewsbury, is Pistyll Rhaeadr, the highest waterfall in Wales.
• Enjoy scenic railway journeys from Shrewsbury into Wales. The line along the Severn Valley via Welshpool leading to the Welsh Coast and the seaside towns of Aberystwyth and Pwllheli.
  The Heart of Wales Line runs via Craven Arms to Swansea.
• There are steam trains in summer on the Severn Valley Railway at Bridgnorth, and also over the border at Welshpool and Llangollen.
• Other attractions include country events and crafts, historic houses and churches, castles, canal boats and farm attractions.

Events

• The West Midlands Show, Shrewsbury, May
• The Shrewsbury International Music Festival, June
• Ludlow Festival - includes Shakespeare in the Castle grounds,June/July
• World Music Day, in the grounds of Shrewsbury Castle, July
• Shrewsbury Flower Show, one of the largest shows in the UK, that has been running for over 100 years, mid-August
• Arbor Day - ancient tree dressing ceremony, Aston-on-Clun, 29 May
• Cadfael Convention, October 1996
  Brother Cadfael is the fictional monk-detective in the books by Ellis Peters, who lived in Madeley, Shropshire. In the books, Cadfael is the herbalist at Shrewsbury Abbey in the 12th century who sets out to solve a series of baffling crimes.

Getting There

• By road:
  From London: M1, M6, M54, A5 or M40, M42, M5, M6, M54,A5
  From the Midlands: M54, A5
  From the North West: M56, A483, A5
  From the South West: M5, M6, M54, A5
  From South Wales: A49 Map of Great Britain showing Shropshire Map of Shropshire
  
• By train from: London, Birmingham/Wolverhampton, Cardiff, Manchester,Chester, Aberystwyth/Pwllheli
• Airports: Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands within 100 km, London Heathrow & Gatwick about 250 km.
• Express coach from: London (Victoria), Birmingham (Digbeth)

If you have general enquiries about visiting Shropshire, or wish to book accommodation, contact:
Shrewsbury Tourist Information Centre, The Music Hall, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1LH, UK
Phone 01743 350761 or international +44 1743 350761

If you wish to receive tourist publications about Shropshire, contact:
Shropshire Tourism Marketing, Long Lane, Craven Arms, Shropshire SY7 8DU, UK
Phone 01588 672676 or international +44 1588 672676
Fax 01588 672205 or international +44 1588 672205

©1997 Slawson Web Publishing

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