Shrewsbury

For other uses, see Shrewsbury (disambiguation).

Shrewsbury
County town
Clockwise from top: Shrewsbury skyline, Shrewsbury Castle, English Bridge and The Square
Shrewsbury is located in Shropshire
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Location within Shropshire
Population76,782 (2021 Census)
OS grid referenceSJ 4915 1253
Civil parish
  • Shrewsbury
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Areas of the town
List
Post townSHREWSBURY
Postcode districtSY1 SY2 SY3
Dialling code01743
PoliceWest Mercia
FireShropshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire

52°42′29″N 2°45′14″W / 52.708°N 2.754°W / 52.708; -2.754

Map

Shrewsbury (/ˈʃroʊzbəri/ ⓘ SHROHZ-bər-ee, also /ˈʃruːz-/ ⓘ SHROOZ-)[1][2] is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Wolverhampton, 15 miles (24 km) west of Telford, 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Wrexham and 53 miles (85 km) north of Hereford. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 76,782.[3]

Shrewsbury has Anglo-Saxon roots and institutions whose foundations dating from that time represent a cultural continuity possibly going back as far as the 8th century.[4][5] The centre has a largely undisturbed medieval street plan and over 660 listed buildings,[6] including several examples of timber framing from the 15th and 16th centuries. Shrewsbury Castle, a red sandstone fortification, and Shrewsbury Abbey, were founded in 1074 and 1083 respectively by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery.[7] The town is the birthplace of Charles Darwin.[8] It has had a role in nurturing aspects of English culture, including drama,[9] ballet, dance[10] and pantomime.[10]

Located 9 miles (14 km) east of the England–Wales border, Shrewsbury serves as the commercial centre for Shropshire and parts of mid-Wales, with a retail output of over £299 million per year and light industry and distribution centres, such as Battlefield Enterprise Park, on the outskirts. The A5 and A49 trunk roads come together as the town's by-pass and five railway lines meet at Shrewsbury railway station.

  1. ^ Room, Adrian (2006). Placenames of the World: Origins And Meanings of the Names for 6,600 Countries, Cities, Territories, Natural Features And Historic Sites. Stamford: McFarland. p. 345. ISBN 0786422483.
  2. ^ Oxford Dictionary of English (2nd edition (revised) ed.). Oxford University Press. loc. 647563 of 801946. ISBN 0-19-861057-2.
  3. ^ "Shrewsbury Parish in West Midlands". City Population. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Colleges of secular canons: Shrewsbury | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  5. ^ Newman, Pevsner & Watson 2006, p. 526
  6. ^ "About Shrewsbury | Original Shrewsbury". Enjoy England. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Castle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Charles Darwin: His Life, Work and Shrewsbury | Original Shrewsbury". originalshrewsbury.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  9. ^ ""Nigel Hinton Nigel's Notes on Shrewsbury Mystery Plays"". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  10. ^ a b "John Weaver | British dancer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.