History of Shrewsbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shrewsbury may have been founded by the Romans who had the town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter) nearby, but the Saxons are more likely to have founded the town, roughly in the 8th Century (there are unfortunately no records of when exactly it was founded). The earliest written mention of it existing is from the year 901, when it was described as being a city. At that time it was part of the Kingdom of Mercia and was an important border post between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons in Wales. It grew in stature quickly and became the county town of Shropshire and even had a mint. Having a mint at this time required by law that the location be fortified. This was before the Norman Conquest.
When the Normans came to rule Shropshire in the later half of the 11th Century, they strengthened Shrewsbury's fortifications, building a stone castle where the present Shrewsbury Castle is now. The centre of Shrewsbury is located in a meander of the River Severn and the town is located only 9 miles from the Welsh border. The town centre has a pronounced hill on the north side of the meander where the neck of the meander is, upon which sits the castle, 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.
The town fell to Welsh forces led by Llywelyn the Great in 1215 and afterwards the defences were greatly increased. During the English Civil War, the town was a royalist stronghold and only fell to Parliament forces after they were let in by a traitor at the St Mary's Water Gate (now also known as Traitor's Gate).
The town did not experience the same massive growth that other English towns experienced during the industrial revolution and few large factories grew up in the town. In fact, during the 1830s and 1840s, the town actually decreased in populance - mainly due to the lack of good transport links and little industry. The railways, however, became a major employer by the end of the 19th Century, as Shrewsbury became an important railway town. Today, the town is still not industrial and the railways no longer play such a major part in employing its people.
The town avoided the bombing of World War II and so many of its ancient buildings remain intact and there was little redevelopment during the 1960s and 1970s (which destroyed the character of many historic towns in the UK). It is known as the "town of flowers" and an alternative name is Salop (which is also an alternative name for the county). The town has borough status and for many centuries it was run by the Corporation of Shrewsbury. The local authority is now Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.
