Shrewsbury has been on my “to see” list for ages. I passed it on my way to Church Stretton once before and always wanted to come back. Like Chester, Shrewsbury is known for its medieval, Tudor and Georgian architecture. By the way, I pronounce it as Shroosbury 🙂

My first impression, when I reached Pride Hill which I thought was high street, was a bit meh…However, I soon discovered that for the actual High Street I had to go to the bottom of Pride Hill, and turn left – which I did. I found the Tourist Information at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, and decided to begin exploring at the park. Shrewsbury is undeniably very green! I adore parks, squares, urban meadows, any green spaces really and no town or city should ever be without them. Shrewsbury has The Quarry, a vast park with gardens right on the banks of river Severn. Most of it was off limits that day because of Food Festival, but I still had a good stroll around and along the river. It was blissful. On the way back to town centre I stopped at the humble Shrewsbury Cathedral, built in 1856 for the Roman Catholics. I lit a candle and rested for a while; it was nice and cool inside…

As far as churches go, Shrewsbury Abbey is the town’s gem. Founded in 1083 by Roger The Montgomery, William the Conqueror’s right hand and the first Earl of Shrewsbury, it is now a parish church. That’s 940 years of history. Mind-boggling. There was a choir rehearsal and I couldn’t quite look everywhere but I bought a guide, donating a small sum towards the Abbey’s upkeep. I am an atheist but I am more than happy to support a place like this especially when it receives little to none financial help from the government. In many countries, churches are looked after by the state and recognized as part of heritage, just like castles or manor houses.

Shrewsbury’s medieval lanes and houses didn’t disappoint 🙂 I lost a track of time walking and taking photographs and forgot to eat, which isn’t like me at all ! By the time I found Market Hall it was too late to order food… The market is on two levels and is more like what Chester’s old market used to be, not entirely dominated by food stalls but with a wide enough choice. I’ll most likely give it a try next time. That Costa Coffee building – isn’t it just the cutest 🙂

I was quite impressed by the retail offering, a pretty good mix of chain stores and independents and unlike Chester they still have H&M store 😉

The irresistibly looking Bear Steps Art Gallery & Cafe – again, I’ll definitely go in next time (clearly, there will be a next time!). All these black and white houses just look delightful, and many are truly medieval, not mock Tudor.

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury and the town’s shopping centre bears his name 😉 There’s also a Darwin Trail. The town is so walkable and all trails, be it art, food, heritage etc. lead to the pretty square, which I didn’t photograph unfortunately, because of some congregation taking place and blocking views. The 16th century old Market Hall now houses a small cinema and a cafe. In terms of cultural offer, apart from the Museum, there’s Theatre Severn venue with music, comedy, theatre, exhibitions, you name it… and also a summer open air theatre at Shrewsbury Castle grounds. Nice!

I’ve barely scratched the surface and I certainly didn’t see every single one of Shrewsbury’s 660 listed buildings but I very pleasantly surprised. Interestingly, Shrewsbury has a similar population to Chester and is comparable in many ways: architecture, riverside, boat trips, guided tours, Cathedral/Abbey, park, castle (theirs has a military museum, our one isn’t open for sightseeing). But I just had that feeling that there’s more going on and that the town sells itself better. I’m curious to go back, see a good gig, have a nice meal, visit the museum and experience whatever else might be happening.