Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, lies on a kind of peninsula in a loop of the Severn, England's longest river, which is spanned here by two imposing bridges, the English Bridge and the Welsh Bridge. The old half-timbered houses and narrow streets give this beautiful Tudor town its distinctive
atmosphere. As the center of a wide farming area it is a town full of life and activity, particularly on market days.
This settlement on the Severn, named Scrobesbyrig by the Anglo-Saxons, had already been founded in the fifth century and was conquered by King Offa of Mercia at the end of the eighth century. Written reference to Shrewsbury as a settlement of 252 houses grouped around the castle and the four churches was first made in the Doomsday Book of 1086. After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror gave the estates to his friend Roger de Montgomery and created him the first Earl of Shrewsbury; he subsequently had the castle built in about 1071 and founded Shrewsbury Abbey. For centuries the town was a border fortress on the frontier with Wales, and in 1220 its defenses were strengthened by Henry III with the erection of a town wall. Edward I, who based his seat of government in Shrewsbury, conquered Wales in 1283, and had numerous fortresses built along the coast of North Wales. Edward VI founded the famous Shrewsbury Public School, which counted Charles Robert Darwin among its former pupils; the satirist Samuel Butler (1612-1680) was headmaster of the school for many years. The poet Mary Gladys Webb (1881-1927), who sang the praises of the former county of Shropshire in her work, lies buried in the churchyard.
Shrewsbury has over 600 notable buildings including the castle, which serves as a museum; Shrewsbury Abbey and the birthplace of Charles Darwin. Shrewsbury is also host to a number of festivals each year including the Shrewsbury Flower Show, Street Theatre Festival, and Folk Festival.
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