Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 3.djvu/476

SHREWSBURY. IGi SHBEWSBUBY. title of Henry VII. In the wars between Charles I. and the Parliamentarians, it was loyal to the king, who was here joined by Prince Eupert, in 1642. The town was fortified, and a mint established; but it was, in 1644, surprised by the enemy under Colonel Mytton, and euflered severely ; the inhabitants, however, still continued loyal. It was visited, in 1687, by James II., in whose reign the castle was stripped of cannon and ammunition, and the outworks and chapel were de- molished. The town stands on several gentle eminences, but chiefly occupies a peninsula formed by the wind- ing course of the Severn, which is crossed by two bridges, called English and Welsh bridges, on account of their respective situations. It formerly lay wholly within the curve of the river, but has gradually ex- tended on the E. and W. sides into suburbs, forming Abbey Foregate and Calchan on the E., and Frank- well on the W. ; and also beyond the neck of the peninsula and the castle to the N., forming Castle Foregate. It presents a bold and commanding appear- ance, the outer houses being of comparatively recent erection, well built and laid out ; but in the old parts the streets are narrow and ill-arranged, presenting a strange contrast of old and new houses irregularly inter- mixed, and many have an antique appearance, with gables and stories overhanging the road. Many of the streets, too, contain several old half-timber buildings, some of which are in excellent preservation and most interesting. Considerable improvements have lately been made, streets have been widened, new houses built in them, and the entire is well paved and lighted with gas. There is an ample supply of water from the river, and from a spring two miles distant from the town. In the er virona there are many pleasant walks and drives, and the houses in the suburbs are generally furnished with gardens and meadow lands, which impart to the town, when viewed from a short distance, a most picturesque appearance. English Bridge, across the Severn, is of stone, and was erected in 1774 at a cost of 16,000. It is 410 feet in length, and consists of seven semicircular arches. "Welsh Bridge, also of stone, and built in 1795, cost 8,000, is 266 feet in length, and has five arches. Another bridge, at Coleham, crosses Meole rivulet, which joins the Severn near English Bridge. There is a wharf, with warehouses, near Welsh Bridge. Shrewsbury abounds in interesting remains, the most important of which are ecclesiastical. There are nine churches in the town, most of which supply specimens of stained glass in antique patterns. St. Alkmund's Church was originally cruciform and of great antiquity, having been built on a site given by Alfred's daughter Elfleda ; but the only part of the structure remaining is the tower, surmounted by a spire, 184 feet in height. The church was rebuilt in the modern Gothic style in 1795. St. Chad's, an old collegiate church, fell, when undergoing some repairs, in 1788, having been too long neglected, and was rebuilt in 1792 at a cost of 20,000. It is in the Grecian style, and is formed by the intersection of two circles, with a square tower and portico attached. The smaller circle is occupied by a stair- case ; and the larger one, which is 100 feet in diameter, forms the body and chancel of the church. The appear- ance is striking, more from the fineness of the stone and the splendour of ornamentation, than the harmonious proportion and disposition of the parts. St. Mary's, in a cruciform shape, was lately repaired. It ia in the Norman and early Grecian style, has a spacious chancel, with chantry chapels, and a tower, surmounted by a spire, 220 feet high. It, also, is collegiate, and presents specimens of various styles of architecture, from the time of the Norman conquest to that of Elizabeth. The tower contains a peal of ten bells. St. Giles's is a small and plain structure ; a por- tion of it dates from the beginning of the 12th cen- tury. The Abbey Church, the western portion of a Benedictine abbey, founded in 1083 by Eoger de Mont- gomery, the first Earl of Shrewsbury, was to a great extent destroyed at the dissolution of the order ; but the nave, N. porch, and western tower remain, and' form the church of Holy Cross parish. They display many peculiar features of the early Norman style ; but tho building has undergone considerable changes, the most striking being the insertion of a large perpendicular window in the face of the western tower, only equalled in England by the window of York Cathedral. A Norman doorway beneath this window is adorned with mould- ings. The aisles contain many monuments, and there is an octagonal stone pulpit opposite the southern entrance. The church is interiorly an oriel, and the roof is vaulted by eight ribs. St. George's is a modern structure, built of freestone, cruciform, and in the early pointed style ; and St. Michael's and Holy Trinity, also of recent erection, are in the Grecian style. There are also five chapels-of-ease. The Independents have two places of worship ; the Baptists, Unitarians, Quakers, and tho Wesleyan, Primitive, Calvinistic, and New Connexion Methodists have one each ; and there is a Roman Catholic church, by Pugin, erected in 1856 at a cost of 10,000, which was provided by the Earl of Shrewsbury; it has a stained-glass window at the E. end. The remains of the old castle of Shrewsbury, once a place of great importance and strength, now consist of two round towers and a curtain, built by Edward I., probably on the site of the Norman keep, the walls of the inner court, now a garden, and the great arch of the inner gateway, the only remaining part of Roger de Montgomery's fort ; also a lolly mound on the edge of the river, and the fort of Roushill, built by Cromwell. These remains now form part of a dwelling-house. Portions of the ancient wall erected by Cromwell are still standing on the N.E. of the town, between the Welsh Bridge and the isthmus ; and a tower and part of the wall on the S. side, besides a rampart erected for the defence of the town, still remain. The Royal free grammar school of Shrews- bury, founded by Edward VI. in 1553, in place of St. Peter's College, is an endowed establishment, having twenty-two exhibitions and an income of i'3,000, and has produced some eminent men, among whom Sir Philip Sidney and his friend Fulke Greville, after- wards Lord Brook, the poet, occupy a distinguished place. There are also National and Lancastrian schools. The other principal buildings are the townhall, erected in 1836, from a design by Sir R. Smirke, at a cost of 12,000 ; the market-house, 103 feet long, in Elizabethan style, with a market-cross and conduit; the town and county gaol and house of correction, by Telford ; mili- tary depot, in Abbey Foregate, from a design by "Wyatt, erected at a cost of 10,000, containing two large depositories for ammunition, an armoury for 25,000 stand of arms, with houses for armourer and store- keeper ; the Drapers' Hall, a curious old building ; mechanics' institute ; public subscription library, near St. John's Hill, containing about 6,000 volumes, and with news-rooms adjoining ; savings-banks, museums, and almshouses. The Shrewsbury Working Men a hall, in the market square, erected in the year 1863 by public subscription at a cost of nearly 4,000, on a site presented for the purpose by a' lady. It contains a handsome lecture hall, common room, reading room, hot and cold baths, and a large eating department, where daily meals are provided on the Glasgow plan ; it is not only self-supporting but also remunerative. A Doric column, in honour of Lord Hill, 132 feet high, was erected in 1814 at the entrance to the town from London, and is surmounted by a colossal statue of his lordship; it cost 5,973, raised by subscription. There is also a statue of Clive, executed by Marochetti. The theatre was rebuilt in 1834, and occupies the site of the royal residence of the princes of Powislaud. On the S.W. of the town is the Quarry Promenade, set aside for the townspeople as a recreation ground, and with a walk planted on both sides with full-grown lime- trees. It is about 20 acres in extent, and 1,500 feet long, and is believed to be the site of a Roman theatre. The Central railway station is built of freestone, in the Tudor style ; it was completed in 1848, and considerably enlarged in 1855. The ancient council house, with