Shrewsbury

Understand

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, which is a large and rural county in what is known as the Welsh Marches. The border with Wales is only 9 miles away and there is considerable Welsh influence in the county. As Shrewsbury is the largest town anywhere near most parts of Mid Wales, you may hear Welsh spoken in the streets by some shoppers and daytrippers from over the border. The town even has a Welsh name, and many other towns in Shropshire have Welsh names as well as their English ones. The correct pronunciation of the town's English name is subject to considerable debate, with some advocating "Shrooze-bury", and others preferring "Shroze-bury". A Latin name for the town, "Salopia", is also often used to refer to either Shrewsbury itself or Shropshire. The population of the town is 77,000 (2021). It is not the largest town in Shropshire, that is Telford.

Visit Shrewsbury tourist information

Getting there

By train There are frequent trains from London Euston to Birmingham where there are connections to Shrewsbury.

1 Shrewsbury railway station. A large, imposing, Victorian building, opened in 1848. It is located on Castle Gates, right next to the castle, just north of the town centre, within easy walking distance of the town centre, shops and many of the town's attractions. Shrewsbury acts as an interchange for many rail lines, including the beautiful Heart of Wales line and Cambrian Coastal line and Shrewsbury is easily reached by rail from most of England and Wales. There are frequent services to Manchester, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Crewe, and other services to Chester, Wrexham, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Pwllheli and Cardiff. The famous Heart of Wales Line runs between Shrewsbury and the seaside city of Swansea, passing through some of Wales' most spectacular scenery and picturesque towns during its 3 hr 40 min journey.

By car Access via the M54 from the West Midlands conurbation, then the A5 from Telford. On-street parking is available in the town centre, but it is extremely limited and expensive, therefore Park & Ride schemes operate, which enable the visitor to park outside the town in a large car park, and take a bus costing £2 return per person (children under 16 are free; students of the local college £1, holders of the English concessionary bus pass £1 after 9:30AM), into the town centre. The park & ride bus goes all round the town centre, and has stops outside most attractions, shops, etc. Park & Ride car parks are located at Meole Brace (to the south of the town), Harlescott (to the north), and Oxon (Shelton, to the west). The park and ride service does not operate on a Sunday or bank holidays. There are several cheaper carparks run by the council near the town centre; there is a map and guide to charges available. There is also an NCP car park on Wyle Cop, although this is more expensive than the council car parks.

By bus Shrewsbury is served b

Getting around

There are Park and Ride services from Oxon, Harlescott and Meole Brace to the town centre and back (see above). Other bus services go from the 2 bus station in the town centre to places in town and further out in the county. Cabs are available at the train station on Castle Gates. There are numerous local taxi companies. Roads inside the town centre are busy. There are many car parks a short distance away from the town centre available, e.g. St Julian's Friars, Abbey Foregate and Frankwell (see above).

See

1 Shrewsbury Castle, Castle St, SY1 2AT (immediately next to Shrewsbury Rail Station), ☏ +44 1743 358516, [email protected]. Museum: spring and autumn M-W F Sa 10:30AM-4PM, summer M-W F Sa 10:30AM-5PM, Su 10:30AM-4PM, closed in winter; Grounds: all year round, M-Sa 9AM-5PM and summer Sundays. Shrewsbury Castle was built in the eleventh century. The castle now belongs to Shropshire Council, and houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum, and an exhibition about the history of the castle. The grounds are also pleasant to walk in and explore. Also site for outdoor drama productions and other events in the summer. £4 for museum (seniors £3; children £1, former members of Shropshire regiments and under-5s free). Entry to the grounds only is free.. (updated Nov 2019) 2 Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, The Music Hall, The Square, SY1 1LH (in the Square), ☏ +44 1743 258885. Municipal art gallery and museum. The museum charts the development of Shrewsbury as a city from pre-historic times to the modern day in an interesting series of exhibitions. (updated Nov 2019) 3 Shrewsbury Prison, The Dana, SY1 2HP. A powerful and immersive dark tourism attraction, offering visitors the chance to walk in the footsteps of an 18th-century prison. 4 Roman Catholic Cathedral, Town Walls. Pugin church - notable for its fine stained glass by Margaret Rope. (updated Nov 2019) 5 St Chad's Church, St Chad's Terrace, SY1 1JX (in the south part of the town centre, opposite the Quarry Park), ☏ +44 1743 365478, [email protected]. M-Sa 8AM-4PM (W -5PM). Anglican church dating from 1792, has a unique circular nave. (updated Nov 2019) 6 St Mary's Church, ☏ +44 1743 357006. M-Sa 8AM-4PM. Stained glass windows dating from 14th-19th century. (updated Nov 2019) 7 Quarry Park. Large park next to the river. The local swimming baths are located in the park. There is a children's play area and the Dingle, a landscaped sunken garden. Many events take place in the Quarry througho

Do

1 Old Market Hall, The Square, SY1 1LH (in the Square), ☏ +44 1743 281281, [email protected]. Open from 10AM, Sundays 11AM until 15 minutes after last screening. Films usually show at approx 2:30PM, 5:30PM and 8PM daily. It was opened in 1596 as a market hall in the centre of Shrewsbury. This Elizabethan building is now a performing arts venue showing touring or amateur dramatics productions. There is also an arts cinema showing foreign-language and artistic films of considerable variety. There is also a cafe-bar and digital arts exhibition. Film screenings before 5PM £8-9, concessions (children, full-time students and persons of State Pension age) £7-8, evening showings £9-10, concessions £8-9. Free for Digital Arts exhibitions and cafe-bar. (updated Nov 2019) Football: Shrewsbury Town aka "The Shrews" were relegated in 2025, so they now play soccer in League Two, the fourth tier. They play at New Meadow, capacity 9900, two miles south of town centre. Loopfest is a free music festival held at various central venues in May.

Buy

1 Shrewsbury Fairtrade Shop, 8 St Johns Hill, SY1 1JD, ☏ +44 1743 352048. Sells a variety of craft and gift items from around the world, cards, Fairtrade food & drink. (updated Dec 2016) 2 Darwin Shopping Centre, SY1 2BW. (updated Dec 2016) 3 Pride Hill Shopping Centre. (updated Dec 2016) Riverside Mall. (updated Dec 2016) 4 Sundorne Retail Park, Arlington Way, SY1 4YA. (updated Dec 2016) 5 Meole Brace Retail Park, Hereford Rd, SY3 9NB. (updated Dec 2016)

Eat

Shrewsbury biscuits. The town's own delicacy is a classic English de