The following are photos taken in Shrewsbury, England in 1996 by David Mefford. The historic center of town that is enclosed by the river, has been preserved as a medieval replica of the past. It is very quaint and one easily imagines what life would have been like there hundreds of years ago.
Shrewsbury from the air looking northwards. The River Severn encircles almost the whole of the old town except for a gap of about 275 metres in the north-east dominated by the Castle and the Railway Station. Access to the town is via seven bridges, (clockwise from upper right corner), i.e. Railway Bridge, English Bridge (right center), Greyfriars Footbridge, Kingsland Bridge, Porthill Footbridge, Welsh Bridge and Frankwell Footbridge. (From a post card by Aerofilms.Ltd)
This is the Market Hall built in 1596. It was the economical hub of western England for several hundred years.
Produce and fabric from the surrounding area were brought in for weekly sales.
Close-up of the exterior of the Market Hall in Shrewsbury.
The plaque on the Market Hall.
Saint Chad's Church in Shrewsbury. This is the 2nd Saint Chad's Church. The The first church was built in the 7th Century. After nearly a thousand years of use, the tower began to have cracks. A prominent engineer, Thomas Telford, was called in to assess the condition. History says that Mr. Telford and the Pastor were on the roof doing the inspection. They decided to come down to discuss what should be done. Ten minutes later, the building collapsed.
The current building replaced the old one. It was completed, 2 March 1790.
More info available at:
http://stchadschurchshrewsbury.com/building-for-the-future/history/
The Cemetery at St Chad's Church. It is no longer used, but before they stopped, there were several bodies that were buried on top of other bodies as the tombstones deteriorated beyond recognition.
According to Wikipedia, "The gravestone prop of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by George C. Scott) that was used in the 1984 film A Christmas Carol is still present in the now-disused churchyard. According to the Shrewsbury Town Crier, Martin Wood, the headstone is not a "prop" but an actual period headstone, on which the original inscription had deteriorated to the point that the movie production people asked the church if they could use it and inscribe the "Ebenezer Scrooge" words on it. You can still see some of the original inscription on the bottom part of the stone."
A typical street in Shrewsbury. The old town has been restored and maintained as an historical district, although they have paved over many of the cobblestone streets.
Another Street in Shrewsbury, this one with cars.
