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Shrewsbury Opticians Additional
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About Shrewsbury - show infohide info
Shrewsbury is a town in the west of England, close to the border with Wales. It has a population of 70,059 (as of 2001) and lies on the River Severn. The town was possibly founded in Roman times, when nearby Wroxeter was establised, though it is more likely that the Saxons founded the town in the 8th century. During this period, it was an important town on the boundary between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons in Wales. It rapidly grew in stature, becoming the county town of Shropshire, and owning its own mint. When the Normans came to rule Shropshire in the late half of the 12th century, they strengthened the fortifications of Shrewsbury and built a stone castle on the site of the present day Shrewsbury Castle. Shrewsbury fell to the Welsh in the 13th century, and was subsequently better fortified. During the English Civil War, shrewsbury was a royalist stronghold, which only fell to the Parliamentarians due to a traitor opening St Mary's Water Gate, also known as Traitors Gate. Shrewsbury did not enjoy the boom that most other towns enjoyed during the industrial revolution; in fact during the 1830's and 1840's the population of Shrewsbury actually decreased as transport links and the industry in other towns drew people away. However, with the railways came new growth as Shrewsbury became an important railway town. During World War II, Shrewsbury escaped the bombing, allowing many of its historic buildings to remain intact, and little redevelopment was required, sparing Shrewsbury the brutalist architecture of the 1960's. Today, the buildings account for much of the tourism into Shrewsbury. Many parks and bars are as old as the buildings themselves. There are a number of annual festivals in Shrewsbury, including an arts festival and a flower show. The town is no longer an important railway town, though it still retains its station. Trains commence here for journeys to Birmingham New Street and Crewe. A number of trains pass through on journeys between Cardiff and Holyhead, Manchester and Carmarthen, and Birmingham and Chester, with less frequent trains to destinations including Barmouth and Aberystwyth. Nearby towns to Shrewsbury include Telford, Wolverhampton, Newtown, Welshpool, Montgomery, Newport, Church Stretton and Wolverhampton.
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