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The Marches

Sights in The Marches

  1. A

    St Mary's Church

    Peek inside medieval St Mary's Church, which has one of the highest spires in England and the astonishingly vivid Jesse window of rare mid-14th-century glass.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Shrewsbury Library

    Opposite Shrewsbury Castle is the rather ostentatious Shrewsbury Library, with a statue of Shrewsbury's most famous son, Charles Darwin.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Grope Lane

    The charmingly named and almost claustrophobically narrow Grope Lane features overhanging storeys that seem to close in around you.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Shrewsbury Castle & Shropshire Regimental Museum

    Terracotta-coloured Shrewsbury Castle houses the stiff-upper-lip Shropshire Regimental Museum and has wonderful views.

    reviewed

  5. E

    St Chad's

    Listen to the cacophonous bells of odd 18th-century round church St Chad's, which dominates the top of Quarry Park.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Ireland's Mansion

    The lordly timber-framed Ireland's Mansion is one of Shrewsbury's most magnificent black-and-white beauties.

    reviewed

  7. G

    St Mary's Cottage

    Take a peek at the tilted 17th-century St Mary's Cottage on your way to Shrewsbury Castle.

    reviewed

  8. H

    Quarry Park

    Stroll along the riverside to enjoy an ice cream in the tumbling gardens of Quarry Park.

    reviewed

  9. I

    Museum

    There's a small back-to-front museum on the town and surrounding area here.

    reviewed

  10. St Laurence's Church

    The Norman-era St Laurence's Church features an exhibitionist Sheela-na-gig over its north door.

    reviewed

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  12. Snailbeach

    Over the ridge from the Stiperstones is the village of Snailbeach, with its intriguing mining relics, passing the Bog cafe and information centre next to the ruins of an abandoned mining village.

    reviewed

  13. Market House

    Markets still take place in Ledbury's delicate black-and-white Market House, as they have since the 17th century. The timber-framed structure is precariously balanced atop a series of wooden posts supposedly taken from the wrecked ships of the Spanish Armada.

    reviewed

  14. High Street

    Lined with surprisingly posh boutiques, the High St climbs from the town church to the adorable Georgian town hall abutting the crooked 16th-century House on Crutches which also houses the town museum.

    reviewed

  15. J
  16. Wilton Castle

    About 1 mile west of town, beside the River Wye, Wilton Castle is a delightful 12th-century ruin, scattered through the pretty gardens of a vine-covered private home.

    reviewed

  17. Tudor House

    Once a weaver's house and then a brewery, the mid-16th-century Tudor House is wonderfully warped and contains a lovely Tudor ceiling upstairs (revealed when the plaster came down).

    reviewed

  18. K
  19. St Michael and All Angels

    At the top of the lane lies the 12th-century church of St Michael and All Angels with a splendid 18th-century spire and tower divided from its medieval nave.

    reviewed

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  21. St Mary's Church

    Crowning the hilltop, pin-straight St Mary's Church is a 13th-century construction with a fine east window and grand alabaster memorials, including the grave of John Kyrle and the outrageously ostentatious tombs of the noble Rudhall family. Behind the church, Royal Parade runs to the edge of the bluff, lined with realistic-looking but ersatz castle ruins, constructed in 1833.

    reviewed

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  23. Painted Room

    At the corner with Church St, the Painted Room is adorned with 16th-century floral frescos.

    reviewed

  24. M

    Old Market Hall

    At the other end of the High St to St Alkmond's Church in cute cobbled the Square is Shrewsbury's good-looking 16th-century Old Market Hall, whose upper levels contain the town's pocket-sized cinema and a cafe.

    reviewed