Day Five 18th

Despite the rain (can anyone see a theme developing!) the kids joined Grannie and I on our morning walk to the co-op for supplies.  We then proceeded to have a very lazy morning including quite a few games of cribbage and dominoes whilst hoping the weather would clear.  After lunch with the sun breaking through we headed out to take a look at Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire and the birthplace of Charles Darwin.

Shrewsbury is known as a town with significant medieval heritage, having been founded ca. 800 AD. It was during the late Middle Ages (14^th - 15^th Centuries) when the town was at its height of commercial importance. This was mainly due to the wool trade, a major industry at the time, with the rest of Britain and Europe.  Over the ages, the geographically important town has been the site of many conflicts, particularly between the English and Welsh.  Shrewsbury was the seat of the Princes of Powis for many years; however, the Angles, under King Offa of Mercia, took possession of it in 778. The Welsh again besieged it in 1069, but were repelled by William the Conqueror.  Roger de Montgomery was given the town as a gift from William, and built Shrewsbury Castle in 1074, taking the title of Earl.  The 3rd Earl, Robert of Bellême was deposed in 1102, in consequence of taking part in the rebellion against Henry I.  In 1403, the Battle of Shrewsbury took place a few miles north of the town centre, at Battlefield; it was fought between King Henry IV and Henry Hotspur Percy, with the King emerging victorious.

As with any visit to a sizeable town, history would have to wait with parking being the first priority.  This we found in the “Darwin” shopping centre, which unfortunately had parking spaces the size of postage stamps – poor Grandad! 

We had no fixed plans so simply wandered the streets.  We stopped at St Mary’s church for a closer look and, whilst paying for my ‘photography licence’ had one of the guides approach and ask Zac about his football top, he was wearing his Spanish one.  Thinking nothing of it and not really wanting to get into conversation Zac and I simply nodded and laughed and moved on….more on this little episode at a later date.

According to tradition, St Mary’s was founded by King Edgar in the 10^th century.  Building of the present church began in the 12^th century and continued in the centuries to come with the addition of naves, towers and the like and the introduction of some magnificent stained glass windows brought to St Mary’s from all over Europe.

Quite an impressive list of incumbents dating back to 1160

 Dutch Panels 1550 to 1600  

 17^th Century Netherlandish Roundels

Memorial to John Benbow, Vice Admiral of the Blue

 15^th Century Alabaster Tomb Slab

 The Jesse Window c1340

As I was heading outside with the kids, the same guide who approached us earlier re-emerged to ask me if I thought this church was comparable to the one in Santiago de Compostela.  I was now beginning to get an inkling into our situation here so happily announced we hadn’t actually visited there but had visited many other Cathedrals along the pilgrimage route.  He complimented me on my spoken English so sincerely I just had to admit we were from Australia.  To help him save face we made a quick good bye and I ushered the kids outside.  I certainly hope he didn’t pop his head out to see us as the kids proceeded to play a little game of El Torro!

Those quirky Spanish kids in action!

Spotting a sign for the Abbey, we continued our meander through town.  On crossing the “English Bridge” and seeing signs for the “Welsh Bridge” further down the river I admit to hoping for an interesting historical story of a society at odds.  Unfortunately, the truth of the names is far more boring.  The English Bridge is closer to the rest of England and the Welsh, though in England, is closer to Wales.  (You would think someone could just make something up!)

The Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey, was a Benedictine monastery founded in 1083 by the Norman Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery.  After the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIII the part of the Abbey building which survived continued as a Parish Church as it is to this day.

Some random Abbey history:

During the 13^th century there were a series of conflicts between the Welsh and the English.  After one such conflict Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, was killed and his brother David taken prisoner.  On 30^th of September 1283 the English King, Edward I, assembled a Parliament in the Abbey Chapter House to determine David’s fate.  This parliament was the first national assembly in which the commons had a share by legal authority; it consisted of 110 earls and barons, 2 knights from each shire, and 2 deputies from certain principal towns and cities.  The Parliament condemned the Welsh prisoner to be hung, drawn and quartered.

King Richard II summoned the Great Parliament (so named because of the large number of people invited) to meet at the Abbey in 1398.

Tomb of a Monk brought here in the 18^th century from the derelict church of St Giles.  St Giles was a leper hospital served by monks from Shrewsbury Abbey.  Note the incised emblems of his office: chalice and host, bell, missal and candlestick

This 14^th Century piece of stone carving is all that remains of the Shrine to St Winifred.

According to legend, Winifred was the daughter of a Welsh nobleman, Tyfid ap Eiludd.  Her suitor, Caradog, was enraged when she decided to become a nun, and decapitated her.  In one version of the tale, her head rolled downhill, and, where it stopped, a healing spring appeared.  Winifred's head was subsequently rejoined to her body due to the efforts of her maternal uncle, Saint Beuno, and she was restored to life.

After her death (c. 660) Winifred was interred at her abbey.  In 1138, relics were carried to Shrewsbury to form the basis of an elaborate shrine. The shrine and well became major pilgrimage goals in the Late Middle Ages, but the shrine was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1540.

Resting place of Roger de Montgomery, loyal kinsman to the conquering William of Normandy, who was created Earl of Shrewsbury in 1071.  Earl Roger became one of the most powerful men in the country, second only to the king.  He was generous to the Church both in Normandy and England.

We walked back into town, with the weather swinging wildly from sunshine to heavy showers, for some afternoon tea before deciding it was time to head back to the cottage.

Ye olde views around the market square

 This is above the Costa Coffee shop – got to love the English

 Tonight we decided to take things easy on the dinner front and order fish and chips from the local Village Fish Bar.  Turns out they were award winners – well, Regional Winners of the National Fish Shop Awards in 2006 – and, while the chips were inevitably soggy, I must score them highly on their fish.

To exercise off said dinner, the kids and I played outside well into the evening whilst the OAPs went for a long walk.  Then, with the kids finally in bed, out came the scrabble -  I won!!