Saturday 5 March 2011

Scenic Saturday - Shropshire

No 31 in the series.


Shropshire claims to be the birthplace of the industrial revolution, specifically the Ironbridge Gorge. It was here that the world's first cast iron bridge was built over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in 1779. The bridge still attracts many visitors. But despite its industrial past, Shropshire is no longer an industrial county. There are towns with delightful names like Cleobury Mortimer, medieval towns bursting with black and white buildings. There are hills such as Wenlock edge and the Wrekin. And part of the beauty of Shropshire is that it attracts comparatively few tourists.

The county town is Shrewsbury. Nobody seems quite sure how to pronounce that. The first syllable is sometimes rhymed with ‘shows' and sometimes with ‘cruise', but however it is pronounced, the town is certainly worth a visit. I have borrowed the picture of Shrewsbury from the town's tourist information office.

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