We’re surrounded by the Severn River so ChatGPT gave us the highlights so we wouldn’t miss a thing.
We started at the Abbey founded on 1083, one of the most influential monasteries in England. Its charter house saw one of the first democratic parliaments in the land. It’s steeped in history and remains a place of worship.
Inside, there was also a tribute to those who suffered and those that helped the community during Covid. It will NEVER make sense how a global pandemic was political in the 🇺🇸. While the world understood & fought it and took care of each other with care and respect.
Next up the Shrewsbury Castle
I found this door tucked into a corner on the castle grounds. Not sure where it led to, but somebody wanted to make sure it was secure!How many locks does it take!?
From the castle we strolled through the shopping streets and into the market hall
In 2014, the “Save A Life, Surrender Your Knife’ campaign was born when the Chairman of the British Ironwork Centre in Shropshire, Clive Knowles, was struck by the large amount of violent knife crimes being reported within the media. Known for his passion and commitment to tackling current affairs through his dedication to art, Clive felt immediately compelled to find a way to make a real difference by highlighting this devastating national issue.
The Ironworks began to reach out to families, communities and cities affected by these horrific acts of violence and the response was tremendous with many mothers, families and loved ones already working tirelessly to help raise better awareness surrounding these heinous acts. Inspired by their desperation and unrelenting vigour, the campaign truly began.
Alongside artist Alfie Bradley, the Ironworks designed a sculpture that would be powerful whilst simultaneously carrying the voices of victims and families in a sensitive light. Working alongside the Home Office, the Ironworks sought permission to approach and work in collaboration with all 43 police constabularies across the UK. The Ironworks offered to fund and provide all knife banks, only asking that each constabulary committed to holding an amnesty or a surrender campaign to raise awareness and better educate their communities about knife crime.
Through these knife banks, thousands of weapons were collected, cleaned and blunted, ready to form an integral part of the final Knife Angel sculpture. Those families who had experienced knife crime first-hand were invited to come into the Centre to engrave their message onto the blade, many taking the opportunity to share their stories.
We walked to the Quarry with the lovely English garden called The Dingle
Then over to the Welch Bridge
Finally a leisurely stroll along the riverside back to our B&B
What a great day to explore the sights and sounds of Shrewsbury. So many great old structures that reminded me of some of the places we saw last summer in Europe.
Notice how the building gets bigger with each level. That’s because they were taxed on their ground floor square footage. 🙂
The big library with a statute of the towns favorite son, Charles Darwin.
We could easily have spent most of the day taking a stroll just through The Dingle English Garden.
After our return we put together our itenerary for the rest of our time in the UK before we head to Italy. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s adventure.
Hint: there will be some water involved 🙂
