Shrewsbury

We visited Shrewsbury on the advice of a friend and native of Shropshire, who likened the medieval market town to Chester, claiming it to be nearly as historic and much less crowded on a weekend afternoon.

Like our first experience of Chester, we were impressed with the shopping to be found in Shrewsbury, both on and around the High Street and on the nearby "shuts", the narrow, cobbled passages between the old timbered Tudor buildings where many of the shops are quietly tucked away. After dropping in to a few specialty stores, and walking through a shopping centre or two - there are few to be found in the Crewe-Nantwich area - we turned our attention to the historic sites.

Street signs are abundant and do a good job of steering tourists in the right directions. After visiting the red sandstone castle, which guards the only land approach to the town, we made our way to St. Mary's Church, Shrewsbury's finest surviving medieval church, before traversing the narrow lanes and passages, even coming upon an old abandoned church, the name of which we have yet to discover, where Kassie had her first experience of stepping on stone tomb markers.

Just four miles outside Shrewsbury is Attingham Park, a grand mansion built in 1785 for the 1st Lord Berwick and set in 250 acres of park. The Regency interiors are truly impressive - and, thankfully, the National Trust has the good sense to provide children with an activity sheet to keep them busy, thereby giving parents a chance (albeit brief, in our case) to take in the magnificent surroundings, including stunning silver and delicately carved Italian furniture. Don't leave Attingham without taking a walk along the River Tern or a stroll through the deer park.

Date of Our Last Visit: July 2005