Shrewsbury
municipal and parliamentary borough of England, capital of Shropshire, situated on a slightly elevated peninsula formed by a bend of the Severn, 42 miles N. W. of Birmingham. It consists of some handsome modern houses and many old timbered houses of very picturesque appearance . Several bridges cross the Severn and connect the town with its suburbs. Among objects deserving of notice are the remains of the old walls; the ruins of the castle; the Church of Holy Cross, originally attached magnificent Benedictine abbey, to a founded in 1083; the grammar school, ranking high among public schools, founded by Edward VI. in 1551, and removed to new buildings at Kingsland in 1882; the market house, of the time of Queen Elizabeth; statues of Lords Clive and Hill, etc. The chief manufactures are glass staining, the spinning of flax and linen yarn, iron founding, brewing, the preparation of brawn, and the making of the well-known "Shrewsbury cakes." In 1403 the famous battle which ended in the defeat of Hotspur and the Earl of Douglas, his ally, by Henry IV. was fought in the vicinity. Pop . about 30,000.