Shrewsbury

The Severn loops almost the whole way round the old town, leaving only a narrow neck of land, which is why the Normans put a castle across it and why the medieval street plan survives so completely: around six hundred and sixty listed buildings, many of them timber-framed, in a tangle of lanes called shuts that cut between the main streets. Names include Grope Lane, Dogpole and Wyle Cop. Charles Darwin was born here in 1809 and went to the school that is now the library, with his statue outside it. Ireland's Mansion and Rowley's House are among the more elaborate timber frames. The Quarry is a riverside park of 29 acres with the Dingle, a sunken flower garden, and it was home to the Shrewsbury Flower Show, which Guinness listed in 2005 as the longest-running flower show in the world; Percy Thrower, parks superintendent from 1946, helped revive it after the war.

What's there

• The shuts - narrow medieval cut-throughs between the main streets.
• The timber frames - Ireland's Mansion and Rowley's House among 660 listed buildings.
• The river loop - a narrow neck of land holding the old town.
• The Quarry and Dingle - a riverside park with a sunken garden.

When to go

April to October; the Flower Show in August is one of the oldest in the world and fills the town. Weekday markets in the Victorian market hall are good and much quieter.

Before you go

The loop means traffic funnels over two bridges and driving in the centre is awkward, with limited parking. The town floods, sometimes seriously, in winter. Some timber frames are Victorian imitation rather than genuine Tudor.

Nearby

Ironbridge Gorge lies southeast; the Long Mynd and Church Stretton are south.

Key facts