Beyond the Bridges: The Suburbs of Shrewsbury, 1760 - 1960

Shrewsbury is an archetypal "city on a hill," the spires and towers of its churches crowning a sandstone bluff that is almost encircled by a horseshoe bend of the River Severn. Suburbs began to grow beyond the town's medieval limits in the mid-18th century. The elegant villas of attorneys were followed by imposing terraces, cluster houses for workers at the Ditherington flax mill, freehold land society estates, terraces occupied by railwaymen, and, in the 20th century, by "homes fit for heroes"—the "Dunroamin"—style estates, and prefabs. Shrewsbury is an ideal subject for the study of suburbs, being large enough to offer interesting variation, but small enough to have retained most of its suburban heritage. This unusual study treads new paths in local and urban history. The author examines the ways in which suburbs were shaped by government, looks at the varying roles of architects and builders, and analyses the extension of utilities, transport networks, sporting facilities, shops and churches. The growth that occurred on each side of Shrewsbury between 1760 and 1960 is described in a way that will make fascinating reading for all who live in the suburbs that were once home to Mary Webb, Wilfred Owen, and Charles Darwin. This sumptuously illustrated volume is also a must for all urban historians.