Description of the Town. (continued 2)

The Fish market is well supplied. Not only the Severn salmon, which is caught at their doors, but a very considerable quantity of different descriptions of the finny tribe from Wales, are regularly exposed for sale at tolerably moderate prices. For its excellent brawn, Shrewsbury has long been distinguished.

Fairs.

Fairs are held here on the second Tuesday and Wednesday in every month.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES AND REFERENCES.

Inns and Taverns.

The Lion Inn, on Wyle Cop, is kept by Mr. Tompkins. For elegant accommodation and the greatest attention, it is not surpassed. The London, Holyhead, Newtown, and Ludlow mails run to this house; also coaches regularly from hence to London, Holyhead, Worcester, Hereford, Bath, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, and all parts of the kingdom.

The Talbot Inn, in Shoplatch, is kept by Mr. Jobson. Extensive premises with requisite accommodations. Coaches run from this house similarly to those from the Lion.

The Raven Inn, in Castle-street. A spacious and convenient house, with excellent accommodation. As a house frequented by commercial gentlemen, it ranks first in the town.

The Raven and Bell Inn, on the Wyle Cop, has extensive and good accommodations for travellers, and is well frequented.

The Crown Inn, near the Butter Cross, is centrically situated, and travellers meet with civility and attention.

Besides these, there are numerous others, which cannot here be detailed, but in all of them of respectable name, the stranger will experience a civility and attention which in houses of this description are not in all places to be met with.

Public Offices.

The Post Office is kept in Dogpole. It opens at seven in the morning and closes at nine at night, and is shut during divine service on Sundays. To London the mail goes out daily at eleven o’clock (except Saturday.) To Holyhead and Ireland every evening at three o’clock. To Ludlow, Hereford, and South Wales every morning at eleven. To Chester, through Ellesmere and Wrexham every evening at three o’clock. To Pool, and all Merionethshire, (except Bala and Corwen) Aberystwith, every evening about half past three o’clock, and to Whitchurch, Wem, Hawkstone, Prees, and Malpas, every evening by horse post, soon after the arrival of the London mail. The Stamp Office is kept in the Corn Market, as is also the Salop Fire Office. The Collector’s Office for the receipt of the excise duties, is held in Barker Street. The Clerk of the Peace’s Office is at the Town Hall.

Bankers.

Messrs. Beck, Dodson, Eatons and Beck, draw on Masterman and Co.

Messrs. Burton, Lloyd, Lloyd, and Salt, draw on Stephenson, Remmington, and Co.

Messrs. Rocke, Eyton, Campbell, and Bayley, draw on Robarts, Curtis, and Co.

The banks are open every day from ten o’clock till four.

Newspapers.

Two weekly Newspapers are published here.

Wednesday,—The Salopian Journal, at the Office in the Corn Market.

Friday,—The Shrewsbury Chronicle, at the Office on St. John’s Hill.

Stage Coaches.

The number of coaches precludes our specifying each particularly, nor indeed would it be of much avail for any length of time, as they change so frequently. The following directions, however, give every necessary information to the stranger in the choice of his conveyance to any part of the kingdom.

From the Lion Coach Office.

Mail Coaches to London, Holyhead, Hereford, Chester, Newtown, and all the intermediate places. Stage Coaches to London, Holyhead, Manchester, Liverpool, Hereford, Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Cheltenham, Aberystwith, and the towns and villages on the road, daily.

The Talbot Inn.

Stage Coaches run from this house to the places named before.

The Britannia Inn.

Stage Coaches to London, Birmingham, and Aberystwith.

Stage Waggons.

Waggons to London, Wolverhampton, Machynlleth, Dolgelley, and Montgomeryshire, from Crowley and Co. Mardol.

Waggons to Chester; Manchester, Ludlow, and Leominster, from Maxon’s Warehouse, Mardol.

Waggons to Aberystwith, Llangollen, Bala, Wem Wharf, (from whence goods are conveyed by water to Liverpool, &c.) Holyhead, &c. from Newton’s General Waggon and Barge Warehouse, Mardol Quay.

Water Conveyance.

Barges go frequently (two or three in a week) for Bridgnorth, Worcester, Gloucester, Chepstow, and Bristol, days uncertain, from the warehouses of Owners Harwood, Bratton and J. Jones, on Mardol Quay, also from the Union Wharf, St. Mary’s Water Lane.

Hackney Chairmen.

Hackney Chairs, or as they are sometimes called Sedans, are to be had for conveyance within the town at a moderate rate.

Friendly and Benefit Societies

Of these there are a great number in Shrewsbury, which assemble agreeably to their rules at different public houses, and would be far too many for enumeration here. Suffice it to say that, the MASONIC SOCIETY, the most respectable of them, assembles monthly on Mondays, at the Crown Inn.

Inland Navigation.

The Severn has its source from a chalybeate spring on the eastern side of Plinlimmon, a mountain in Montgomeryshire, in North Wales, from whence rushing down with a swift current, and being joined by many smaller torrents, it presently appears considerable, and passing by Llanidloes and Newtown, becomes navigable at Pool Quay, where the Vyrniew joins it with a stream little inferior to its own; from thence proceeding gently forward to Shrewsbury, which it surrounds nearly in the form of an horseshoe, it flows on through a rich vale with many extensive windings, till it comes to Benthall Edge, by the way receiving into it the river Tern, which waters all the north of Shropshire. Here the Severn begins to be rapid, being pent up between two opposite hills, both very lofty and steep; and from thence to Bridgnorth and Bewdley, the channel is confined by high woody banks and rocky cliffs, which afford a variety of beautiful prospects. Afterwards it again glides pleasantly on through the fertile plains of Worcestershire, visiting in its way the city itself, and a little below is considerably augmented by the influx of the river Teme. This addition, however, is much inferior to that which it receives from its junction with the river Avon, at Tewkesbury. These two rivers thus united, pursue their course to Gloucester, and about fifty miles below that city are lost in the Bristol Channel.

This river, justly esteemed the second in Britain, is of great importance, being navigated by vessels of large burden, more than 160 miles from the sea, without the assistance of any lock. Upwards of 100,000 tons of coal are annually shipped from the collieries about Madeley and Broseley, for the cities and towns situate on its banks, and thence conveyed into the adjacent counties. Great quantities of grain, pig and bar iron, iron manufactures, Coalport china and earthenware, as well as wool, hops, cyder, and provisions, are likewise continually sent to Bristol and other places, from whence various kinds of goods are brought in return. In May, 1756, the number of Barges and Trows on the river Severn navigating from Shrewsbury downwards to Bristol amounted to 376, and since that time, by the addition of the inland canals from the Trent, the Mersey and the Thames, into the Stroud navigation, it may fairly be calculated that not less than double that number are now employed.

Shrewsbury Canal.

This canal commences on the north-east side of Shrewsbury, and winding with the Severn passes Uffington, where it runs parallel with the river Tern and passes Upton Forge, Withington, Roddington, where it crosses the river Roden, also the river Tern, at Long Mill; passes Long, Eyton, crosses Ketley Brook at Wrockwardine Wood, and there joins the Donnington Wood and the Shropshire Canals. The total length is 17½ miles; with 147 feet rise in the five miles between Long and Wombridge; the rest is level.—The principal use of this canal is the conveyance of coals for the consumption of Shrewsbury and the intermediate places, from the numerous coal works in the eastern part of Shropshire, which furnish that article of an excellent quality. The best are delivered in Shrewsbury at about 15s. per ton.