Georgian Shrewsbury: Streets, Townhouses and Details to Look For

What makes a building Georgian

“Georgian” covers the reigns of the four King Georges, from 1714 to 1830, and architectural historians often stretch the label to 1837 to include the Regency years. In practice the word describes a look: brick fronts, symmetrical layouts, tall sash windows, panelled doors with a fanlight above and classical details such as pediments and cornices. The idea behind it was proportion and order, borrowed from ancient Greece and Rome. (These definitions are general background and are not cited.)

Shrewsbury is a good town in which to learn the look because Georgian fronts sit among much older buildings. Sometimes the Georgian front is a re-fronting: the Old Liberal Club on Belmont is an older timber-framed house given a brick frontage,^[1] and the Lion Hotel on Wyle Cop has a timber-framed core in a remodelled 18th-century structure.^[1] Our guide to Georgian interiors covers the rooms inside; this article is about the outsides and the town.

Georgian Shrewsbury: the buildings to know

Dates and attributions in the table come from the sources numbered in the text and listed under References.

The Quarry, Belmont and the Square

The Georgian town starts with leisure. The Quarry was common land that was turned into tree-lined walkways in 1719 (reportedly paid for by the mayor), with a riverside promenade lined with lime trees.^[1] The Hercules statue is attributed to Jan van Nost, who died in 1729; it was originally at Condover Hall, moved to the park entrance in 1851 and to its present spot in 1881.^[1]

Belmont is where Georgian brick meets older timber. Number 6 dates from 1701 and was probably used by travelling circuit judges, which gives it its name, the Judges’ Lodging; it is privately owned.^[1] Next to it, the Old Liberal Club is an older timber-framed house that was given a brick frontage with sash windows and a pedimented doorcase, plus an extra storey, probably in the mid-18th century.^[1] Re-fronting like this is worth looking for: a symmetrical brick face can hide an older frame (general observation).

In the Square, number 2 is a Queen Anne-style building dated 1730 by its rainwater heads. The Square once had several coffee houses, remembered in the name Coffee House Passage.^[1]

Pig Hill, Swan Hill and the Georgian rebuilding

Some of Shrewsbury’s Georgian streets follow a clear-up. St John’s Hill was formerly Pig Hill, and the Civic Society says drainage problems and animal slaughter there ended in 1756 under an Act of Parliament, which enabled the area’s Georgian redevelopment. On St John’s Hill, Swan Hill and Cross Hill the houses front directly onto the pavement and have large back gardens.^[1]

The Armoury was built in 1806 but moved from its original site in Armoury Gardens near London Road, according to the Civic Society’s Victoria Avenue entry.^[1]

Thomas Farnolls Pritchard and Joseph Bromfield

Two local names recur in the Georgian town. Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, the Shrewsbury-born architect and interior decorator best known for designing the Iron Bridge,^[6] designed 6 Quarry Place (a later 18th-century house for the Rev. Richard de Courcy, vicar of St Alkmund’s, later a nursing home and, in the First World War, an officers’ hospital).^[1] Pritchard died in 1777, and Joseph Bromfield, originally a plasterer, later took over much of his practice.^[6] Bromfield built the Crescent on Town Walls in 1793: a shallow curved terrace of four houses on the line of the medieval walls, known for its large bay windows. The Civic Society adds that the Darwin family lived there before moving to Mount House.^[1]

For the full story of Pritchard see our article on Thomas Farnolls Pritchard.

St Chad's: the round church

St Chad’s is the town’s most unusual Georgian building. The central tower of the old church collapsed in 1788 after work on the crypt weakened it^[3] (the Civic Society dates it to 9 July, at 4 a.m., and says only the Lady Chapel of the old church survives).^[1] The new church was designed by the Scottish architect George Steuart, whose foundation stone was laid in March 1790; it opened in August 1792. It has a circular nave and a tall tower, and it is Grade I listed (10 January 1953).^[3] Historic England’s list entry calls the architect George Steuart of London and dates the church 1790-92, with a date stone over the entrance reading MDCCXC (1790). It describes ashlar walls, a circular nave with an elliptical stair hall, a west tower with a square base and octagonal upper stage, an Ionic portico on the east side and an interior gallery on cast-iron Ionic shafts.^[7] Charles Darwin was baptised there on 15 November 1809.^[3]

Bridges and a column: engineering as architecture

Two Georgian crossings are worth knowing. The English Bridge was designed by John Gwynn and built from 1769 to 1774; it was rebuilt and widened to 50 feet in 1926, reusing the original masonry, and is Grade II* listed.^[2] The Welsh Bridge opened in 1795 and replaced St George’s Bridge; upstream, Mardol Quay and Frankwell Quay were where goods were unloaded, and river trade peaked in the 18th century.^[1]

Lord Hill’s Column, built 1814 to 1816, is strictly Regency. The first stone was laid on 27 December 1814 and the last on 18 June 1816. Wikipedia names Edward Haycock Snr as architect, with changes to the pedestal by Thomas Harrison.^[5] The Historic England listing text names Thomas Harrison of Chester together with Edward Haycock and John Carline of Shrewsbury, dates the column 1814-16 and describes it as ashlar, surmounted by a statue of Lord Hill.^[8] The Friends of Lord Hill’s Column describe it as the tallest Doric column in England, built of Grinshill stone, at a cost of £5,972 13s 2d.^[9] The column is Doric, stands 133 ft 6 in (40.7 m) high and carries a 17 ft statue of General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill, modelled in Coade stone by Joseph Panzetta. A cantilevered spiral staircase of 172 steps was added inside in 1817. It is listed Grade II*.^[5]

Georgian terms in plain English

Most of these terms are explained again, with pictures, in our cornice, coving and mouldings glossary.

A Georgian walk through Shrewsbury

You can see most of Georgian Shrewsbury on foot in an afternoon, working from the river inwards. Start in the Quarry, where the lime-lined walks date to 1719^[1] and the Hercules statue stands. Walk up through St Chad’s Terrace to the round church, then on to the Crescent on Town Walls, whose bay windows are the thing to look for. Return through Belmont for the Judges’ Lodging and the brick-fronted Old Liberal Club, then climb to the Square for number 2 and finish on Wyle Cop at the Lion Hotel. Most of these are private buildings or businesses, so you will be looking from the street; check any opening arrangements for St Chad’s and the Quarry features in advance.

How to read a Georgian facade

Once you know what to look for, the Georgian town reads like a set of rules. Ten Dogpole is a handy example because Historic England’s listing is so specific: an early 19th-century brick building with a hipped Welsh slate roof, three storeys and two windows wide, with 12-pane sashes on the lower floors and 6-pane sashes on the second storey, a continuous sill band at first-floor level and flat-arched window heads with a stucco finish.^[10] The four pointers below are rules of thumb rather than documented facts about every house.

• Windows get smaller as you go up. The best rooms were on the first floor, and the window sizes showed it.
• Everything is aligned. Windows sit above windows, and the door is centred or balanced.
• The door is the feature. A pedimented doorcase, panelled door and fanlight are the usual ingredients. See the history of the overdoor pediment for where the pediment comes from.
• Brick is the face of the building. A plain tiled or slate roof with a cornice or parapet at the top finishes the front.

Georgian rooms and plaster at home

As general background: the inside of a Georgian town house followed the same ideas of proportion: tall rooms, panelling or a dado rail, a plaster cornice and, in better rooms, a ceiling rose or centrepiece. If you live in a Georgian house, the easiest way to restore the look is to get the plaster right. Our guide to Robert Adam’s neoclassical interiors shows where the delicate Georgian ornament came from, and our cornice and mouldings glossary names the parts. A Flare plaster ceiling rose or overdoor pediment is a handmade way to add Georgian detail without a tradesperson.

Keep reading

• Restoring a period home in Shropshire
• Georgian interiors guide
• Robert Adam and neoclassical interiors
• History of the overdoor pediment
• Shropshire architectural heritage
• Cornice, coving and mouldings glossary
• Thomas Farnolls Pritchard: the architect behind the Iron Bridge

Shop the look

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Frequently asked questions

What is Georgian architecture?

Georgian architecture is the style of the reigns of the four King Georges (1714 to 1830), often stretched to 1837. It is recognised by symmetrical brick fronts, sash windows, panelled doors with fanlights and classical details.

What are the best Georgian buildings in Shrewsbury?

Good places to start are 6 Belmont (1701), 2 The Square (1730), St Chad's Church (1790-92), the Crescent on Town Walls (1793), the Welsh and English Bridges and Lord Hill's Column (1814-16).

Who designed St Chad's Church in Shrewsbury?

The Scottish architect George Steuart designed it. The foundation stone was laid in March 1790 and the church opened in August 1792. It has a circular nave and is Grade I listed.

Who built the Crescent in Shrewsbury?

Joseph Bromfield built the Crescent on Town Walls in 1793, according to Shrewsbury Civic Society. It is a shallow curved terrace of four houses on the line of the medieval town walls.

How tall is Lord Hill's Column?

It is 133 ft 6 in (40.7 m) high, topped by a 17 ft statue of General Rowland Hill, and has a spiral staircase of 172 steps added in 1817. It was built 1814-16 and is Grade II* listed.

Why are the windows smaller on the upper floors of a Georgian house?

As a rule of thumb, the best rooms were on the first floor and the upper floors had smaller windows. At 10 Dogpole, for example, the lower floors have 12-pane sashes and the top floor has 6-pane sashes.

Are there Georgian brick fronts on older timber buildings in Shrewsbury?

Yes. The Civic Society describes the Old Liberal Club on Belmont as an older timber-framed house given a brick frontage with sash windows and a pedimented doorcase, probably in the mid-18th century, and the Lion Hotel on Wyle Cop has a timber-framed core.

Who designed the English Bridge in Shrewsbury?

John Gwynn designed it. It was built 1769 to 1774, then rebuilt and widened in 1926 using the original masonry. It is Grade II* listed.