Nooks and Corners of ShropshireTimmins, H. Thornhill (Henry Thornhill)
History
Nooks and Corners of Shropshire
Timmins, H. Thornhill (Henry Thornhill)
Shropshire (England) -- Description and travel
Over against the old Market House, on the eastern side of The Square,
rises an ancient timbered dwelling which goes by the name of Lloyd's
House. Its rugged beams are curiously carved; grotesque faces leer upon
the passer-by from finial and bracket; and the builder's initials are
ingeniously interwoven amidst the ornamentation of the weatherworn
bargeboard. Glancing backwards from the adjacent lane, we notice how the
nodding gables and chimneys of Lloyd's mansion, one end of the old
Market House, and a good eighteenth-century building beyond, combine to
form a characteristic street scene. Then we push onwards again in search
of other quarry.
Traversing a disused cemetery, we come to the Lady Chapel, and only
relic, of old St. Chad's, a venerable church which collapsed suddenly in
1788, after surviving the changes and chances of time, it is said, for
over a thousand years.
An odd little alley now beguiles our footsteps, where an oldfashioned
inn, its prominent signboard overtopped by St. Julian's church-tower,
appears as set in a frame beneath an ancient archway. Thence we turn to
the right, and pass a handsome new building on the site of Shearmen's
Hall, an ancient foundation that in its time had played many parts, as a
theatre, a chapel, a warehouse and a shop!
Thus we enter Wyle Cop,--how runs the verse?
'They hew, and they hack, and they chop;
And, to finish the whole, they stick up a pole,
In the place that's still called the Wylde Coppe,
And they pop
Your grim, gory head on the top!'
Several attractive-looking old structures confront us as we descend the
steep pavement, prominent amongst them the ancient abode that figures
upon page 15. This picturesque façade, with its blackened timbers and
pretty traceried window adorned by coats of arms, has an added interest
from the fact that it is 'Ye auncient house in which King Henry the VII
loged, when he went to Bosworth Field, Augst 1485.' So at least the
panel beneath the window has it, though Henry, of course, was but Harry
of Richmond until that fateful battle had won for him the crown.
[Illustration: Old Houses in Wyle Cop. Shrewsbury.]
While exploring the vicinity of Wyle Cop, many another bit of old
Shrewsbury is brought to light, notably the nicely restored frontage of
the Unicorn Hotel; and, hidden away amidst some poor cottages by Severn
side, a few scanty relics of Grey Friars' monastery, in its time one of
the stateliest religious houses in Shrewsbury. Thenceforward we hug the
river brink until, coming to the English Bridge, we traverse it, and
find ourselves in the broad thoroughfare called Abbey Foregate--
'A long greate streate, well buildid, large and faire,
In as good Ayre as may be wisht with wit;
Where Abbey stands, and is such ringe of Belles,
As is not found from London unto Welles.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account