Shrewsbury Library

Shrewsbury Library is housed in a Grade 1 listed^[1] building situated on Castle Gates near Shrewsbury Castle. The site was the home of Shrewsbury School from 1550 until 1882. The buildings were handed over to the town in 1882 and a free library and museum were opened by The Corporation of Shrewsbury on the site in 1885. The library was moved temporarily to Raven Meadows in 1976 while the site on Castle Gates underwent extensive restorations.^[2] The library was re-opened in 1983 by Princess Margaret.^[3]

Above the main entrance are two statues bearing the inscriptions "Philomathes" and "Polumathes". These represent students, one coming to learn and the other a learned scholar on leaving. The inscription below is from Isocrates and reads "If you are a lover of learning, you will become learned".

Front view of Shrewsbury Town Library, the castle in the distance

History of the building

The original school was founded by Royal charter by King Edward VI in 1552.^[4] This is a timber-frame building, now at the rear of the present building. Additional stone buildings were added from 1594 to 1630.

Restoration work

The building required restoration work which was mainly done in the early 1980s. The projected cost was over £3million, one of the most expensive such works ever undertaken by the County Council.^[2] The library opened in 1983. The work included sand-blasting the main stonework, which looks more modern than 1630 as a result. Work was also done on the original timber-framed building, including repairs to the roof gables. Carvings were done by a local craftsman in the original Tudor style. These include a self-portrait at the apex of the north-facing gable. ^[5]

Gallery

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  Carvings above entrance archway

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  Tower and north hall

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  Sundials on south end (Old School Room)

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  Information plaque

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  Pupils' names carved in window sill

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  Old School Room ceiling

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  Darwin Room ceiling showing heraldic shields

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  Darwin Room ceiling showing heraldic shields

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  Stained glass window (castle end)

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  Stained glass window (other end)

Footnotes

References

• Shrewsbury Library - Its History and Restoration, Shropshire Libraries, 1983, ISBN 0-903802-26-0. This booklet is a guide to the buildings and the restoration work. 19th-century photographs of the school rooms are included, as well as a copy of a painting from about 1630. (Cover price 50 pence; 1983)

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Coordinates: 52°42′38″N 2°45′3″W / 52.71056°N 2.75083°W / 52.71056; -2.75083

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